Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans gangs tended to be small violent local groups divided among its 17 voting districts known as "wards". NOPD classified these groups as drug organizations or "cliques," with about 10-15 members. The most infamous criminal organizations formed in the city during the turbulent mid-1980s, with the Glenn Metz Gang, the Sam Clay Organization, Hardy Boys and the Richard Pena Organization being the most notorious. Other drug crews like the Balley Boys and the Hankton Organization were also active during the 1990s.[1]
According to New Orleans Police Department, gang related homicides spiked in 2007, which drove the city's homicide rate to a record high.[2] Some of the most vicious cliques, like the Dooney Boys and the 9th ward G-Strip Gang, moved to other cities and clashed with each other in violent gun battles. New Orleans drug crews became involved in violent crime and murders and spread throughout the drug trade in host cities and states such as Atlanta, Houston, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Dallas, Biloxi, Baton Rouge, and Jacksonville.[3][4] In 2012, Mayor Mitch Landrieu formed the Multi-Agency Gang (MAG) Unit, which is the key enforcement component of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS). The MAG Unit identifies the most dangerous and influential gang members and removes them from the community.[5][6]