Gang prevention

Police say over 50 gangs run the streets of Atlanta according to the AJC. The police department quadrupled their gang police force in 2009.

The National Youth Gang Center in partnership with the OJJP says that gangs are increasing.

No two gangs are alike.

Gangs are a few people who form an allegiance (intent to be part of the group) based on various social needs. They engage in acts that go against public morals(not just limited to crime). The allegiance is formed through association in the gang.

Majority of growth in gangs is not hierarchical. The ones that are growing are structured informally. Leaders change rapidly. There is not always a clear direction on rules, regulations, or how things are structured. They are hard to figure out because they are a moving target. They don't all have a larger business goal (making money).

Kids are just trying to find an identity and are finding it in gangs. Jesus Christ has an identity for them. Are we expressing that to them clearly?

What are the needs of the kids? Are we meeting their needs? Do we have options for them--something for them to get involved in? It's been said that we can't start with their needs. We need to begin with their interests. What are their interests?

You have to figure out what's going on in your community... Need to assess, but how?

Communities don't like to admit that they have gangs...stigma

They join before high school. Gangs meet the social needs of the youth because the Church DOES NOT.

Kids who join don't have adult supports in their life, have self-esteem issues(need to find an identity), live in a certain geographical community, and have financial issues. THESE ARE ALL MY KIDS!

We need something to grab their attention. Otherwise the street will and will grab them in and keep them. We'll never get them back. What do we have to offer to grab their attention before the street does and we lose them forever?

In researching about this I listened to a Salvation Army podcast about gang prevention. Over and over again the speaker on the podcast kept saying, "You don't know what you don't know that you don't know." It's so true.

Prevention is easier than intervention. And cheaper.

Kids are about being like each other and not like us. We tell them to look and act like us. No wonder it doesn't work.

Gangs are a game of push around. Chase them out of one neighborhood they go to another neighborhood. Once they get kicked out they come back to your community and pick up where they left off.

We need to prevent kids from being able to walk down this path. We need intervention strategies. If we don't have it the only ones who will catch it will be the police (maybe). Kids don't know what they're getting into until they are stuck. They have no other options if they can/want to get out. What do we have to offer them?

They aren't just in poor neighborhoods... Middle class and suburban, too.

Kids need something to belong to. Do we, as the Church, have something for them to belong to?

One of our kids came to us months ago about the pressure he was feeling to join a gang. His family struggles financially and the gang told him that if he loved his mom and was a good son that he would join the gang--they would make sure mom had money for rent and the bills. So we went to his school (he's a freshman in high school) and had lunch with him (building a relationship). We made him feel special because he is. He likes to draw so we got him some supplies. He sold the drawing stuff at school. We gave him an mp3 player for Christmas. He hasn't sold it yet because I promised him that I would help him load music on it because he doesn't have a computer at home (we should have thought that one through a little bit).

He showed up in my office after church on Sunday to talk. He said he joined the gang but was now out of the gang--but was still wearing his blue shoes to support "his gang." He's a great kid with great potential. He just happens to be in a really sad situation.

What do I do? What would you do?