According to statistics, as of 2003, there are 31,000 gangs in the United States. The membership in these gangs is 850,000 men and women, boys and girls. In 2006, came news that there are 8 national gangs and 8 homegrown gangs operating in the Roanoke Valley. What we don't know is their names, their colors, the areas these gangs operate in, the current legislation on the books to help fight these gangs and a number of other things. This section of jeffartis.com will answer these and other questions about gangs and gang activity in the Roanoke Valley.
Welcome to, "A PARENT'S GUIDE TO GANGS" It is my hope that by providing information to the community, the commmunity will be better able to fight the problem of gangs and gang violence in the Roanoke Valley and other communities across the nation. In time, this information will be available through a web cast and DVD which will be available free to the public. The information will also be available on hard copy for those who do not have access to the Internet. For now, this information will be posted on jeffartis.com.
Through the years, the people of the Roanoke Valley community have made it known to me that they want to do everything they can about the problem of gangs and gang activity in the Roanoke Valley. However, they've also made it known to me that they need information on what to look for in the area of gangs and gang activity in the Roanoke Valley. I'm only to happy to provide this information to the wonderful people of the Valley. Again, it's time to save our children from gangs, gang activity and gang violence. As I post this information, please feel free to share it with others. I am also asking everyone who reads jeffartis.com to take "THE PLEDGE." We must work to save our children.
THE PLEDGE
I am going to save a child. I am going to help a generation. It may be my child. It may be the child down the street. It may be a child I do not know. But, I am going to save a child.
I might be a mentor. I might be a role model. I might ask to see a report card. I might ask, "Why aren't you in school?" I might ask, "Why are you out so late?" I might say, "You can do better."
I might say, "It's wrong for you to do that." I might say, "Good job, I'm proud of you and keep up the good work." I might say, "I love you. I'm here if you need me." I am going to save a child.
According to Virginia law, a street gang is, "An ongoing organization, association or group (i) having common characteristics, including but not limited to initiation practices, hand signals, structured style of dress, specific geographic territorial claim or identifiable leadership and (ii) consisting of three or more individuals, at least one of whom is a juvenile, who identify themselves as a group by a name or symbol and are involved in a pattern of recurrent criminal conduct."
WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS OF GANG INVOLVEMENT?
According to the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association and the Virginia Gang Investigators Association, the following are warning signs that someone may be involved in a gang. If your child or someone you know shows the following warning signs, you should be concerned about gang involvement.
* Has an obsession with one particular color of clothing.
* Comes home with unexplained bruises, injuries or burns.
* Withdraws from family or loses interest in school.
* Develops an unusual desire for privacy and secrecy.
* Uses hand signals with friends or practices them at home.
* Has a new nickname.
* Has a particular tattoo.
* Has unexplained money or goods.
* Has gang graffiti on school books, folders or bedroom walls.
* Has a new fear of the police.
Other gang warning signs can include: carrying a gun, signs of alcohol and drug use, speaking in gang slang, wearing a cap tilted to one side or the other, imitating the "gangster" lifestyle and wearing a lot of jewelry and medallions.
Any or all of these warning signs could show gang involvement by your loved one. If you notice any of these warning signs, you must take action. You must get involved.
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE JOIN GANGS?
There are many reasons why a young person will join a gang. The main reasons for joining a gang are:
* Money: Money is the Number 1 reason a person will join a gang. It's all about the "bling." Many feel that joining a gang will one day provide them with money they need to live in life's fast lane.
* Power: For many, gang membership provides a sense of fulfillment through the chance to control a territory and be feared, not only in that territory, but in other territories, as well.
* Prestige: In many communities, gang membership not only signals the inclusion into an exclusive group, it also signals that the gang member is no one to be messed with.
* Identity: Many join a gang to be a member of a group.
* Protection: Some join gangs for protection from physical harm both in their gang territories and outside of their gang territories.
* Recognition: In some communities, gang membership fulfills a sense of accomplishment.
* Belonging: Gang membership can fulfill the sense of belonging to a group that many young people have.
* Discipline: The gang lifestyle and rituals are very appealing to those who feel the gang lifestyle will provide the "structure" many young people are looking for.
* Love: Gang members consider themselves as family. Many feel that gang membership will provide a sense of "family" to those searching for one.
WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS OF A GANG?
For this information, please click on the following link to an excellent article by Steve Nawojczyk, of The Nawojczyk Group, called, "Street Gang Dynamics." The article was written in 1997. However, the information in this article is still current and very helpful when it comes to understanding gangs and gang activity.
* Gangs and gang members think of themselves as businessmen and businesswomen. Gangs and gang members will use any excuse to justify their "business activities."
* Some gangs have a working knowledge of the anti-gang legislation that is being used by local law enforcement in their communities.
* Local street gangs or "homegrown" gangs transport and distribute drugs within specific areas and often imitate the larger, national gangs to gain respect from rivals. Alliances can be formed between a local, "homegrown" gang and a national gang, as local gangs use the national gang's drug transporting network.
* Somelocal politicians like to downplay the danger of gangs in their communities by referring to the gangs in their communities as "homegrown" gangs. However, it should be remembered that all national gangs began as "homegrown" gangs. "Homegrown" gangs become national gangs when they are either ignored by local governments and local law enforcement or are allowed to operate unchecked in any community.
* Gangs want to be ignored by local government and local law enforcement. Being ignored by these government bodies allow gangs to grow faster and stronger more quickly.
* With the exception of structure and status, there is little difference between "homegrown" gangs and national gangs. National and "homegrown" gangs commit the same types of crimes.
* "Homegrown" gangs are just as dangerous as national gangs. Local governments and local law enforcement make a mistake when they pay more attention to national gangs than to "homegrown" gangs.
* Gangs not only sell drugs. The crimes gangs commit are assault, burglary, drive-by shootings, extortion, homicide, contract killings, identity theft, money laundering, robbery, car theft and witness intimidation.
* Aside from selling drugs, gangs also sell guns, stolen property and at times operate prostitution rings to make money.
* In the United States, the average age of a gang member is 12 - 24. Some gang members are older. Some gang members are younger. The national gang, MS-13, has been known to recruit members as young as 7-years-old.
* In the United States, gang membership is 49% Latino, 34% African American, 10% White and 6% Asian.
* In the United States, gang membership is 94% male, 6% female. Thirty-nine percent of all gangs have female members.
* Gangs, both "homegrown" and national control the drug trade in the United States.
* Gangs have initiation practices. Young men are usually "beaten in" a gang. In this ritual, a young man has to receive a beating from several other male gang members for a period of time in order to become a member of the gang. He cannot fight back or he fails the initiation. At other times, a potential male gang member must commit a crime of the gang's choosing to become a member.
* Young girls can be "beaten in" a gang, also. The girls receive their beatings from other female gang members. At other times, girls can join a gang by beng "sexed in" a gang, where a potential female gang member has unprotected sex with several male gang members.
GANGS OF THE ROANOKE VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
Does Virginia have a gang problem? Yes, even in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Most of the communities in Virginia and in SW Virginia have admitted that gangs are a problem and are aggressively fighting against gangs and gang violence. Unfortunately, some communities in SW Virginia have decided to ignore the problem, especially in Roanoke, Va. What are their names? What are their colors? What territories do they control?
For safety reason, I will not name individual gangs here. I do not want to run the risk of creating a competition between the gangs of the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia which could lead to an escalation of violence. But, I will tell you, gangs are here in Roanoke, Va. and Southwest Virginia. Some are "homegrown" gangs. Some are "national" gangs.
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MYTHS ABOUT GANGS?
According to the Department of Community Justice, Gang Supervision Unit of Multhnomah County, Oregon the following are common myths about gangs.
* "Gangs are not in my community, they are a big city problem." In reality, gangs are everywhere. The size of a community has no affect on gang activity.
* "He's just a "wanna be," not a real gang member." In reality, when it comes to gangs a "wanna-be" is a "gonna-be."
* "My children are good children, they aren't in a gang." In reality, chances are if your child shows any of the gang warning signs, your child is in a gang. Even if your child isn't in a gang, the gang lifestyle has an influence over your children through the way they dress, their attitudes, the music they listen to and so forth.
* "There are no gang members living in my neighborhood." In reality gangs are very fluid, moving from one neighborhood to the next looking for an easy neighborhood to get established in.
* "Gangs only hang around in their own neighborhoods." Again, gangs are very fluid. Gangs go where they want to go, even in other gang's territories.
* "Gang members wear baggy clothing and athletic team baseball hats." Gang members will change their style of dress to keep from being noticed, especially in schools.
* "I know a gang member when I see one, and I don't see any hanging around in my neighborhood." Again, gang members will change their style of dress to keep from being noticed. Also, just because someone is wearing baggy clothing and an athletic baseball hat doesn't mean that person is a gang member.
* "There is nothing I can do about gangs in my community." There are plenty of things a person can do to fight gangs and gang activity in their community beginning with getting involved and being proactive.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU NOTICE GANG ACTIVITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
You notice that something isn't right in your neighborhood. You notice that your new neighbors have "friends" dropping by all hours of the day and night. You notice that "new people" are hanging out on a street corner. You notice that crime appears to be going up in your neighborhood. You notice that young people are walking around wearing the same color of clothes. You notice people giving hand signals to each other, talking on a cell phone whenever a police car drives by and graffiti is now appearing on buildings that never had graffiti on them before. What should you do?
You should be proactive. When dealing with gangs, it is important to be proactive instead of reactive. However, you must also be smart. Keep taps on your children. Be aware of the "Gang Warning Signs" that I have listed above. Be aware of your child's Internet surfing habits. This is especially important since gangs are now using the Internet, (MySpace and Facebook included), to communicate with each other and to recruit new members. Also, talk with your children about the situation. Your children may be able to give you important information that you can pass on to the proper authorities.
Most important, never confront a suspected gang member. If you suspect gang activity in your neighborhood, call the police on a secure phone and let the police handle situation. What do I mean by a secure phone? A secure phone is a phone that plugs directly into a phone jack on the wall. Why use a secure phone? If gangs are moving into your neighborhood or are already established in your neighborhood, there is a good chance that a gang member or someone associated with the gang, is monitoring the phone calls coming into and going out of your neighborhood on a scanner. Calls made on a cell phone and calls made on a portable phone calls can be picked up on a scanner. Phone calls made on the old phones that plug directly into a phone jack on the wall cannot be picked up on a scanner.
There are other ways to be proactive in protecting your neighborhood from gangs and gang violence. Communicate with your trusted neighbors on what's going on in your neighborhood. Contact the local electric company to see if brighter street lights can be installed in your neighborhood. Don't allow yourself to become a prisoner in your own home at the first sign of gang trouble. For example, continue to do your yard work or sit on your porch in the evening as you normally would.
Most important, educate yourself on local codes, (including housing codes), local laws and state laws that can be used to better protect your neighborhood from gang activity taking hold where you live. Equally important is holding your elected officials accountable when it comes to protecting your neighborhood from gangs and gang violence. As for holding neighborhood meetings to discuss the problem of gangs in your neighborhood, be careful. If you hold a neighborhood meeting to talk about gangs in your neighborhood, gang members or gang associates will attend these meetings, too. The bottom line is, the more proactive you and your neighbors are in preventing gangs from taking hold in your neighborhood, the harder it will be for gangs to take hold in your neighborhood.
Again, please feel free to share this information with others. Together, we can do something about gangs, gang activity and gang violence. We must work together to save our children.
SOURCES FOR "A PARENT'S GUIDE TO GANGS"
The Department of Community Justice, Gang Supervision Unit, Multhnomah County, Oregon
The Department of Criminal Justice Services of Virginia
The F.B.I.
First Gov.gov
Gang Resistance Education and Training
Gang Research.net
Gang War.com
The Governor's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention
Know Gangs.com
The Institute for Intergovernmental Research
My Space.com
The National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association
The National Criminal Justice Reference Services
The National Drug Intelligence Center
The National Youth Gang Center
The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia
The Office of United States Congressman Robert Goodlatte, Roanoke, Va.
The Roanoke Times
The United States Drug Enforcement Agency
The United States Department of Justice
The Virginia Gang Investigators Association
Virginia's Judicial System
RELATED READINGS
* "The Growth of Gangs and Gang Violence in Virginia," The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, 2004.
* "Legislative Tools for Combating Gangs in Virginia," The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, 2004.
* "The National Youth Gang Survey, 1999-2001," The National Youth Gang Center.
* "The National Youth Gang Survey, 2004,", The National Youth Gang Center.
* "The National Gang Threat Assessment," The National Alliance of Gang investigators Association, 2005.
* "Street Gang Dynamics," Steve Nawojczyk, The Nawojczyk Group, 1997.
* "The Virginia Drug Threat Assessment," The United States Department of Justice, The National Drug Intelligence Center, 2002.
* "Youth Gangs Effects on Emergency Management (in Virginia)," Benjamin Anthony and Marilyn DiPaolo, April, 2005.
