On a dead-end street in the Pepperidge neighborhood -- not far from where a teenager was killed last month -- sits Victor Weddington's one-story home.
The houses in Weddington's cul-de-sac look similar to the other houses on Monte Carlo Drive and even the neighborhood: brick facade, a small front porch flanked by white columns, long concrete driveway.
What catches the eye at this end of Monte Carlo is the graffiti.
On a wooden fence that separates the sprawl of Pepperidge from the neighborhoods beyond are the words "P-Town" spray-painted in blue.
Weddington doesn't know how long they've been there. He rarely talks to his neighbors about the recent violence in his subdivision.
"I stay to myself," he said.
Local leaders say that attitude can't persist if neighbors want an end to the teenage violence. Tags such as "P-Town" and "Pepperidge Boys" are warning signs, according to police. They symbolize a neighborhood affiliation that can quickly turn into violent rivalries with other subdivisions and public housing projects.
It's arguable whether Pepperidge is headed in that direction.
On Jan. 26, Brandon Desean Taylor was shot to death in what authorities are calling gang-related violence. On March 1, another Butler High School sophomore, Terence Reese, was brutally beaten on nearby Circular Drive by at least five teenagers affiliated with the Apple Valley Posse, according to investigators. A second shooting Feb. 17 killed 16-year-old Tykiah Palmer and her unborn baby, although deputies have not linked that death to gang activity.
So do gangs have a toehold in Pepperidge?
"We're in an embryonic stage right now," said Paul Godden, an investigator with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. "Things could either get worse or get better based on how we react to it."
That reaction is mixed.
Home values suffer
On a recent afternoon, Michael Mason was pulling weeds outside his Faircrest Avenue home. He blames overpopulation in Pepperidge for the recent problems -- not that he believes there are many problems to begin with.
The perception that Pepperidge is riddled with gangs has hurt home prices and caused people to move out, he said.
Pepperidge is a positive community with no houses that make methamphetamine and, contrary to what others say, very few gangs of kids walking around, Mason said.
The two recent shooting deaths scared Maria Coy, a 54-year-old widow who has lived on Monte Carlo Drive for 17 years. She said she's considering putting her house on the market, a move her neighbors have already made in the wake of the violence.
"Come 6 o'clock, I'm locked in my house and I don't open the door to someone I don't know," she said.
Then there are folks such as Shirley Mayard, who have found a middle ground. She sets out almost daily for a two-mile walk around Ramblewood Drive with her black-and-white border collie mix Jesse by her side.
She feels safe during the middle of the day, but she stays indoors after school lets out and kids start wandering the streets. A lifelong resident of Pepperidge, Mayard said the neighborhood started to change about 10 years ago.
"People starting moving in and out a lot more," she said. "It lost the community feel."
Training ground
Officially, Pepperidge seems to be the training ground for gang intervention across Richmond County.
Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Mason said the teenage gang problem is larger than just Pepperidge, but in light of the recent deaths he thinks it can be the starting point for a communitywide effort against gangs. Mason, whose commission district includes the neighborhood, sponsored a teen summit Saturday at Gracewood Community Center in the hopes of teaching parents how to identify gang activities by their children.
Mason knows the community faces a big challenge -- turning apathy on the part of parents to action -- but it's something he thinks must be done.
"Today it's Pepperidge," he said. "Tomorrow it could be Walton Farms or wherever. We've (got) to start somewhere."
Kids need choices
Police agree that one of the difficulties facing Pepperidge is its size. Since the first homes were built in the neighborhood, regular construction has caused the area to stretch beyond its original boundaries. The neighborhood is a cross section of Augusta, with mostly middle-class families but also some lower-income residents, authorities said.
But size alone doesn't account for its problems.
Gangs operate in most of Augusta's neighborhoods and the longer homeowners refuse to face the problem, the greater it becomes, said Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Blaise Dresser.
"The gangs flourish in neighborhoods where people have a lackadaisical attitude toward keeping their neighborhood clean," said Dresser, who was part of the 2007 Augusta Ink undercover operation that led to the arrest of numerous suspected gang members.
He said Pepperidge is no worse than many other Augusta neighborhoods when it comes to gang activity, but it's just enough to keep people scared.
"That neighborhood is not saturated with gangs," Dresser said. "It's a very small percentage, and the problem is that percentage is big enough that people don't want to take action."
Talking about the problem might bring awareness about gang activity, but, from the Rev. Gabriele Dunbar's perspective, what's really needed is a place for the children to go after school. Dunbar already opens her doors to the neighborhood children and gives them a place to safely congregate, hang out and do homework. A city-owned after-school center could do so much better, she said, by providing study and recreation rooms. It would give the children a safe place to do homework and keep them off the streets, Dunbar said.
She dismisses the idea that there are gangs in Pepperidge. It's more like groups of children who grew up in the same neighborhood and want to represent their area, Dunbar said. Police agree that the gangs and their territories are fluid and that neighborhood allegiances are constantly evolving.
As for Pepperidge itself, "it's not a bad neighborhood, it's really not," Dunbar said.
Why do people always blame it on "having nothing else to do?" I grew up playing with rocks and dirt and not once did anyone say, Hey lets call ourselves the S-Town boys and go shoot up the kids on the other street. The whole idea behind forming these gangs is so stupid, I just can't understand the appeal.
Maybe P-town and Pepperidge boys are a homosexual element in the neighborhood, and this is what they call themselves. Pretty soon you'll see them taggin curbs saying hot Ptown boy looking for a daddy. Meet me here on Friday and cough 2x.
They need a place for the kids to go hangout and do their homework? They've already got a place..it's called HOME. I realize the parents are most likely at work when the child comes from school, so when the parents get home, have them check the homework to see if it's been done. If it's not done, or a good bit of it, then that should tell the parent that the kid has been obviously doing something else. That's the first sign that the kid's activities need to be clamped down!
Augusta should see what other Georgia cities have done to eliminate/curb Gang Activity.
I live in Columbus GA., We went thru this about 12 years ago
Bad parenting or lack of any at all is what drives kids to gang together and call themselves a 'family'. I speak from experience as a parent who did not have the opportunity to raise his oldest son who got involved in gangs in MN cuz his worthless mom married a drunk who beat him and drove him out. They told him I was dead and kept him hidden from me via the welfare program confidentiality rules...imagine her surprise when I found her and she had to tell him about me...imagine his confusion, his self-image had already been destroyed by their reckless lies and inaffection...love conquers all folks and God does not lie nor make mistakes...we do. When your kid is five he has formed his personality and this is an established fact...if you don't love them, don't have them, give them to someone who will love them and raise them to respect themselves and others...if not, then expect more kids to form gang families...just like the mafia does...and see the results on the front page in a hometown near you.
Zeno, I agree it is bad parenting and lack of love. It's sad that they seek " love" from the gangs. They are totally confused about what love and self-worth is. Their loyalty is to the gang is the only love most of them will ever know. Even after finding life behind bars, their sense of reality is forever warped. You are also spot on with the 5 year personality formation. My son is 8 and I think I've done a darn good job thus far, I always hope and pray he'll choose the right path. BTW, I'm not awake early. It's 1150 AM here in Belgium.
AndyWarhol, I grew up in a small town with nothing to do, either. Nobody in my town formed gangs, either.
It's "the government needs to provide" mentality.
The ones that are studying after school aren't the ones in gangs.
Yes Justus it is a great coutry. Some people just have the wrong idea of what is important. Parents are working to keep the lights on, money to buy $200.00 tennis shoes, gold studs, gold teeth, fancy cars and all the other stuff that they should not have purchased if they couldn't afford it. Get back to the real important basics of life and provide for yourself and your family by scaling your life back to what is improtant and that is teaching your children what is right and what is wrong, about God, and all other things that are important in day to day living.
Ms. Dunbar and Justus need to get their heads out of the sand(or wherever?). When there is a problem, you go to where it starts and fix it. Yes, it is that simple! And Justus, America IS the GREATEST country---Oh Yeah!
Justus I agree w some of what you are saying. It is important to live within your means....if that means exercising some control over expenses, purchases, explaining that debt is unworthy of your participation and that owing someone means you are obligated to repay the debt in some agreeable fashion, be it cash, work, or some other noble act such as charity like volunteering...teaching our kids to always decide on the side of right, how to know what is right and not right, how to think for themselves and make honest decisions are all important things we should take the time to pass on..regardless of our level of income and responsibility...if you are too busy to teach your kids right from wrong then your priorities are misplaced...survive, but don't live above what you can afford...do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay and then be there for your children..love them which means spending time doing what they want.. to allow time for you to teach..every encounter w our children is an opportunity to pass on good values...redeem the time parents, make the most out of each and every opportunity...and show proper restraint so your example agrees with what you teach. Humanity's future depends on what they learn and how we guide them...if they grow up with no desire to learn, they are doomed to failure...one must be teachable and we fail when we don't mold character into our children...gangs are a symptom of the children we take to Kindergarten..
Folks we don't have a gang problem. If we did, the sheriff would stop the radar unit on Tobacco road and heve them patrol Pepperidge. Now I ask you, do you see more police in your subdivisions or out on patrol on major streets? What is important to this sheriff, our communities or traffic tickets? When are they going to partol the neighboorhoods, and one drive thru a day isn't patrolling. Oh please hurry election time so we can get some more free bar-b-que, glad handing and promises of a beautiful tomorrow. Of course we will reelect what we have, because they are really good old boys.
This crap really did not start happening until about 10 years ago when I was a senior in high school. My best friend use to live out there on Seelye Drive. Growing up going out there, I looked forward to it because it was so positive but it is obvously over crowded these days and something needs to be done. I do remember when that Pepperidge boy crap started. Younger youth, get yourself together. Life is more than rapping, cursing, and disrespecting yourself, and others. Augusta, Ga needs prayer.
What these kids need now days is a good old fashioned butt whipping with a ruler, switch, daddy's leather belt, ext.
Justus- If they can't parent then they shouldn't have had the little brats to begin with. Both my parents worked fulltime jobs but my sisters and I never thought "Hey! Let's go out and shoot someone or beat someone up just for fun." My parents taught us a little something called discipline and the fear of the belt. Something these kids need to be taught. They should have left the one boy in jail instead of releasing him to his parents in the beating case. His parents couldn't keep an eye on him before to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble so why in the world does the judge think they can now. It wasn't hurting him sitting in jail where he would be looked after and feed every day.
This problem has been going on for over twenty years in Richmond County. Richmond County Sheriff Department knows it and knows it very well as the rest of you. Now isn't the time for placing blame. It's time to solve the problem. Most of the problem people aren't owners in the neighborhoods that are causing the most problems. They have no vested interest in any neighborhood. The way the economy is going, every neighborhood is at risk so stop trying to point out some neighborhoods. Crime is crime rather it is gang violence, white collar crime, blue collar crime, etc. It's all crime. If you think any differently, you are living in an illusion.
I guess I will get banned for saying this. This is not a gang problem. Call it what it is and you will get closer to the root of the problem. The "gangs" are primarily in which neighborhoods? It's not a socio-economic problem. Pepperidge is solidly middle class. Is it cultural? Is it the parenting? Is it the vile, profane, violent music? Is it the hats turned around crooked and their ill fitting pants down below the crack? I submit it is all of those and more, but nothing that parents could not stop if they actually tried. Community centers and after school programs won't help. Only the parents can get these little heathens by the scruff of the neck and change their attitude or make their lives miserable trying. It's not a gang problem, it's a parenting problem in very specific communities. If the parents in these communities let their kids look like THEM, dress like THEM, act like THEM, talk like THEM, listen to the same music as THEM, then you are at fault for encouraging THEM and you will be raising THEM and you deserve THEM. Nobody ever gave birth to a gang member, they raised THEM.
Are the gangs in the Columbia County schools or is it a situation that is being ignored and not talked about?
Once the Meth use hit home for some elite families, we have advertisements on TV about Meth use from state government. Since we have gang activity and violence that has been going on forever, we had nothing in trying to reach youth in gang activity on the levels of the Meth advertisements. Makes you wonder. Both activities are eating away our youth and producing bad adults in our communities.
It always amuses me whenever crime is discussed in the black neighborhoods someone will pop up with the meth issue..and yes it is a problem but one that is not tolerated by the white community...while the blacks will actually try to blame anyone but themselves for their problems...get over it and turn the heathens in...inform and prosecute.. if a meth house is known in my neighborhood it will be turned in...can you say the same about your gangs and drug houses?
Where is the black neighborhood? Whites, blacks, asians, and hispanics live in Pepperidge.
Very good point, Countyman. And let us also remember that hispanics are not a race in the same regard as are whites, blacks, and asians (not to mention the Pacific Islanders and the Arabs). For an interesting discussion, visit the Augusta Chronicle Forums at
move; let the thugs have it and find a better place to live.
gee, i wonder why gangs aren't as prevalent in CC schools...
Bone1... But Pepperidge is still a decent area. The last murder before this year was 7 years ago.
And concerning the gang activity. Butler, Laney, Glenn Hills, and Josey in Richmond county. Are the same as Grovetown and Harlem in Columbia county with gang activity. Grovetown had two large fights the first week it open. The principal got hit during the fight.
Gangs are a form of a terrorist group. Why don't the Government treat them as one? Start making laws that will prosecute them as such! You are in a gang for one reason and that is to instill terror in others. Time for law-enforcement to start open season on these gangs and put fear of life in prison with no possibility of parole!!! They have proven that they are only tuff in numbers so turn their names into numbers (prison).
I guess I missed all of the gang violence in Harlem and Grovetown.. anyone trying to say the slums of south augusta are like Harlem and grovetown is living in a world of delusion.
Until we start making people be responsible for their actions, from everything from paying your own bills, paying for the kids you make, to being punished appropriately for crimes, nothign will change. That blame everyone else for my failure and support me when I do fail attitude is creating more of these little monsters. Jail is a joke to these people and there are no consequences for their actions either criminally or just life in general such as working for a living. And on top of that, criminal behavior, gangs, and violence are glorified by everyone from the corner hustler to musicians & pro athletes. Then you have all the parents and citizens with their heads in the sand making excuses for all of them them. Oh its just a fad, oh he had a hard home life, oh she cant work at 22 with all these kids so she will have more with the loser baby daddy, oh my killer kid is a good boy, His 4 armed robberies and you lock him up... you monsters I'm going to sue, oh its not our fault and gimmie gimmie gimmie.... WTHE... keep your eyes closed, yeah thats working, maybe one day someone will have the nads to make a change.
This problem has many causes: bad parenting and the loss of corporal punishment, the glamorizing of gangs in todays music, and the I'm going to change my life because of a few bad apples mentality (meaning stop letting the fear of unruly children dictate when you the home owner come and go in your neighborhood).
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
Back 
![On a wooden fence that separates the sprawl of Pepperidge from the neighborhoods beyond are the words "P-Town" spray-painted in blue. RAINIER EHRHARDT/STAFF](http://aug-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/superphoto/editorial/images/feed/msms/photos/4027796.jpg "On a wooden fence that separates the sprawl of Pepperidge from the neighborhoods beyond are the words "P-Town" spray-painted in blue. RAINIER EHRHARDT/STAFF")
