Viet-American gangs stir worry in Dorchester

A witness's video of the gang attack in Dorchester last year, which has been on the Internet, has yet to produce any arrests in the case. Boston police say the investigation is "very active."

The beating was brief, but vicious.

On a warm afternoon last spring, in a parking lot behind a Dorchester church, nearly two dozen Vietnamese-American teenagers stomped, kicked, and punched two others, a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. By the end, the bloodied victims, sprawled on the pavement, could barely move.

The flash of violence lasted less than three minutes, but the aftermath of the attack has shaken the community ever since, stoking anger at the Police Department for the lack of arrests in the case and building unease over the realization that violent gangs have become more common in the insular Vietnamese-American community.

The beating was filmed by an onlooker. The episode was posted on the Internet. The brazenly public dissemination of a horrific moment has forced the proud immigrant community, fearful of being stigmatized, to confront a burgeoning problem within its neighborhood.

Vietnamese-American gangs, law enforcement officials believe, are luring children as young as 11 years old with marijuana and ecstasy pills, then teaching them to deal drugs, rob other children of their money and iPods, and beat those who stand in their way. Community leaders believe the video was posted as a simple, chilling warning to enemies of the gangs and to members thinking of cutting ties: Cross the leaders and there will be consequences.

The video has forced Vietnamese immigrants in Fields Corner - who own many of the restaurants, bakeries, and dress shops in the tight-knit neighborhood - to talk to police, church leaders, and other citywide organizations about a problem that until now they have been reluctant to admit.

"Some people in the community . . . think that this is our own problem; this is our own kids; let us take care of it ourselves," said Hiep Chu, executive director of Viet Aid in Fields Corner, one of several organizations planning to hold a forum about the gangs in March to educate parents.

"But [the children] need our help," he said. "And it's OK to tell people how bad they are. It's OK to tell people, 'We need your help.' "

The gangs in the video - community leaders and law enforcement officials believe three were involved - have stayed under the radar because most members do not carry guns. Police have not recorded any shootings among the gangs, and no one has caught the gangs committing acts of violence outside tiny Fields Corner. The stereotype of Asian youths as academic achievers who rarely get in trouble also helps keep many parents of Vietnamese-Americans complacent about the dangers their children face, activists said.

"I think that's some of the problem," said Emmett Folgert, executive director of Dorchester Youth Collaborative, who works closely with Vietnamese-American children and teenagers. "We're lulled into this false sense that everything is perfect with these kids and there are some of them that are walking on these streets in terror. And we're missing it."

No arrests have been made in connection with the video, although the faces of the attackers are visible.

Councilor at Large Sam Yoon, who lives in Fields Corner, said residents are becoming impatient with police over the lack of progress in the case.

"I think there is outrage and there is frustration," he said. "They're at large. These kids still think that they can do this within the community, that they can do this and get away with it, even though they've been caught on videotape."

Police officials declined to comment.

"This is a very active investigation and therefore inappropriate to discuss publicly at this time," said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department.

Community activists said the gangs began to emerge about 18 months ago. Many members are barely in their teens, but their leaders are between 18 and 24 years old, an age gap that alarms activists who fear the influence they wield over impressionable children.

One 16-year-old Vietnamese-American boy who lives in Dorchester and has friends who have joined the gangs said that joining is "the cool thing to do."

"All these kids now want to be protected by people who seem to be your friends, but they're really not your friends," said the boy, a slight, athletic teenager who has witnessed other fights and asked that his name be withheld because he fears for his safety.

In the video, the power of one leader over the female gang members is evident and chilling.

The man, who wears his dyed, reddish-orange hair in a bun, repeatedly punches the female victim in the face, then stomps on her head before he walks away and snaps his fingers at a group of girls standing nearby.

Immediately, the girls sprint to the victim and descend on her, their limbs flying as they beat her and pull at her hair.

Teenagers and community workers who know the girl say she was attacked because she may have gossiped about a gang member, and the boy was beaten simply because he was with her.

Community workers say the gang leaders seek new members among troubled, insecure children who skip school often, have little parental supervision, and are susceptible to the allure of drugs.

"If you're dependent on what they have to offer, which is this sense of family and the drugs, then you become pretty susceptible to their recruiting," said one community worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears reprisals against his family.

Chu said parents of the Vietnamese-Americans may have been unaware of the dangers their children were facing. Many do not speak English, and their children's command of Vietnamese is poor, making communication difficult.

Parents also often work long hours, which can widen the rift between them and their children.

"We work too much," Chu said. "We're very busy. The parents want to be successful. The more you work, the more you earn. We forget about our children."

Chu said speakers at the March forum will address audiences in Vietnamese and will focus on violence and on brainstorming ways to provide more resources to children in the community.

Later, a forum for the children will be held, in English.

Chu predicts a large turnout, but he said he worries that people who do not want to attract negative attention to the community will back away from the effort.

"When you have a video like this with all Vietnamese kids, it kind of penetrates your psyche," said Yoon, a Korean-American. "You worry about how you're perceived by everyone.

"It's scary for parents," the city councilor said, "which is why it's important for this work to be done, for parents to allay their fears by talking to each other and realizing that we're all in this together."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.