By George P. Hassett

Initials of the gang MS-13 appeared on walls in East Somerville on Monday. In blue letters “MS” and “MS-13” were found scrawled across six properties on Glen Street at 5:30 a.m., police said.
Captain Paul Upton said the markings were not necessarily gang related or done by gang members.
“We don’t know if it was put there by people associated with MS-13, people against MS-13 or by people who are just looking to cause havoc in the community,” he said. “It’s too early to tell what significance it may have,” he said.

For now, the crime is being handled as a destruction of property investigation not a gang-related crime, he said.
MS-13 is a gang historically made up of Central American immigrants. The gang was identified as operating in Somerville as far back as 1997.
Its members have been linked to drug dealing, human trafficking, extortion and other crimes. They have a reputation as an exceptionally violent outfit with machetes said to be their weapon of choice. Locally, the gang made headlines for a brutal Foss Park rape in 2002.
Still, Upton said the graffiti is not a sign of a resurgence of the gang. ‚ÄúPeople shouldn‚Äôt jump to the conclusion that MS-13 is taking over the neighborhood. Compared to some surrounding cities, Somerville is quiet when it comes to gangs.‚Äù