General Reasons for Gang Membership
The
primary age group of gang members ranges generally from 13 to 21 years. Interviews of gang
members indicate that joining a gang is seldom understood by the gang members themselves,
but can vary from brotherhood to self-preservation as listed below.
1. Identity
Gang
members cannot achieve an identity in their environment, so they gain it in the gang
culture. They often visualize themselves as warriors against the outside world, protecting
their neighborhood.
2. Protection
Joining
a gang in a community with several gangs offers considerable protection from violence and
attack from rival gangs.
3. Fellowship
Studies
indicate that a tight family structure is lacking in the home environment. Gang activity
offers that closeness, that sense of family that is often lacking in the home.
4. Intimidation
Membership
can become very dangerous at this level of "recruitment." New members are forced
to join by threats, violent beatings, and initiations in order to increase membership.
No
ethnic group or geographical location is excluded. Unlike gangs in the past, we are seeing
mixed ethnic and socio-economic groups making up gangs. There is an on-going struggle for
territorial control and the lucrative drug market among gangs in our community. School
personnel, parents and community members need to be aware of these dynamics in their
schools, homes, and in the community at large.
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Personal Reasons for Gang Membership
There
are a variety of personal reasons for young people joining gangs. These include: the
excitement of gang activity, the need to belong, peer pressure, attention, financial
benefit, family tradition, and a lack of realization of the hazards involved. This also is
a way students with poor self-concept increase their self-esteem. These young people seek
to attain recognition for their activities, whether criminal or not. Gangs supply that
extra pat-on-the-back that they might not receive at home or at school.
Parents
need to be aware of what's going on in their child's life. If young people cannot
communicate their concerns and problems to someone significant at home or at school, they
could make a negative decision to join a gang, which would affect them for the rest of
their lives.
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Characteristics of Gangs
Characteristics
in gang behavior can range from a poor general attitude to clear-cut personality disorders
that can at times parallel the criminal mind. Caution is wise when thinking one can place
all gangs into one behavioral category.
A
gang member on his/her own "turf" in school or in the community may be openly
hostile. Outside the turf, the gang member may seem likable, open and friendly. But he/she
has his/her own code and sense of fairness and can easily turn on one when the code is
violated. This can often result in sudden non-cooperation, or worse, violent retaliation.
The
gang member is a good con artist and can easily manipulate his/her environment as it suits
his/her needs. Appearance can be very deceiving. But, a gang member can also display poor
internalizing skills, be chronically angry, resentful of authority, and can be an
accomplished liar.
The
more violent gang member can be callused, remorseless, lack realistic long-term goals, be
prone to easy boredom and have poor impulse control.
Today
in many mature, modern criminal street gangs violence is often a means to an end. Material
profit, through drug trafficking and other criminal activities, is the prime objective.
Studies
in modern gang behavior indicate that violent gangs have a strong capacity to deal with
fear and are therefore not easily intimidated by authority. They have cut fear off. They
experience excitement at every stage of a crime, are concrete thinkers, have little
interest in responsible performance or a display of ownership.
They
consider themselves basically decent human beings, and therefore justified in what they
do. Each gang member wants to be in charge, but often has poor leadership skills, is
chronically angry and defensive, cannot be structured or do tasks for a protracted period
of time.
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What Can You Do?
1.
Get involved!
Become
aware of what's going on in your neighborhood and community. When incidents occur such as
vandalism, loitering and drug activity, report them to the police immediately.
2. Get rid of
Graffiti!
Graffiti
serves as a territorial marker to gang members. When you see graffiti on block walls,
houses and sidewalks, report it to law enforcement officials, and remove it immediately,
after taking photographs.
3.
Parental Intervention
Be
aware of changes that occur with your children such as dress changes, selection of
friends, truancy, violence and disregard for persons or property. Also be aware if your
child has purchased new and expensive items or if your child has extra money that cannot
be accounted for.
Changes
in behavior and dress can be a normal part of adolescence or an indication of
inappropriate identification and association. Know the difference by being an involved
parent.
Parent,
neighborhood and law enforcement involvement is the only way gang activity will be curbed.
Remember,
this is your community--not that of the gangs!!!
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Gang Recruitment Tactics
Gangs pressure kids into gangs by using the following
methods:
*
Peer
pressure, offer protection.
* Threaten safety of friends or family members.
* Offer
money for what appears to be simple activities.
* Challenge kids to take risks.
* Attend
parties where gang related activities are occurring.
* Family
members already belong to a gang.
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Consequences of Gang Involvement
Short Term:
*
In
trouble with the law.
* Drop
out of school.
* Withdrawal
from family.
* Risk
of injury in a "jump-in" by your own gang.
* Drug
trafficking/weapons.
* Involvement
in "dirty-work."
Long Term:
*
Lose
opportunity for education and employment.
* Spend
time in jail or prison.
* Possibility
of losing family and friends.
* Risk
of personal injury.
* Risk
your own family's life.
* Endless
amounts of threats, assaults and drive-by shootings.
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Early Warning Signs
Graffiti is a clear marking of territorial
boundaries which serves as a warning and challenge to rival gangs. It is also used to
communicate messages between gangs.
Youth hanging out around public parks, high
schools, fast food stands, convenience stores and other hang outs for teenagers. Frequent
use of public phone booths by people who actually receive calls there.
Increase in crime - Gang related acts such as
vandalism, assaults, burglaries, robberies, and even random drive-by shootings.
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Gang-Fighting Tips
A single call to
local officials has minimum impact. To be really effective, have everyone in your
neighborhood call your representative or proper authorities.
If you're worried about gang retaliation, keep in
mind that calls to local government offices and police can be made and kept anonymous.
Police do not usually ask for your name and address unless you are a victim or a witness
who wishes to testify. If you give your name and address to the police for one of these
reasons and you are hesitant to have the police come to your home, inform them at the time
of the call. Be sure to make this very clear to them when you call. Remember, gangs will
continue harassing and threatening the community until you put a stop to it.
If you witness a crime in progress, be sure to
report it to the police immediately.
Also, remember that it is your job to report
crime, and suspicious activities. Leave the responsibilities for apprehending criminals to
the police.
Once your neighborhood is organized, you can
organize several other blocks into a neighborhood association. As an association, you can
lobby city officials for increased law enforcement and diversion activities for youth.
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Neighbors: Get Organized
Your neighbors and you can work to eliminate
gangs and drugs from your community and neighborhood. The key is: organization.
1.
Get
to know your neighbors on your block.
2. Contact
your local law enforcement agency for advice and assistance for
organization tips.
3. Organize
a neighborhood meeting.
4. Document
suspicious activity.
5. Set
up a phone network.
6. Write
letters to local officials.
7. Organize
a graffiti clean up task force.
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Parent Assistance
The following tips will help you help your child
disassociate himself/herself from gang involvement:
-
Inform
law enforcement that he/she would like to quit and arrange for protection for the entire
family.
-
Help
your teenager or child find other interests away from gang members.
-
Involve
your teenager or child in school or community activities.
-
Monitor
your teenager's or child's friends and extra-curricular activities.
-
Work
in your local neighborhood to develop active neighborhood
watch programs.
-
Spend
quality time with your teen or child.
-
If
necessary, move to a different area of town and make sure your teen or child does not join another gang.
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Parent Intervention
Parents can help prevent their teenager or child
from becoming gang members by practicing the following tips:
*
Arrange
for a reliable adult to be present to supervise teen's and children's
functions.
*
Help
the teen or child become involved in athletics or other group activities that interest
him/her.
*
Set
reasonable rules and enforce them consistently.
*
Demonstrate
how to set goals.
*
Monitor
and support teen's or child's progress.
*
Teach
social skills that enhance self-esteem.
*
Educate
the teen or child about the dangers of gang involvement.
*
Provide
strong religious background.
*
Keep
an open line of communication with your teen or child.
*
Deal
with issues, not opinions.
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Positive Steps to Help Your
Child Resist Gangs
1. Know your child
a. Listen to your child with curiosity.
b. Make guesses about their beliefs and feelings so you
can communicate within their world.
c. Be aware of changes in your child's life and keep open
communication lines to discuss these changes.
2.
Provide
opportunities for your child to choose healthy friends.
a. Social groups
b. Sports
c. Church groups
d. Parties with parental supervision
e. Community service
3.
Be
active with your children in outside activities.
a. Sponsor programs
b. Help other children get involved
c. Give financial support
4. Provide limits and routines for your children
a. Let children be involved in
the planning process for their limits and routines.
b. Enforce limits and routines by:
i. Follow through
ii. Choices
iii. What are the consequences of poor choices?
5.
Teach
and believe that mistakes are opportunities to learn.
6.
Ask
your children questions and use the discovery approach to problem solving instead of
telling them what or how to do something.
Let your children learn to think instead of just obeying.
7.
Have
family meetings so you can share compliments, planning and problem
solving
8. Make sure the message of love
gets through by creating closeness and trust through
the activities listed above.
9.
Talk
to your child about gangs and the consequences of gang membership.
10. Practice
mutual respect with your child.
11. Don't be afraid to ask for
help. Give us a call (at 417-888-2020) if
you think we can help or email us.
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How to Discourage Your
Children From Joining Gang
Discourage
your children from hanging around with gang members. Meet your children's friends. Find out who they are, what
influence they have over your children and how they and your children spend their free
time. If your children choose friends that are mostly from gangs, then your children are
probably involved or will become involved in one also.
Occupy your
children's free time. Give them responsibilities at home. Get them involved in after
school, sports, city recreation or church activities.
Develop good
communication with your children. Good communication is open, frequent, and it takes
on a positive tone. It allows your children to come to you to discuss any topic or
problem. It does not condemn or put down. Good communication allows you to tell your
children that you love them.
Spend time with your
children. Plan activities that the
whole family can enjoy. Spend time alone with your children. Expose them to different
places outside of your neighborhood: parks, museums, the beach, the mountains, camping
trips, etc. Give them attention.
Do not buy or allow your children to dress in gang style
clothing. If your children dress in gang style clothing they are expressing an interest in
gangs and will attract the attention of gangs.
Set limits for your children. At an early age children
need to know what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
Do not allow your children to stay out late and spend a
lot of unsupervised time out in the streets.
Do not allow your children to write or practice writing
gang names, symbols or any other gang graffiti on their books, papers, clothes, bodies,
walls or any other place. Teach respect for other's property.
Develop an anti-gang environment in your
home. Clearly and
continually begin to express to your children at an early age your disapproval of gang
activity and of any family members joining a gang.
Learn about gang and drug activity in your community.
Learn how gang members dress, how they speak, their behavior and their activities. Attend
informational meetings, read articles related to gang activity. Become an informed parent.
Participate in the education of your
children. Take an
interest in your children's education. Visit your children's school, meet their teachers,
and attend parent/school meetings. Help your children with their school work. Set high
standards for your children.
Participate in the community. Know your neighbors.
Organize or join neighborhood watch groups. Discourage gangs from hanging around your
neighborhood. Remove graffiti from around your home. Attend community functions. Teach
your children civic pride.
Be a good
example. Become an active, not a passive parent.
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Gang-Free Homes
1.
What
is a gang? By definition a gang is a group of people, generally youth, whose purpose is
to provide protection to its members and
to engage in unlawful activity.
2.
Why do
kids join gangs?
a. Feeling that there is no
choice.
b. Protection
c. Friends or family members belong to a gang
d. Way of using unsupervised time
e. Excitement
f. Money
g. Part of a group and peer admiration (sense of
belonging)
h. Gain in a sense of control over one's life and create
self-esteem by being successful in gang activities
(sense of belonging)
i. Revenge
3.
How
do gang members pressure kids into joining gangs?
a. Peer pressure
b. Offer protection
c. Threaten safety of friends or family members.
d. Offer money for what appears to be simple activities
e. Challenge kids to take a risk, such as stealing
f. Attend parties where gang-related activities are occurring
g. Family member already belongs to a gang
4.
How
can you help your child resist a gang?
The best way to help your child resist joining a gang is
to meet their needs, and teach them social skills that will enhance their self-esteem. Set
reasonable rules and enforce them consistently. Help children to establish comfortable
relationships based on trust. Help children to feel safe by reducing their anxieties.
Define their rights such as the right to a private place,
the right to have one's personal things left alone and the right to protection from
physical abuse. Demonstrate how to set goals and monitor and support children's progress.
Believe in your children and provide encouragement, love and acceptance so that they can
approach the future with confidence and enthusiasm.
5.
How do I know if my child is a gang member?
The following signs may be seen in children if there
is potential gang involvement:
a. Showing colors: This could be
a bandanna, T-shirt, hat, etc.
b. Clothing style: Pay attention to the outfits your
children wear
c. Hanging around with known gang members.
d. Attending parties that have been advertised through
fliers that may contain gang symbols or satanic messages.
e. Staying out late without explanation
f. Unwilling to talk about their activities.
g. Losing interest in family activities.
h. Reluctance to be seen with family members.
i. Return home with multiple cuts and bruises as a result
of a beating (jump in, thumped in, sexed in, blessed in, etc.).
j. In trouble with law enforcement.
k. In trouble at school.
6.
What do I do if my child is a gang member?
The first thing parents need to understand is that
it is much easier to keep children out of gangs than it is to get them out once they have
joined. Our children join gangs that will be involved in criminal activities. They will
have experienced a "jump in" and will be tied to the loyalties of the gang code.
Each of the above will be held over their heads should they decide to attempt to quit.
Many times gang members will threaten their lives or the lives of family members. Fear
prevents gang members from quitting.
The following are suggestions in the event that your
children want to get out of a gang:
a. Move to a new town or city and make sure your
child does not join another gang.
b. Move to a different area of town that is gang free.
c. Tell law enforcement that you would like to quit and
arrange for protection for the entire family.
d. Help your child find employment away from gang members.
e. Involve your child in school or community activities.
f. Work in your local neighborhood to develop gang free
areas.
g. Notify school authorities and provide them with
information about gang activities in school.
7.
The short-term consequences of being a gang member
can range from getting in trouble with the law, dropping out of school or withdrawing from
the family. There is also the risk of getting injured in a "jump-in", being
wounded or killed, becoming involved with drug trafficking, or being used by other gang
members to do "dirty work." Long term consequences as a gang member ages are
losing opportunities for education and work, spending time in jail or prison, or losing
family and friends. Also, one risks personal injury or death.
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Try to Understand Why
Your Children Might Join Gangs
a.
Many times children feel they have no
choice. They may prefer to not become a gang member but they cannot see any other way to
avoid the situation. Children may be living in fear on a daily basis and see joining a
gang as a solution to problems. The pressure to join a gang may be very strong. Parents
must provide children with a safe loving home environment plus help them get to school
safely. It is also the parents' responsibility to see that school is a safe place to learn
and play.
b. Children may join a gang as a means of protection
from rival gangs. Children may view their neighborhood gang as a solution to the torment
and threats from other gangs. Parents must work to see that the neighborhood is a safe
place for their children to play, learn and live. Parents need to work together to monitor
children and provide law enforcement with information to help keep the neighborhood safe.
If children get into trouble with law, parents must let their children suffer the
consequences for illegal behavior. Protecting children from the law does not teach
responsibility.
c. Children often choose to join gangs if their friends
or family members belong. In order to "fit in" with other gang members, children
may also begin to wear certain colors or other types of clothing associated with gangs.
They may wear distinctive hairstyles, use gang terminology, and get involved with gang
activities. If a parent notices any of these indicators it is a signal that the child is
interested in a gang or has already joined.
d. Children often have unsupervised time. If this
becomes excessive, children will search for something to do to prevent boredom. Gang
activities can fill the excess time. Parents should be involved in coordinating and
sponsoring activities for their children. More activities and parental involvement will
decrease the strength a gang has in the neighborhood. Parents should form community groups
that are willing to supervise children's activities. It is also important to know where
your child is at all times. Make them accountable for their time and actions.
e. Gang activities appear exciting to children. Children,
especially teens, like to take risks. Gangs provide many opportunities to take risks and
find excitement. Make sure your children are involved in sports, clubs or other activities
that provide healthy risk taking opportunities. Get children involved with community work
to help make neighborhoods safe.
f. The appeal of obtaining money fast can be overwhelming for
children. We live in a society that advocates immediate gratification at any expense.
Gangs are involved in drugs and other criminal activities that give children opportunities
to get money quickly. Children may be offered more money for delivering a package or being
a lookout than their parents can earn in a week. Children must understand the risks and
realize that consequences will be enforced. They must also realize that they are being
used by older gang members who do not want to get caught.
Teach your children to have pride in their
accomplishments and to legitimately earn money. Parents must encourage the system to be
consistent and to support the legal system . Report related activities to the police.
Encourage children to stay in school in order to be qualified for a job. Give children
responsibilities around the house, encourage work ethics and encourage children to seek
jobs in the community.
g. Children who feel valuable and important in the home
will feel more comfortable with others. Parents need to teach children how to share,
compromise and take turns, how to listen to what others have to say, and how to be a group
member. Since the gang may be the most active organization in the neighborhood, parents
must provide the opportunity for participation in youth organizations and athletic teams
in order for children to practice group skills. If organizations do not exist in the
neighborhood, parents must be willing to get involved to manage them. Also, set a good
example for your children when you participate in group settings.
h. Children may feel that they do not have a sense of
purpose in life and seek gang activities to reinforce their self-esteem. Parents must
strengthen children's sense of purpose by setting expectations for their personal
behavior. Expect your children to have respect for others, to obey authority, to be honest
and to do one's best. Help children set realistic goals so they feel a sense of
accomplishment. Challenge your children to expand their interests. Work with the school to
determine what opportunities are available for children. Keep communications open with
school authorities and teachers.
i. Children may join a gang to retaliate for personal
injury or damage to friends or family. Parents must develop a support group in the
community that can deal with children's sorrow or frustration. If necessary there are
agencies and school employees who are capable of helping children to deal with these
feelings of anger.