The Sun's Tricia Bishop reported today that those members of the Tree Top Piru who haven't already pleaded guilty are going on trial in federal court. About 30 members of the gang were taken down in a sweeping indictment nearly two years ago. Among them is Ronnie Thomas, also known as "Skinny Suge" from the infamous "Stop Snitching" DVD that became emblematic of Baltimore's street code of silence and witness intimidation problems.

As Tricia points out, one of the great ironies of the trial is that most of those who took deals did so in exchange for their testimony against their fellow members. Here's the article from when the indictment was first announced in February 2008.  I'd link to the "Stop Snitching" video, but it's easily found on the web and I'm having trouble locating the police department's response, which was called "Keep Talking."

Recently, a man who police believed had assumed a larger role in the gang was shot and killed in an East Baltimore grocery store, and police were bracing for possible reprisals.