Secret sinister meaning of gang number code 6219 revealed after deadly clashes between warring teens
THE secret sinister meaning of the gang number 6219 has been revealed after deadly clashes between warring teens.
The four-digit code was this week broken down in court during the trial of two teenagers who killed a 16-year-old.
Jurors in the Coventry Crown Court heard that while 6219 may sound like just a number, it's actually a code in the Birmingham gang world.
It refers to postcodes and translates to 'B6 to B19' - which represents Aston and Newtown.
West Midlands Police said the areas are the territories of a number of "urban street gangs".
The meaning came to light during the Sekou Doucoure trial.
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reported the teen was stabbed to death by "rivals" at a Esso garage in Hockley on July 12 last year.
Just moments before he was killed Sekou had been chased through the streets by other yobs wielding guns.
Pierre Thomas, 18, and a 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, were this week found guilty of manslaughter and possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
An older man who allegedly stabbed Sekou is known to police but remains on the run.
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The court heard how Thomas had a Gmail account which included the numbers 6219.
The teen denied being part of any gang, and claimed he's used the code as a "joke" to deter other youngsters from bullying him.
However, he confirmed a number of friends were in gangs.
The court heard that Sekou was associated with a rival gang.
A photo on his phone showed him pulling signs with his fingers to indicate "2" and "0".
Prosecutor Mark Heywood said: "In this case there's evidence that may indicate at least in part the reasons why this murder took place.
"This evidence relates to criminal gangs. I'm conscious that term maybe very emotive."
Reading the Home Office definition of a gang he continued: "Activity is gang-related if it occurs in the course of or is otherwise related to the activities of a group that consists of at least three people and has one or more characteristics that enable its members to be identified by others as a group.
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"Often such a characteristic is the affiliation and association to a specific post code, which in turn becomes associated with a gang name.
"Over recent years as social media has proliferated the use of hand signals in photos or videos and the incorporation of postcodes into social media handles has become increased, more so among younger members of gangs than older ones."
