A gang war in Tacoma, Washington, has engulfed young members of the Puyallup Tribe.

Two young tribal members who were cousins were murdered in December 2005 and January 2006. One of them, Donald George-Oya, 19, belonged to a Native gang associated with Puyallup members.

The war pits a gang on the East Side of Tacoma with the Native gang. Police say not all members of the Native gang are Puyallup.

But several tribal members say gangs have overrun the Chief Leschi School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs school. They say students are allowed to wear gang-related clothes. A former principal said the tribe turned a blind-eye to gangs.

That may have been the case several years ago, tribal officials and the current principal say. The tribe has adopted a no-tolerance policy for gangs and drugs and the school offers programs to keep kids out of trouble.

Get the Story:
AND STILL THEY DIE (The Tacoma News Tribune 4/28)
pwpwd

Related Stories:
Navajo Nation counts 32 active gangs, 500 members (08/05)
Leech Lake community battles wave of violence (12/05)
Two Indian teens kicked off Idaho reservation (03/22)
Indian teens to be banished from Idaho reservation (03/18)
Report cites increase in Native gang activity (03/15)
Three charged in Indian gang-related shootings (12/01)
Shootings at Indian housing complex tied to gangs (11/30)
Two men killed at Indian housing complex (11/29)
Guilty plea in Red Lake Reservation drive-bys (05/14)
Juvenile allegedly pulled trigger in drive-bys (01/21)
Arrests made in Red Lake Reservation drive-bys (1/20)
Drug problem said to be behind reservation drive-bys (1/15)
Drive-by shootings targed Red Lake law enforcement (1/14)
Gangs infiltrate Minn. reservations (10/14)