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This Gang Awareness Message is from Michael
Leonard, Criminal Justice Consultant.
Knowledge is the Key to Keeping Our Youth
from Becoming Gang Members
What is a Gang?
There are many definitions of a gang. Fundamentally, a gang is a group of people that engage in violent, unlawful
and criminal behavior. They typically have a name, claim a territory or turf, distinguish themselves from other
groups and their members hang out together on a continuous basis.
There is no ethnic predisposition to gang involvement. Gang members can be white, black, Asian, Jamaican, Dominican,
Cuban, etc. All ethnicities participate in the gang culture. One general misconception is that each gang is made
up of only a single ethnic group but this is usually not true.
See the side panel for the broad categories of gangs.
Know Your Kids: Signs Your Kid May be in a Gang?
- Look for Gang Signs, Hand Gestures and/or Tattoos
- Strong Preference for a Specific Color
- Dramatic Change in Dress Style
- Have Extra Money that You Didn't give Them
- Going Out Late and Staying Out Without Permission
- Skipping School or Cutting Class
See the side panel for a list of symbols. Look for them in your child's notebooks, doodlings and drawings.
Some Reasons Kids Join Gangs
- Parties, girls, drugs or money
- Want respect and power
- Seeking a feeling of caring and attention almost like a family
- Self protection
Mr. Leonard says "Give life back to the kids, its about the children". Provide kids with a family
at home so they don't seek out a family on the streets.
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These seem like everyday kids but they have several gang-related signs:
- Tilted baseball cap
- Pulled up pants on the left leg
- Bandana
- Red items represent the gang's color
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These hats are being sold in New York city and are gang-like in nature with the crown symbol
and colored bandanas. The style targets our youth and glorifies the gang culture.
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Ever seen these caps worn out of place?
They are now being worn by some gang members. The Phillies and Cowboys cap for the People's
Nation and the Boston Red Sox cap for the Bloods.
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Selected Gang Hand Signs
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Do Not Use These Signs to be Cool or for Fun!
Gang Members and their Rivals Take Them Very Seriously.
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Signs made below the waist are done by a rival gang to disrespect another gang.
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Neta Gang
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MS13 Gang
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Means "Whats up blood?
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A five pointed star is associated with the People's Nation alliance.
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The C stands for the Crips and the blue wrist band represents their color.
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Weapons
Gang members use a wide variety of different weapons to commit crimes for money, drugs, etc. They also carry
weapons to protect themselves from rival gangs or to hurt their rivals.
There are many styles of guns and knives that can be easy hidden on one's person. But almost anything can be
misused as a weapon. Those that are less obvious and harder to detect are also very dangerous. Keep this in mind
when observing your own kids or working with children in schools or other settings. Finding a weapon on a child
is a good indicator that they are hanging with the wrong crowd, if not already in a gang, and need some intervention.
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Box cutters and common knives.
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Weapons can appear as common objects such as a comb, lighter or eraser.
The comb portion would go unnoticed sticking out of someone's pants pocket
or hat. Yet, the other end is a sharp pick and can be used as a dangerous weapon. The lighter is fully functional
and also has a spring loaded blade. The eraser was removed from the container and replaced with a razor blade.
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Consequences of Being in a Gang
- Conflict with rival gangs that may lead to serious injury or even death
- Family members may also be "targeted" by rival gangs
- Learning bad habits and even being arrested when just hanging out or associating with gang members
Statistics to Think About
It is estimated that 39% of gangs active in 2000 had at least one female member; 2% of gangs were identified
as being composed of predominantly female members (FASTEN Network Gang Statistics). Females are allowed to join
gangs by being born-in (related to a family member), sexed-in or committing a crime.
Nationwide, alcohol is a contributing factor in 80% of homicides (California Wellness Foundation).
A gun in the home is 43 times more likely to be used to kill a family member or friend or to commit suicide
than to defend oneself (New England Journal of Medicine, 1986).
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Annual Maximum Number of Gang Members, 2002-2005
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Number of Gang Members
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Larger Cities
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Suburban Counties
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Smaller Cities
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Rural Counties
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No Data Reported
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7.6%
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26.2%
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24.6%
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23.5%
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3 or Fewer
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17.6
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27.9
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52.5
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54.6
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4-6
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28.1
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18.3
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14.6
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21.0
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7-15
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15.6
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12.0
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8.3
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0.8
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16-30
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12.7
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5.0
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0.0
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0.0
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More Than 30
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18.5
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10.6
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0.0
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0.0
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Table and Chart: National Youth Gang Center (2007). National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved 11-2007 from
http://www.iir.com/nygc/nygsa
What to Do if You Find Graffiti?
READ - RECORD - REPORT - REMOVE IT!
Read: Gang graffiti can be very dangerous and a threat to many.
Record: Graffiti should be photographed.
Report: Graffiti should be reported to your local police department.
Remove: Graffiti should be removed immediately after it is discovered.
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Mr. Leonard points out gang-related graffiti on the side of a tractor trailer
found in Monroe County, PA.
"King" is the person's street name. The "LOC" means "Love
of Crips" and the up arrow gives respect to the Crips e.g., "Crips Up". The author of this graffiti
may be a neebie since Crips almost always write in blue. Red is the color used by Bloods.
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These photos of graffiti were found at a school bus stop in a private lake
community in Pike County, PA.
The vandals are likely white supremacist and satanist. The
Circle-A is an anarchist symbol. "KKK" and swastika are Neo-Nazi symbols. The upside
down cross is a satanic symbol.
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