Understanding street gangs and their impact on the educational system
Gilbert R. Cabrera
November 22, 2007
The following article is an excerpt taken from the book: Gangs in Our Schools An Educators Guide.
Gangs in our society and schools present a unique problem, which has not until recently; shown its face to the degree it has the United States. Because of this, educators and the general population are being presented with situations that command our attention and at the same time set precedence on the streets and in our classrooms.
If you search the Internet, libraries, or other informative databases, the information presented on gangs is geared toward law and law enforcement agencies. But as far as strategies for educators in the classroom, the information is limited, oblique and usually does not relate to teaching too gang members. Being an educator has given me the opportunity to gain experience dealing with gang members and how to teach and deal with them effectively. But before any effective learning can be accomplished, the first thing that must be done is to understand why a child chooses to join a gang.
In learning about gang activity, either in school or in our neighborhoods, we must first examine what gangs have to offer a child, which makes joining up with one so enticing.
GANGS HAVE: ~ different levels of hierarchy ~ a set of rules, either written or unwritten ~ expectations set by the gang to fulfill in the community or their respective schools ~ the need to recruit ~ a chain of command ~ the need to expand territories ~ the power to disrupt the educational process ~ intimidation over other students and teachers ~ the need to be recognized by their signs, dress, actions, etc. ~ the need to further the gang financially by the sale of contraband and other illegal activities ~ and the need to defend their colors and reputations.
If a child is contemplating joining a gang the above mandates will be expected of them. They will have to abide by these and other stipulations in order to start being accepted into the gang. This is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg they will have to negotiate to be accepted as a full-fledged member. It will take wanna-be’s many hours of gang rituals before they are truly accepted as a member, all in the hope of gaining status within the gang. The goal of every new recruit is to earn hardcore status, thus allowing them all the privileges provided by the gang.
Once privileges are earned by gang members, they can include but are not limited too, the first to hit a new inductee in jump-ins, money given to them by their subordinates on a daily basis, to being the first to introduce a female to the gang. There are many more perks hardcore members receive, by virtue of earning said status. But it is important to note that every gang has different criteria for earning such perks, which very from gang to gang.
With all the incentives being provided by gangs to potential recruits, one can see how many children searching for acceptance of some kind will be drawn into gang life. To make matters worse, if a gang senses that they can intimidate the family of a new recruit, they will, if that is what it takes to help lure the new recruit into the gang. Often in many gang plagued neighborhoods, gangs will use coercion (forced recruitment) to increase membership.
No tactic or enticement is off limits as long as it expands the gangs’ membership numbers. Such recruitment practices will help draw in new prospects. In addition, many gangs now offer a quick jump-in at school, instead of the drawn out one. which is usually practiced on the home turf. By seeing that the jump-in is quick, a potential recruit will more likely join the gang because the length of jump-in time is usually much shorter and with a less serious beating.
And finally, all members will adhere to a chain of command. This order of operation is designed to let all members in the gang know who their superiors are. All gangs, regardless of affiliation, have some type of organized order. What this does is it lets members move up in the hierarchy chain of command almost immediately after being inducted into the gang. Most gangs will adhere to a military style of command, which serves a few of purposes. As stated above, it allows the opportunity for advancement and movement within the gang. Movement often includes sending established recruits to other areas of the U.S. to set up representation as well as to expand the gangs reach. Next, it gives newly inducted members the chance to see how much is involved to achieve hardcore status and move up the chain of command. And finally, it allows new recruits the opportunity to score points with their superiors for bringing potential recruits into the gang.
So now that we have an understanding of what might encourage a child to join a gang let us now look at the typical signs of a gang’s presence in your neighborhood or school. All gangs will perform some type of tagging, as they are mandated to do so. Because gang tags and their symbols can vary widely from gang to gang, I will only tell you that a gang tag has the appearance of a combination of Old English and Gothic writing, usually utilizing one color of spray paint.
A tag is used for several reasons, with the main reason being to show the world they are alive and well in the community. A tag will often be called a roll call because it often gives a listing of the members present in the gang. A tag can also pay homage to a member who died at the hands of rival gang or police. And most importantly it is used to claim turf. When turf is claimed by a gang they will tag up the area to show other gangs that the tagged area is theirs.
Unfortunately, this can lead to many problems not only to law enforcement but to neighborhood residents as well. The bottom line is all tags should be reported to the proper authorities and then removed immediately. When tags are not removed promptly, problems can surface, because other gangs will see these tags and will often put their own tags over the ones already there. This can and does lead to warfare between the two gangs trying to take control of the area. And during such incidents, such as a fight with a rival gang, that one will see a gang at full strength, which is rarely seen otherwise.
Most importantly the main goal of every gang will be to have the largest representation in the neighborhood, school, or city in which they reside. In addition, to make sure everyone in the area knows of the gangs’ existence by the use of tags and other illegal activities, such as drive-by shootings. And finally, they will use any and all tactics available to them to achieve their goals.
Gangs in our society and schools present a unique problem, which has not until recently; shown its face to the degree it has the United States. Because of this, educators and the general population are being presented with situations that command our attention and at the same time set precedence on the streets and in our classrooms.
If you search the Internet, libraries, or other informative databases, the information presented on gangs is geared toward law and law enforcement agencies. But as far as strategies for educators in the classroom, the information is limited, oblique and usually does not relate to teaching too gang members. Being an educator has given me the opportunity to gain experience dealing with gang members and how to teach and deal with them effectively. But before any effective learning can be accomplished, the first thing that must be done is to understand why a child chooses to join a gang.
In learning about gang activity, either in school or in our neighborhoods, we must first examine what gangs have to offer a child, which makes joining up with one so enticing.
GANGS HAVE: ~ different levels of hierarchy ~ a set of rules, either written or unwritten ~ expectations set by the gang to fulfill in the community or their respective schools ~ the need to recruit ~ a chain of command ~ the need to expand territories ~ the power to disrupt the educational process ~ intimidation over other students and teachers ~ the need to be recognized by their signs, dress, actions, etc. ~ the need to further the gang financially by the sale of contraband and other illegal activities ~ and the need to defend their colors and reputations.
If a child is contemplating joining a gang the above mandates will be expected of them. They will have to abide by these and other stipulations in order to start being accepted into the gang. This is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg they will have to negotiate to be accepted as a full-fledged member. It will take wanna-be’s many hours of gang rituals before they are truly accepted as a member, all in the hope of gaining status within the gang. The goal of every new recruit is to earn hardcore status, thus allowing them all the privileges provided by the gang.
Once privileges are earned by gang members, they can include but are not limited too, the first to hit a new inductee in jump-ins, money given to them by their subordinates on a daily basis, to being the first to introduce a female to the gang. There are many more perks hardcore members receive, by virtue of earning said status. But it is important to note that every gang has different criteria for earning such perks, which very from gang to gang.
With all the incentives being provided by gangs to potential recruits, one can see how many children searching for acceptance of some kind will be drawn into gang life. To make matters worse, if a gang senses that they can intimidate the family of a new recruit, they will, if that is what it takes to help lure the new recruit into the gang. Often in many gang plagued neighborhoods, gangs will use coercion (forced recruitment) to increase membership.
No tactic or enticement is off limits as long as it expands the gangs’ membership numbers. Such recruitment practices will help draw in new prospects. In addition, many gangs now offer a quick jump-in at school, instead of the drawn out one. which is usually practiced on the home turf. By seeing that the jump-in is quick, a potential recruit will more likely join the gang because the length of jump-in time is usually much shorter and with a less serious beating.
And finally, all members will adhere to a chain of command. This order of operation is designed to let all members in the gang know who their superiors are. All gangs, regardless of affiliation, have some type of organized order. What this does is it lets members move up in the hierarchy chain of command almost immediately after being inducted into the gang. Most gangs will adhere to a military style of command, which serves a few of purposes. As stated above, it allows the opportunity for advancement and movement within the gang. Movement often includes sending established recruits to other areas of the U.S. to set up representation as well as to expand the gangs reach. Next, it gives newly inducted members the chance to see how much is involved to achieve hardcore status and move up the chain of command. And finally, it allows new recruits the opportunity to score points with their superiors for bringing potential recruits into the gang.
So now that we have an understanding of what might encourage a child to join a gang let us now look at the typical signs of a gang’s presence in your neighborhood or school. All gangs will perform some type of tagging, as they are mandated to do so. Because gang tags and their symbols can vary widely from gang to gang, I will only tell you that a gang tag has the appearance of a combination of Old English and Gothic writing, usually utilizing one color of spray paint.
A tag is used for several reasons, with the main reason being to show the world they are alive and well in the community. A tag will often be called a roll call because it often gives a listing of the members present in the gang. A tag can also pay homage to a member who died at the hands of rival gang or police. And most importantly it is used to claim turf. When turf is claimed by a gang they will tag up the area to show other gangs that the tagged area is theirs.
Unfortunately, this can lead to many problems not only to law enforcement but to neighborhood residents as well. The bottom line is all tags should be reported to the proper authorities and then removed immediately. When tags are not removed promptly, problems can surface, because other gangs will see these tags and will often put their own tags over the ones already there. This can and does lead to warfare between the two gangs trying to take control of the area. And during such incidents, such as a fight with a rival gang, that one will see a gang at full strength, which is rarely seen otherwise.
Most importantly the main goal of every gang will be to have the largest representation in the neighborhood, school, or city in which they reside. In addition, to make sure everyone in the area knows of the gangs’ existence by the use of tags and other illegal activities, such as drive-by shootings. And finally, they will use any and all tactics available to them to achieve their goals.
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