Police: Black MOB Gang members charged

By: Valerie Boey

Plant City, Florida-In the West Side of Plant City, Lyshondia Lamar worries about her 7-year-old son Edward, "People shooting stuff in the air for no reason, the kids can't play outside the door like they use to."

Plant City Police Chief Bill McDaniel believes a gang called The Black Mob has been targeting people, "This black mob has been a real problem for us, they've been preying on the most vulnerable members of our community and to take this action against them is a very important step." 10 members were charged with criminal racketeering. 20-year-old Nathaniel George Jr. is still on the loose. Many were already in jail for previous crimes, the majority were against migrant farm workers. McDaniel believes it's because many of them don't speak English and are illegal aliens, that's why the gang went after them, "Everything from murder, attempted murder, robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, car theft and the distribution of illicit narcotics." Earlier today, police went into a West Side home looking for drug paraphernalia and other evidence to add to their case.

The women inside the home say, there are gangs around here, but they're not black. They say the name MOB stands for, Money over B*****s.Tajuana McDonald is angry that her son Rodney Young was charged, "This is discrimination, this is racist, this is just not right." Cathy Johnson also disagrees with the charges, " There's no black mob, there's no black mob."

But if the charges help keep little Edward and other children a little safer., then Lamar supports the indictment, "In a way I'm happy." If convicted, the men could face 60-years in prison. The Plant City Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Attorney General Bill McCollum worked together on the investigation.