Gang+Awareness


 * IDENTIFY WHO?**
 * By Jessie Green**

Gang member identification and prevention in our schools and communities; do to the fact that there is a high percentage of gang related criminal activities in our communities and schools and there is a growing number of gang members, it is important that not only law enforcement personnel know how to identify these particular groups of people, but also regular community members and school personnel. Currently, The National Youth Gang Survey estimates that there are 24,000 active gangs in the U.S. and there are over 760,000 active gang members (Kelly, 2010). The reason for this increase in gang activity is due to the fact that around eighty percent of the U.S. population lives in the nations metro areas and because our metro areas are so crowded this can lead to overcrowding and minimal security areas which allow for an increase in gang activity (Martinez, 2009). This topic is applicable to an audience of teachers and parents because they make up the majority of our communities and school. As the majority of our community and schools; they will most likely be witnessing the increase of gang activity in the community and schools. If teachers and parents had a way to identify the initial issues of how their children and students may become involved in gang activity then they can put a stop to it before it gets out of control. It is essential that teacher’s and parents be aware and educated on the gang activity in their community. It is imperative to know what gangs are located in the area in which you live and how to handle a situation if approached by a gang member. It is important to know what to do if you see gang signs painted near or around a home located in the vicinity in which you live. By taking the time to view this article the experience will be gained on how to take the initial steps towards decreasing and potentially eliminating gang activity. Gang violence is an issue in many communities around the U.S. and around the world. There can be many different side affects to adolescents who have witnessed or been associated with some form of violence in their community. If adolescents are engaging in illegal activities and witnessing violent acts; it is very likely that the violence adolescents are witnessing or associating themselves with is related to gang violence. It is up to the parents to make it safe for their children to walk outside, but it is up to the children to not give in to the peer pressure of local gang members. One of the many reasons adolescents join gangs is because they are bullied by gang members and fear for their lives. Adolescent years are also a time when teens want to be accepted and if they are neglected by their family and other peers then they are more than likely to fall into the gang life. Although, a large percentage of gang members are males, females also associate themselves with gang members. It is important that adolescents find acceptance through sports or other recreational activities because gang life is not a lifestyle that they should get themselves involved in. Gangs are taking over the street corners and developing their own drug markets that supplement for gang-controlled enterprises (Lemmer, T.J., Bensinger, G.J., Lurigio, A.J., (2008), p.418). Adolescents are viewing these gangs as superior and associating themselves with the gangs so that they to can be superior to others.  The media often stereotypes the behavior and socioeconomic status of various cultures. These stereotypes can be followed by negative side effects and place labels on certain people and certain communities. Before making a reference to a particular group of people, research should be conducted to gain knowledge on particular areas because currently, there are inconsistencies of how the information is being portrayed in the media regarding certain groups of people (Bender, p.123). For example, the author, Steven Bender stated that in, Knocked up (a movie) “viewers laugh at the thought of a White couple living and surviving in East L.A. by doing as the natives might, they are laughing at the legacy of segregation, the ravages of poverty, the failings of schools and school finance, broken promises to our youth, and the absences of hope. Funny stuff” (Bender…p.123). There are actions being taken to decrease the amount of criminal gang activity, such as Project BRIDGE (Parker, R.N., Luther, K, Murphy, L., (2007). There have also been more efforts put forth to develop alternative schooling for students who are at-risk. California established the, “Cesar Chavez school for Social Change and a Rites of Passage Program” (Falcon, 2009…p.164). Gangs are so prominent in our society that they have also developed subcultures. Many gang members were raised together on the same street in which they engage in criminal activity. With this colonization, this camaraderie of people, it makes for a strong bond between each other. It is known that many gang members will stick together no matter what happens and that was re-emphasized in the article (Vigil, 2003) The general purpose of this article is to provide parents and teachers with basic information related to criminal street gangs. The number one goal of this article is to provide basic information on why adolescents get involved in gang activity and how the media is stereotyping certain groups of people. This information may assist in ensuring a safe environment is present in our schools and communities. This is important because many school personnel may not be open the idea that there is a gang issue in their school. School personnel should be the first to recognize that there is a gang issue in the school system and effective practice need to be implemented to provide order to, what could be, an increasing problem. The information provided should be used to identify circumstances in an environment that would cater to the development or increase of gang activity in the schools or communities in which we work. Lastly, the information provided should be used for early detection and intervention purposes, which should be our primary goal for a long term solution. Although, gangs may not be able to be eliminated one hundred percent, a strong effort should be put forth to eliminate gang activity in our schools and communities as much as possible. As a school counselor, if you are interested in collecting data regarding negative student activity that could potentially be linked to gang activity, from a participating school it is important to use the term “troublesome youth group” (Naber, 2006…p.59), media type="youtube" key="YLGGJqk7EUw" height="385" width="480" align="left"rather than gang related youth. School personnel, many times, are less likely to acknowledge the fact that there is any gang related incidents taking place in their school because doing so, could lead to an increase in problems in the school and a poor outlook on school culture. Although, school personnel may be quick to say that they do not foresee a gang problem in their school, everyone should be aware that criminal gang activity in the schools and in the communities is on the rise and should be identified immediately. Most importantly, never deny the fact that there is a gang issue in the community or school in which you live and work because that is what leads to the increase in criminal gang activity.
 * [[image:file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cuser%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_image001.gif width="571" height="491" caption=" If teachers and parents had a way to identify the initial issuesof how their children and students may become involved in gang activitythen they can put a stop to it before it gets out of control."]]= ||
 * Summary**
 * Conclusion**

__**References**__ //Armstong, k., Phillips, T. Street gangs in our schools//. (2008, June). Retrieved from http://www.kycss.org/leftnav/Gangs/Gangspowrpt.pdf Bender, S.W., (2009). Knocked down again: an east l.a. story on the geography of color and colors.. //Harvard LatinoLaw Review//, //12//, 109-134. Dammers, K., Iton, A.B., Mathis, K.J., Speck, P.M., & Nahmias, D.E. (2007). Innovative tools to fight gang violence. //Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics//, //35//(4), 118-120. Falcon, P. (2009). The Power of indigenous healing as applied to gang violence. //Confluencia//, 163-164. Kelly, S. (2010). The Psychological consequences to adolescents of exposure to gang violence in the community: an integrated review of the literature. //Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing//, //23//(2), 61-73. Lemmer, T.J., Bensinger, G.J., Lurigio, A.J., (2008). An Analysis of police responses to gangs in chicago. //Police Practice and Research//, //9//(5), 417-430. Martinez, M. (2009). Urban wilderness. //Phi Delta Kappan//, //91//(4), 68-69. McAdams, K., Russell, H., & Walukewicz, C. (2004). Gangstas-not in my hospital!. //Nursing//, //34//(9), 32-34. Naber, P.A., May, D.C., Decker, S.H., Minor, K.I., & Wells, J.B. (2006). Are there Gangs in schools? it depends on whom you ask.. //Journal of School Violence//, //5//(2), 53-72. Parker, R.N., Luther, K, Murphy, L., (2007). Availability, gang violence, and alcohol policy: gaining support for alcohol regulation via harm reduction strategies. //Contemporary Drug Problems//, //34//(4), 611-633. Vigil, J. D. (2003). Urban violence and street gangs. //Annual review of anthropology//, //32//(1), 225-242.

__**Resources**__

__**Exam Questions**__ 1) What was the purpose of this article?

2) The National Youth Gang Survey estimates that there are how many active gangs in the U.S.? a) 24,000 b) 120,000 c) 760,000

3) The National Youth Gang Survey estimates that the amount of gang members exceeds how many? a) 215,000 b) 760,000 c) 350,000

4) What percent of the U.S. population lives in the nation’s metro areas? a) 30% b) 80% c) 90%

5) The information provided should be used for what 2 purposes? a) Early detection and intervention. b) Eliminate gang activity and increase academic achievement in our schools. c) Identify students involved in gangs and place them in alternative schools.