The SSC X3 Are Coming! Gang Marks Territory with Graffiti in PC

At least half a dozen spots throughout Port Chester have been tagged with graffiti referencing gangs from Mexico and Arizona.

A surveillance camera on Horton Avenue captured footage of a man spray-painting the side of a building. In the footage, which is timestamped at 7:42 p.m. on Dec. 15, a man in a hoodie, bubble coat and baseball cap walks up to the building and quickly sprays the tag "SSC X3" on the wall.

A Google search of "SSC X3" turns up mentions of the gang on social networking sites like Bebo, Youtube and Myspace, where 658 users name-drop the gang, lament slain members, proclaim forthcoming retribution, and throw up gang signs as they pose for the camera in a series of increasingly absurd profile photos.

Most of the users who claim affiliation list their locations as Arizona or Mexico–in fact, none of them mention Port Chester, so it's possible the recent graffiti was meant to herald a new market for the criminal enterprise.

The users communicate online in a proto-language that mixes pictographs with modified "leet speak," and mobile updates from the proud gangsters mourn a recently slain member named "Tank."

"MI$$ING MY HOM13$ :.P3RR0 MARKY & :.3S3 TANk~ DA G00D DI3 Y0NG," reads one mobile status update from a 23-year-old woman in Chandler, AZ. In her profile photo, she's smiling while contorting her fingers into what looks like a trickier version of Spock's Vulcan salute, presumably forming SSC X3's gang sign.

With help from a dedicated group of volunteers, Port Chester has been quick to dispatch crews to paint over graffiti as it's found.

Graffiti reports have dropped since this summer, when 20-year-old Daniel Cordero of Port Chester scribbling his "uno?" tag in broad daylight near Cassone's bakery. A retired police officer and phoned police, following him at a distance until patrol units arrived.

Since then, officials have tried to remove the incentive to tag buildings and public spaces by making it clear the graffiti won't last long.

"People realize if they do graffiti, it'll be painted over in the next day or so," said Christopher Steers, the village's code enforcement director.

References to the gang are few, but a newsletter by a Washington sheriff's office says the gang is a splinter group loosely affiliated–or claiming affiliation with–the Mexican mafia. The Washington County Sheriff's Office says the initials stand for "South Side Criminals," and the X3–or 13– is a reference to organized crime.

The Horton Avenue graffiti was timestamped on the evening of Dec. 15, according to the video footage. On Dec. 18, a variation on the tag–"SSC Flako X3"–was found on Ellendale Avenue. On Dec. 19, police discovered similar tags on Merritt Avenue, South Regent Street, and Haseco and Buckley avenues.

Port Chester police are continuing an investigation into the new graffiti, Capt. John Telesca said. Readers with information can call the Port Chester Police Department at 914-939-1000. All calls will be kept confidential.

Update: (6:32 p.m.) The village is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti taggers in town. Click here to read the details.

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