Zoe Pound

Etymology

"Zoe" is an anglicized variant of the word zo, Haitian Creole for "bone", as members were considered "hard to the bone." "Pound" acts as an acronym of "Power Of Unified Negroes (in) Divinity".

History

Zoe Pound was founded in 1990 in response to growing attacks, primarily from native-born African Americans, on Haitian Americans, initially acting as a vigilante self-defense group. In 1995, several prominent members denounced gang violence and split off, forming a rap group of the same name. Throughout the late 1990s, members engaged in piracy, targeting Haitian trawlers throughout the Miami River. Crewmembers who resisted were reportedly often tortured and/or killed.

In 1999, the Miami-Dade Police Department cracked down on the Boogie Boys and John Does, both then prominent Miami gangs. Zoe Pound took advantage of the power vacuum caused by their sudden decline, expanding across Florida and eventually other states. By 2006, their territory had reached Winchester, Virginia.

In 2009, six Zoe Pound leaders were arrested on racketeering and conspiracy charges in Fort Pierce, Florida after Florida Department of Law Enforcement offices convinced several gang members to give testimony for the prosecution.

Three perpetrators of the 2018 murder of XXXTentacion were members of ZMF, a faction of Zoe Pound.

References

References

1. (4 February 2010). "Twenty-Two Charged Federally in Evansville Drug Trafficking Case".
2. (25 February 2011). "ICE Operation in South Florida Net 24 Criminal Aliens". Hispanically Speaking News.
3. (19 May 2014). "Crime Stoppers helps to catch Miami's Little Haiti Zoe Pound member". WPLG.
4. DiDonato, Nicole. (2010-02-04). "Officers: Drug ring stretched from Miami to Chicago".
5. (November 2009). "Gangs of Interest – Zoe Pound".
6. (27 September 2018). "Bahamas: The Zoe Pound gang, including activities, areas of operation, key members and state response (2013 – September 2018) [BHS106154.E]".
7. Smith-Cartwright, Tanya. (15 February 2021). "INSIGHT: 'We're living in a cowboy town and there's nothing anyone can do about it'". The Tribune.
8. Thibault, Eric. (30 August 2012). "Parrains floridiens?". Le Journal de Montréal.
9. (2010). "Magic City: Trials of a Native Son". Simon & Schuster.
10. (4 December 2008). "All Hell Breaks Loose".
11. Astre, Kerline. (2000-07-12). "Haitian rap group on the rise". The Miami Times.
12. Stepick, Alex. (1998). "Pride Against Prejudice: Haitians in the United States". Allyn and Bacon.
13. Royse, David. (16 May 1997). "The Land Pirates In Miami, Pirates In Pickup Trucks Board Freighters At Boat Yards, Robbing, Torturing And Kidnapping Sailors For Drugs And Money". The Spokesman-Review.
14. Gordon, Marcy. (2000-05-16). "Tattered Haitian boats taunt U.S. anti-drug agents on Miami River".
15. Champion, Marsan. (1998-12-31). "Cops mount crackdown on killer gang warfare". The Miami Times.
16. (1999-10-30). "John Doe gang members convicted of federal drug, firearm charges". The Florida Star.
17. Wilson, Catherine. (2000-03-27). "11 convicted in drug gang war".
18. (2006-09-15). "Cocaine Ring Hit in Winchester". Daily Press.
19. Greenlee, Will. (18 June 2009). "Six alleged leaders of Fort Pierce gang facing charges".
20. (2023-05-17). "'Marked for death.' Man testified against XXXTentacion's murderers. Now he's off to prison". [[Miami Herald]].