Prevention: Take Action!

By: SafeState

The key to prevention is taking action! Prevention is part of a formula to building healthy communication and reducing gang activity. Everyone and every community can work on solutions to minimize problems. Effective anti-gang efforts begin with partnerships among parents, schools, law enforcement, religious institutions, community organizations, businesses and youth. The key is that individuals and the community take action. The most important thing an individual, a group or an organization can do is get involved.

What Parents Can Do

Parents who suspect gang activity should take steps to intervene. Any concerned parent, teacher or community member can get involved in stemming gang membership. The following are some suggested steps:

• Increase your awareness of your child’s belongings, clothes and room. It is OK to look at what is in your child’s room.

• Know who your child’s friends are and where they “hang out,” especially after school.

• Meet the parent(s) of your children’s friends, know where they live and get a telephone contact number.

• Be willing to identify and address the dynamics within your family, as well as factors within the neighborhood and school, that could be contributing to your child’s gang involvement. This process is more difficult to do because you have to be candid and refuse to let denial affect your assessment.

• Talk with your child or teenager. Get answers to your questions about their behavior and discuss the consequences of being in a gang. At the same time let them know you love and care for them. Give them a sense that, together, you can work things out. Don’t be afraid to say, “I am sorry,” when appropriate.

• Talk with school officials and counselors. Understand what is required of your child at school. Know the homework and assignment schedules. Hold your children accountable for their school work.

• Ask teachers if they are aware of campus problems and if there are school programs that will help. Parents and concerned citizens can volunteer help with these programs. It is important for parents to get involved with your children in school and after-school activities.

• Let your child participate in band, school sports or after school clubs.

• Join the PTA and get involved at school, even if it is for one hour a week or a couple of hours a month. Participate in activities at school, if at all possible, because it shows your children that you care.

• Volunteer time at your child’s school whenever possible. Showing an interest and taking part of a child’s life in this manner can have a profound effect on a child’s future.

• Contact your local law enforcement agency or juvenile probation department. These agencies may have a crime prevention or gang specialist who can give you up-to-date information. Just as important, these agencies know about any current gang problems or areas where gangs have had an impact.

• Call your local community-based organizations. Many have experience with gang problems and can give you valuable guidance. For those communities that do not have one, think about forming one. Local Boys and Girls Clubs, churches and schools often act as a hub for such organizations.

• Go to your religious leaders for advice. These leaders may know of programs that help neighborhood children stay out of gangs. Many faiths today have special programs for young people.

• Report and document any graffiti in your neighborhood or on local school grounds. Then, remove the graffiti as soon as possible. Keep the photograph in a file with the date, time, location and who took the picture. Let the police know about the incident.

• Establish volunteer programs for young people. Let young people tutor other younger children. Let them volunteer at hospitals, youth and senior centers or animal shelters. These activities help young people develop a sense of community. When they have invested their time and effort in something, it will have value to them. These activities can also give the young person a sense of self worth, value and direction. These activities also make the participant feel needed.

What Communities Can Do

Parents, educators, law enforcement officers and other community members can do a great deal to prevent gang involvement or reduce existing gang problems. You do not have to act alone. Family and community members can join together to make a difference. They can help establish a community action committee with members from law enforcement, city government, schools, clergy, the district attorney and the probation department. The purpose of a committee can include awareness, education and inter-community cooperation in monitoring gang activity and in coordinating or developing intervention and prevention programs. To help prepare for this task you can:

• Learn more about gangs.

• Call 911 immediately when there is an emergency in your neighborhood. Don’t be afraid to get involved.

• Contact your local law enforcement agency for up-to-date information on gang activity. Crime prevention or gang specialists can help your neighborhood plan ways to fight gang activity. They can also help you organize.

• Start a Neighborhood Watch Program in your neighborhood. This program helps counteract the gang’s use of fear to control a neighborhood. A united neighborhood is one of the most effective weapons to help curb the impact a gang can have.

• Initiate a graffiti abatement or clean-up program. Get rid of gang graffiti. Paint over it. A graffiti-free neighborhood signals to gang members that it is your neighborhood, not theirs!

• Know where your children are. Compile a parent telephone tree list. This effort will enable parents to contact other concerned parents. Parents need to talk with each other about where their children are and what they are doing. When gang incidents occur in your neighborhood, cooperate with the police or sheriff’s department. Your help may prevent others from becoming victims of gang violence. Any information about gang crimes, wanted suspects or violent gang activity should be reported to the police.

This report should be made even if your own son or daughter is involved. Reporting your own child is a tough decision and does not mean that you do not love your child or that you do not care. In fact, it demonstrates your desire to hold your child accountable, to force him to face the consequences of his action — which may be the very experience he needs to change. Making a difference in your community begins at home. Fighting crime and dealing directly with violent gang members are best left to experts trained to deal with those situations. Youth loitering after school or hanging out on corners provides a breeding ground for gangs.

Communities can offer young people alternatives to gang involvement. These include organized activities for children and teenagers through recreation departments, schools, churches and youth organizations. These programs should operate during the prime time that most juvenile crime is committed — after school, between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Communities should seek support from local businesses and industries to help employ and train youths. Together, you and your community can:

• Conduct an accurate assessment of the level of gang problems both in the community and at schools. Share information among parents, community residents, school personnel and law enforcement, to improve your ability to develop strong positive programs that address your