Street Gangs
In the Latin American areas of South Trenton, Guatemalan gangs have come to challenge the long-established dominance of the Latin Kings in South Trenton. In addition to the Latin Kings, South Trenton is home to many members of the gangs GTO (Guatemalans Taking Over), the Ñetas, MS-13, Crips, and the Bloods. Some suspect that the Maniac Latin Disciples are trying to move in as well due to recent graffiti. Most of these divergent groups' members come to a head at the local junior high school for South Trenton, Grace A. Dunn Middle School also known as Junior High School Number Four or simply "Jr.4". This has played a part in making Jr. 4 one of five "persistently dangerous schools" in the State of New Jersey according to No Child Left Behind reporting from 2004 through 2006. Despites these realities, South Trenton is considered by many to be the safest neighborhood in Trenton with relatively low rates of violent crime when compared with other parts of New Jersey's capital city.
There was a sharp rise in crime during the mid-1990s but as of 2009 crime is down to a low level in South Trenton due to Trenton Police Department's new tactics including a mobile police station and the establishment of a South Trenton precinct at the corner of Bridge Street and South Broad Street.
Read more about this topic: South Trenton, New Jersey, Decline and Rise in Crime
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