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_In-Depth_
Ganging up on gangs
IU Alii e Wheeler
I meraltl Managing I ditor
hdilor \ nolr: J'hr liilloa trig
Is I hr \4’t mill ot a fi \ op.t it In
Depth mws vuimininx Ihr
gang issue in I ngcne
I.unn\ )a< ksnn runs a Minor
tty A If airs program at tin- Mai
I .arm School. a slatr juvenile
mstilutlun lor male juvenile dr
luti|urnls oral Salrtn I hr pro
Kt.ini priniariK winks with
youth gang members who have
hrrn srlltrni rd to srrvr tlllir at
Marlbin'll hn attsr ol gang
rrhitrd ( mnrs
|a< kson is from I os \tn:r|rs
and is a former gang tnrmhri
hunsrlt Hr has hrrn at Mai
I arm lot right years and start
rd Ihr program hn attsr. yvr
nrrdnl a program that was
really going to make these guys
lake I inte to look at u here they
are going
Originally only black youth
p.irlK ip.iicil m the sessions, lull
the program h.is expanded to
liuire Ihiin 711 kills hl.ii k
white hispanii . ( ups. Moods
.mil Skinheads .ill ,n.lively par
tii Spate in the voluntary pm
gram
|,K ksmi .ittrihutes gang in
volveinent to family dvsfuni
lion, exposure to i rime and
violent e. the r ommunity "s ei o
niiinit development a negative
environment a lai k of positive
role models and an inadequate
job market These factors com
bined i an i reate a sense of
hopelessness and low sell es
teem
The arrival of < r.u k on the
drug market gave gangs a way
to make a great deal of money
With i rack i or nine these kids
now hay e an ei onomii four
lion They i an make a lot of
money and acquire some of the
things everybody yvanls |.u k
son said It is really attractive
to kills yy ilh that kind ill bar k
ground
! lion. I , and Ifeandre. 18
both Ma< !..in• n residents and
former gang members said
gang ( rack dealers do not usu
<t 11 \ use crac k except as .1
means to an end rnnnn\ and
even thing vou can get with it
"(iangs sell it Init vou don't
reallv do it ' Dion said "A liit
of people who sell the drugs
and run the organization aren't
around it at all
Thi' Right Worcl
|,n ksnn's program involr os
•4 i v i n kids ‘ I In* right word
I ho kids grew up with .1 lot ut
wrong words." J.u kson ex
plained Hr uses kin phrases in
his sessions sin li ,is "Hr hr.ivr
to rilin' lo Hr i iglil II Hikes a lol
ol i oiinige lo dare lo lie right
"It's an edui ational proi ess
a treatment issue and a depro
graniming prin ess. hi' said
These kids have then own set
ol values and morals
'You ( an t just give a kin
who has been ill a gang some
serious responsibility and a
job." lie added. "You have to
deal with their mentalitr first
i ,iuse otherwise roil are set
ting them up to fail.
|;u kson said lie tries lo get
the youths to think positivelv
about themselves and gires
them straight talk, mixed with
frightening reality
"It s import.ml to liar e them
take a real 1stic look at thou lile
and where they are headed it
then behavior doesn’t ( hange
lie said "For us there are onlr
three options piisons, dead or
useless to r oursell
The program has an approxi
mate one in lire sin < ess rate
whirh experts sar is a surpris
inglr good reionl lor dealing
rr ith gangs
\ttei hearing the sain*
thing over and ovei rr e i nine I"
terms with what we are doing
to our l ommunitr and w hat rv<
.ire doing to people is hurtful
Dion said "I know what tin
business is about. I knurr
where it's going to get me I
tool a lot better now I bare a lot
of support.
\eeding Support
The need for voutli support in
a coimiiim theme espet i.i 11 v lor
minority youth Ruben (iota,
diifi tor ot thf t 'hii ano Affairs
(lentei in lingerie. said lif
doesn't believe thf i omnnuiil'i
supports minority programs
"I know because I tr\ to run
onf here and they do not sup
port minority programs in thf
community, so therefore how
i an tlmy promote supprirtinp
any kind of programs tor mi
nority youthV' he asked
"I think kids need some ul
lernatiyes to gangs they join
gangs her ause they get some
self esteem out of it l lota
said "The community is ripe
lor <1 gang problem, her ause
minority kids are going to go
toward that because that s
where the power is
(lota said believes the solu
lion would include less racism
in the community better em
plovment opportunities tor mi
nority youth and a positive
educational experience. "Mi
nority youth are not finding
anything of relative value to
their lives in an edur ational ex
perient e." he said
"A kid goes to si tiool. all Ins
teachers are white, so yvh.it
does that tell him about his
Turn to Gangs, Page 14