U
nknown Riders, Tomahawks, Savage Skulls,
Eight Ball, Crips, Bloods,
Latin Kings, the list goes on and
on. In fact, according to The
National Gang Center, in 2012,
their most recent data reveals
there were 80,000 gangs in the
United States. The majority of
these gangs were loc ated in
large cities and suburban areas,
but gang representation was
also found in rural and small city
areas.
ity, when they no longer have the
safety of an elementary school
and must lean on their social
skills to forge new relationships.
What better group of friends to
have but the tough kids? Young
people understand the dangers
of their world whether that world
is school, community, even
family. Gangs provide a support
system like no other.
Although gangs may proliferate
in large urban areas, the reality
is that gangs are everywhere.
Children in junior high school
or high school in any state in
America may be subject to
gang recruitment if they are not
already involved in one.
Children join gangs for protection, for support, for love, and
sometimes for money. In order
to protect themselves from one
gang, they join another. They
may join a gang as insurance
against bullying. If someone
tries to intimidate them at school,
they know all they have to do is
tell ‘Big Billy,’ and he will handle
it. If they are looking for camaraderie, someone that will even
kill for them, they will find that
love and support in a gang. If
they need a new pair of sneakers
or jeans, the gang will provide
money-making
opportunities
such as robbery, drug-dealing,
What kinds of kids do gangs
look for?
According to Rachelle Cassada
Lomann MS, LPC, “Gangs target
young vulnerable teens who are
trying to fit in and be accepted.”
Recruiters target young people
at a point of greatest vulnerabil-
Additional reasons children join
gangs
or human trafficking. Remember the street gang in the novel
Oliver Twist? In the novel, the
criminal named Fagin recruits
street kids to steal from local
merchants or pickpocket merchants on the street. They bring
their booty to him for distribution.
In return, he provides a place for
them to live. Today children may
join gangs in exchange for protection much like these characters did.
Can a parent tell if a child is in
a gang?
I worked as an educator in a
large urban area and we consulted gang experts who trained
staff to look for the following
signs of gang affiliation:
•Gang tags (symbols) on their
notebooks, schoolbooks, or
school property. (The consultant
provided samples)
•Certain hand signals used to
greet another gang member in
the hallway.
•Proliferation of clothes in one
particular color such as red or
blue though there may be others