Gilman St. allegedly home to guns, thugs and drugs
By George P. Hassett

    Four men believed to be connected to a local street gang were arrested Friday evening following an investigation by Somerville Police detectives and narcotics investigators. Drugs, firearms and ammunition were recovered when the Somerville police, assisted by a tactical entry team from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant for the second floor of 104 Gilman St.

     Police said occupants and visitors to 104 Gilman St., are believed to be connected to H-Block, a local street gang.  Keith Moore, 32, of Cambridge, Joseph Mendez, 26, of Boston, Scott Jean, 21, of Somerville and Gerry Girauld, 20, of Somerville were apprehended inside the home shortly before 5:30 p.m. when the Somerville police, assisted by a tactical entry team from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant that was the result of an ongoing investigation.
    Inside the home, police said they recovered small quantities of cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs along with a .380 semiautomatic caliber pistol and ammunition for several different types of firearms.
     Lt. Paul Upton said in a typical narcotics investigation police conduct undercover buys, surveillance and gather information from multiple sources. He declined to specify which tactics had been used in this particular investigation.
     Of the four men arrested at 104 Gilman St., only Jean lived in the home.
     H-Block first appeared on the Somerville crime scene in the spring of 2004 when unsophisticated, black ink scrawling was found on Kensington St. announcing the gang‚Äôs arrival and the territory it sought to claim.
    Police were initially skeptical of H-Block‚Äôs status as an actual gang but the graffiti and several violent incidents involving suspected H-Block members and affiliates have led them to take the gang more seriously. Yet, Upton said, the group is still not categorized as an official street gang by the Somerville Police.
    ‚ÄúH-Block does not have the status of being an organized street gang in our department because they do not fit the criteria of what makes up an official organized street gang,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúBut we do have police officers dedicated to monitoring the activity of individuals known to law enforcement and we remain cautiously optimistic, while we do the best we can with the tools we have.‚Äù
      Upton would not comment on the specific criteria police use to classify gangs.
     ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt think it is wise to speak about the intelligence we have or don‚Äôt have or what we know or don‚Äôt know at a time when we continue to work on the situation,‚Äù he said.
       Herby Duverne is the former Executive Director of the Somerville Haitian Coalition and a member of the Gang Advisory Board. He said the key to preventing gang activity in Somerville is offering young people in the city positive opportunities at an early age.
      ‚ÄúAs someone whose background is criminology and criminal justice administration, I can confidently say that when young people have the chance to choose between healthy, positive activities and joining a gang, they will not choose the gang,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúGang activity has been reduced a great deal in Somerville the past two years because of the efforts of many people, but we still have a long way to go and we need to do better.‚Äù
      Moore, Mendez, Jean and Giraud each plead not guilty at their arraignment Monday.