Thurston Zoo

Thurston Zoo is a gang in Rochester. In an effort to combat the high per capita murder rate in Rochester, Mayor Bob Duffy (then Police Chief) set out to "make an example" of Thurston Zoo.

According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Police put the gang under heavy surveillance. Within a few months, he said, at least 14 members were arrested and faced prison for drugs, weapons and other offenses.

Then Rochester officials started holding the courtroom "call-ins" for known gang members with criminal records. Attendance is a condition of parole or probation.

The young men see a slide show of each of the Thurston Zoo gang members and hear about how the gang was broken up and why.

Then their own pictures flick up on the screen. Police discuss their records, their hangouts and their associates, and warn them not to be the next Thurston Zoo.

"It removes the anonymity these kids want. They want to be on the corner with their hoodies up. Now they know we know exactly who they are, and I think it's a pretty powerful point," Duffy said.¹