Welcome to another post on gang issues in education. What I want to address in this post is that all persons involved with a child, who happens to be in a gang, take on a more proactive role with that child. Because it could literally be the difference between life and death. Let me elaborate further.
Lately in my neck of the woods there has been a rash of drive-by shootings. I believe the retaliation stems from a gang member being shot and killed by a rival gang. Of course I have no proof, but just knowing how gang members operate leads me to this rational. Because the one thing I have learned about the gang world is that retaliation be swift and show no mercy on those to be retaliated upon. In other words, just exact revenge of some kind.
Sadly, most of the time a drive-by shooting by a rival gang is done it is because they feel they were dissed (disrespected) by the person they are shooting at. So the bottom line is that this member, or his gang, did something that drew the ire of a rival gang and they retaliated against him becuse of it. Could it have been a case of wrong place wrong time, probably not.
But I think what really concerns me more about this whole situation is how the family of the deceased adamantly deny his involvement in gangs. But adding to every one’s confusion is this person had a my-space page in which he pledged his allegiance to his gang. It’s hard to deny he was in a gang when he personally pledges out right that he did. But during a news interview of the family of the deceased they say he was not involved in gang activity.
It has been my experience that most parents I have talked to about their child’s involvement in gang activity always deny such involvement. Even when proof is presented to them in the form as tagged notebooks or other personal items, they still deny it. But this is a reaction that typifies most parents because it is hard for us, as parents, to see faults with our children especially if they are loving and caring individuals at home.
I guess the main question that has to be investigated now is whether or not something could have been done that could have prevented this child from ever getting into a gang. And I believe that signs were present from the first time this child was experimenting with street gangs. I’m not sure if anyone picked up on the these signs because most can be subtle in the beginning. Of course other changes are more drastic, but these usually come after the child is already well into the gang world.
And this is where I believe that everyone who had contact with this child failed him because one way or another he ended up in a gang with the consequences that usually follow being in one. I believe it takes more than just a family. It takes schools, the community, and state programs all be involved in raising the child. Because the old proverb is true, it takes a village to raise a child. If it takes everyone involved to save just one child from joining a street gang, then the efforts will be well worth it.
I could go on and on trying to give advice using strategies on dealing with gang members but it would take posting after posting. So for more thorough insights into this issue, buy a copy of my book buy going to the pay-pal link or by sending $19.95 plus $4.00 S&H to Gilbert Cabrera, P.O. Box 13591, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88013.
Thanks and come again for another post on gang issues in education. If you need to contact me please feel free to e-mail me at: cabgil@aol.com
Gilbert R. Cabrera