Zoe Pound

Zoe Pound is a criminal street gang based in Miami, Florida founded by Haitian immigrants in 1990.

Etymology

"Zoe" is the anglicized variant of the word zo, Haitian Creole for "bone", as members were known to be "hard to the bone." When conflicts against Haitians arose, the pound would be sought out to retaliate; thus, the street gang name, "Zoe Pound", was born.

An alternate theory states that "Pound" acts as an acronym for "Power Of (the) Unified Negroes (in) Divinity".

History

The gang was founded in 1990 in response to attacks on Haitian Americans, initially acting as a vigilante self-defense group.

Zoe Pound first gained the attention of the media in the spring of 1997, when gang members robbed ships docking along the Miami River, kidnapping and torturing crew members.

Having branched out from Miami in the two decades leading up to 2010, they are known to be involved in drug trafficking and robbery and related violent crimes in support of their drug trafficking activities in Evansville, Indiana.

In 2004, 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.

References