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Gangs called Crazy Hmong Boyz and the True Asian Bloods have left graffiti on city sidewalks, bridges and private property as part of a turf war, according to Onalaska police.
“The community can help by calling in any suspicious activities, especially if a group of kids are involved,” said Onalaska Police investigator Chad Marcon.
Just after 4 a.m. Aug. 23, an officer found the Van Riper Park sign had been spray-painted with the words, “Can’t Stop Crazy Hmong Boyz,” according to police reports.
Throughout that weekend, the police department received 10 calls from residents and discovered other graffiti near Onalaska Middle School and Northern Hills Elementary.
Some graffiti had the “Crazy Hmong Boyz” marked over with an “X” and “Crips” was written beside it. Other sites had obscenities, but it all is believed to be gang related graffiti, police said.
Marcon said two groups appear to be loosely knit, copycat gangs. So far, their activity has been limited to graffiti, he said.
“Are they dangerous? Well, they’ve no regard for property, so it’s hard to say what they are capable of,” Marcon said.
Concern about Asian gang activity prompted one Onalaska officer to hold two Asian men at gunpoint after he discovered they were working on a van reported as stolen.
Officer Peter Jakowski was attempting a warrant arrest on the morning of Aug. 25 on the 400 block of Quincy Street when he saw “two male Asians working under the hood of a white Plymouth van,” according to his report.
It was at the same apartment complex where gunshots had been reported a couple days earlier. After Jakowski learned the van was reported stolen, he called for backup and confronted the pair of 20-year-olds with “gun out and in the ‘ready position.’”
The young men told officers they were given permission to work on the van, from a man who was related to the owners who reported it stolen. They said he did not have permission to take the vehicle.
The earlier incident at the same apartment complex led to drug charges being filed against four Hmong men — two 18-year-olds and two in the their 20s. One also faces a charge for firing a gun in the city, according to the criminal complaint.
La Crosse County Deputy District Attorney Loralee Clark said there is evidence those men were involved in gangs.
It’s not the first gang-related incidents in Onalaska: activity in the mid-1990s prompted area schools to add gang education to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education curriculum taught by police officers.
“It’s not a new phenomenon, but a pressing one in the community,” said Mayor Mike Giese. “It needs to be carefully monitored and police action taken as soon as possible.”
