Opinion ID: 1198918
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: gang affiliation

Text: On October 16, 1995, the prosecution filed a motion seeking permission to introduce evidence of gang affiliation and practice. The State argued in its motion: Evidence of gang affiliation and practice in this case may provide motive for what is otherwise apparently a motiveless crime. At the pretrial hearing, the State produced the testimony of Officer Kent Bauman, assigned to the Wichita Police Department Gang Intelligence Unit. Bauman testified that the records of the unit disclosed that Essex had been identified in September 1992, more that 2½ years before the shooting, as a member of the Neighborhood Crips gang. He identified Cleave as an associate of the Neighborhood Crips. Bauman admitted during cross-examination that the only reason Cleave was listed as a gang associate was the fact he was arrested in this case with other gang members. The prosecution concluded its evidence at the pretrial hearing by soliciting the following testimony from Bauman: Q. If signs were flashed in this case by one rival gang to another rival gang, would that be sufficient to precipitate a shooting incident? A. Yes, it would. Gangs take being disrespected very seriously. Q. Can the mere appearance or sight of a rival set be sufficient in and of itself just there, the mere presence of another set from one in your opinion as an expert in the area of street gangs sufficient to cause a shooting incident? A. Yes, it would be. At trial, Angela Fair testified that she went to see her grandmother, Althea Thomas, at her grandmother's house on Fountain Street on the afternoon of March 22, 1995. Angela testified that while she was at her grandmother's house, she saw a girl in the front yard make what she described as a gang sign. According to Angela, the sign consisted of the girl placing her thumb and forefinger together and raising the other three fingers in the air. Angela testified that the girl who made this gesture had been at the Fountain Street house for awhile that day, but she did not know who the girl was, nor could she see to whom, if anyone, the gesture was made. Angela testified that later, while she was in the living room of her grandmother's house, she saw the back of a brown Monte Carlo a short distance beyond the driveway. She looked away and immediately heard shots. Angela said she had seen the same Monte Carlo before at Essex and Cleave's house and had seen them driving the car. Al Smith also testified at trial that Althea Thomas is his grandmother, and he had been at her house in Wichita when a shooting incident took place there. Smith said he was looking out of the front door of the residence when he saw a brown Cutlass automobile containing two men pass by the house. After the car rolled past the house a short ways, Smith lost sight of the car and heard approximately 15 gunshots. At trial, Smith did not recall telling the police that he had seen gang signs displayed by anyone prior to the shooting. Officer Bauman testified that he had questioned Smith regarding the shooting and Smith had told him that earlier on the day of the shooting a car had driven by and one of its occupants had flashed a gang sign at people in the yard at 1726 North Fountain. According to Bauman, Smith had said that the sign made from the car was BK for Blood Killer. Bauman testified that Smith told him an unknown girl at the residence made a B for Blood sign back to the car. Bauman also testified concerning gang affiliation and practices, as allowed by the court's pretrial order. Bauman defined a gang for the jury as two or more people that join together and have common symbols, signs, mannerisms, and who individually or collectively commit crime. Bauman identified Essex as having been classified as a Neighborhood Crips gang member in September 1992. Bauman also gave the following testimony concerning Cleave: Q. Do you know Cleave Sims? A. Briefly, yes. Q. Okay. A. Not as well as I know his brother. Q. And, when you reviewed the records which you had with regard to Cleave Sims, what did they show? A. Before the time of this particular crime, we did not have Cleave listed as a gang member. Q. All right. A. But, during the investigation of this incident, we did list him as an associate. Q. All, right. And the reason for that was? A. That he was arrested for a gang-related drive-by shooting and arrested with other gang members. Q. In this case? A. Yes, in this case. (Emphasis added.) Bauman was permitted to offer his opinion that merely flashing a disrespectful sign at a member of another gang is sufficient provocation to cause a shooting and that this had happened many times in the past. After Bauman's direct testimony, Judge Kennedy gave the jury the following instruction: Members of the jury, the evidence you've just received on gang affiliations has not been received and may not be considered by you as proof that any of the individuals named as gang members or running with gangs or associates of gangs are people of bad character or that they have any predisposition to commit crimes. This evidence has been received and may be considered by you only for the limited purpose or purposes of determining if it tends to show the existence or nonexistence of a bias or interest of any of the witnesses or to show a motive for this crime or these crimes. You must weigh this testimony and this evidence in the same manner as you do all other evidence in the case. You are not permitted to consider such evidence for any other purpose. (Emphasis added.) On appeal, Cleave challenges the admission of this evidence regarding gang affiliation. Cleave acknowledges that [e]vidence of gang affiliation indicating a defendant is a member of a gang or is involved in gang-related activity is admissible to show a motive for an otherwise inexplicable act. Such evidence, however, is only admissible where there is sufficient proof that such membership or activity is related to the crime charged. (Emphasis added.) State v. Tran, 252 Kan. 494, Syl. ¶ 6, 847 P.2d 680 (1993). According to Cleave, this evidence of gang affiliation was not related to the crime charged, nor was it admitted to show a motive for the crimes charged. Thus, Cleave claims that evidence of his gang affiliation was improperly admitted into trial, thereby violating K.S.A. 60-455 and his constitutional right to a fair trial. Essex's appeal also raised the issue that gang affiliation was improperly admitted at trial. In regard to Essex's issue, this court stated: [Essex] Sims did not object to the introduction of the gang evidence at trial. In fact, his attorney initiated the discussion of gang affiliations during his opening statement prior to the presentation of the State's case. We previously held in State v. Cheeks, 258 Kan. 581, 593, 908 P.2d 175 (1995): `A party must make a timely and specific objection to the admission of evidence at trial in order to preserve the issue for appeal. K.S.A. 60-404 states that a verdict or finding shall not be set aside, nor shall the judgment or decision based thereon be reversed, by reason of the erroneous admission of evidence unless there appears of record objection to the evidence timely interposed and so stated as to make clear the specific ground of objection. See State v. Peckham, 255 Kan. 310, 327, 875 P.2d 257 (1994); State v. Johnson, 255 Kan. 252, 254, 874 P.2d 623 (1994). By failing to make a contemporaneous objection at trial, the defendant failed to preserve this issue for appeal.' In State v. Peckham, 255 Kan. 310, 327, 875 P.2d 257 (1994), we reiterated that a party must still make a contemporaneous objection at trial even when an unfavorable ruling on an evidentiary question is received prior to trial. Nowhere does [Essex] Sims point out a contemporaneous objection to any of the gang evidence testimony he now claims was prejudicial. Furthermore, some of the complained-of testimony was elicited in response to questions during defense cross-examination. This issue has not properly been preserved for appeal. [Essex] Sims claims that we have unlimited de novo review over this issue as it infringes on his constitutional right to a fair trial, citing Southwest Nat'l Bank of Wichita v. ATG Constr. Mgt., Inc., 241 Kan. 257, 265, 736 P.2d 894 (1987). This case provides absolutely no support for his proposition. Sims later refers to Estelle v. Williams, 425 U.S. 501, 503, 48 L. Ed.2d 126, 96 S. Ct. 1691 (1976), to claim that the right to a fair trial in a criminal case is a fundamental liberty secured by the Fourteenth Amendment. However, as we pointed out in State v. Thomas, 252 Kan. 564, 573, 847 P.2d 1219 (1993), where the defendant argued he was deprived of his right to a fair trial by rulings preventing him from presenting his theory of defense, such a right is subject to statutory rules and case law interpretations of rules of evidence and procedure. Sims was bound by the requirement of a contemporaneous objection at trial, and the admission of this evidence cannot form grounds for a new trial. At oral argument, [Essex] Sims asserted the gang evidence was so prejudicial that we should disregard the contemporaneous objection requirement and examine the merits of the issue. Yet, it is clear that our standard of review regarding a trial court's admission of evidence, subject to exclusionary rules, is abuse of discretion. State v. Haddock, 257 Kan. 964, 978, 897 P.2d 152 (1995). `Discretion is abused only when judicial action is arbitrary, fanciful, or unreasonable, or when no reasonable person would adopt the trial court's view.' 257 Kan. at 978. [Officer] Bauman's testimony regarding gangs and gang affiliation helped explain the lack of apparent motive for this crime, regardless of the strength or weakness of the State's evidence of gang activity. As gang activity was the State's proposed motive for the drive-by shooting, such evidence was clearly relevant and related to the crimes charged. The evidence was therefore admissible under our prior holdings of State v. Tran, 252 Kan. 494, 505, 847 P.2d 680 (1993), and State v. Toney, 253 Kan. 651, 655, 862 P.2d 350 (1993), and its admission cannot be deemed an abuse of discretion. The evidence was properly admitted, received a proper limiting instruction, and was not the subject of a proper objection. This issue has no merit, even had it been properly preserved for appeal. [Essex] Sims also claims that the admission of the gang testimony violated K.S.A. 60-455, which bars the admission of evidence of other crimes or civil wrongs. This point was not raised below. We stated plainly in State v. Ji, 251 Kan. 3, 17, 832 P.2d 1176 (1992), that points not presented to the trial court may not be raised on appeal. In addition, we held in State v. Bailey, 251 Kan. 156, 166, 834 P.2d 342 (1992), that membership alone in a gang is not a crime or civil wrong. The fact that Sims might have been a member of a gang was not evidence that he had committed other crimes, and the jury was so instructed. In addition to the failure to properly object or raise this issue below, a defendant presents no error in this issue requiring the grant of a new trial. 262 Kan. at 169-71. Just like Essex, Cleave failed to timely object to the evidence regarding gang affiliation when it was presented at trial. Thus, this issue was not properly preserved for appeal. See State v. Cheeks, 258 Kan. 581, 593, 908 P.2d 175 (1995). This issue fails.