July 1, 1998
News and Opinion
3
SMOKE SIGNALS
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Or 97347
EDITOR:
TRACY DUGAN
(503) 879-2254
REPORTER:
OSCAR JOHNSON
(503) 879-2321
GRAPHICS fit NEWS
COORDINATOR:
KIM MUELLER
(503) 879-2264
1-800-422-0232
FAX: (503) 879-2263
E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
tracynewsmacnet.com
klmnewsmacnet.com
oscarjohnsonjournalist.com
Members of die Native American
Journalist Association, the Associated
Press, and Society of News Design.
SUBMISSIONS
FROM OUR READERS:
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of
the Confederated Tribes of the Grand
Ronde Community of Oregon, is pub
lished twice a month. We have estab
lished an Editorial Policy to encourage
input from readers about stories
printed in SMOKE SIGNALS, and
other tribal issues. However, all let
ters must be received at the newspa
per office with author's signature, ad
dress, and phone number in order to
be considered for publication.
SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right
to edit any letter for clarity and length,
and to refuse publication of any letter
or any part of a letter that may con
tain libelous statements or personal at
tacks. Not all letters are guaranteed
publication upon submission. Pub
lished letters do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS,
tribal employees, or Tribal Council.
UPCOMING DEADLINES:
Monday, July 6, 1998
Monday, July 20, 1998
O
Printed on recycled paper.
Letters
To the Editor:
Without mentioning their names I
would like to thank the four local
Grand Ronde women for their ser
vices on the Grand Ronde Juvenile
Sanction Court. Court was held in
Tribal Council chambers on June 18,
1998. Along with representatives
from Grand Ronde Elementary
School, Polk County Juvenile De
partment, and the Polk County
Sheriffs Office, these four ladies par
ticipated as court members and
helped set up sanctions to several lo
cal area youths for such crimes as
burglary, curfew violation, and drug
and alcohol possession. A similar
court was held in April.
The Juvenile Sanction Court is de
signed to help wayward youth in find
ing the right direction within society
with such court ordered sanctions that
include tours of the Yamhill County
Juvenile facility, and cleaning trash
from the school yard and local areas
as decided by the court members.
Washing cars to pulling weeds to
cleaning up after the Rodeo were also
some sanctions received along with
essays detailing what the youth did
wrong and what better decisions he
or she could have made.
Sanctions ordered by this court are
alternatives to sending the children
directly to the Juvenile Court in Dal
las, OR. If the youths were sent to
Juvenile Court, a court record and
record of arrest would follow them
until they reached 18. All Sanction
Court records are retained by the Ju
venile Department. Sanction Court
is recognized by the Juvenile Court
as a legal and binding court offering
offenders and their parents a second
chance.
Records are not sent to Juvenile
Court. If sanctions are not completed
as directed by the local Juvenile Sanc
tion Court, the Juvenile Department
can then send the offender to Juve
nile Court for failure to do the or
dered sanctions. A Juvenile Court
record is then initiated.
This is a new program. Its success
can only be measured by the partici
pation received from within the com
munity. In the last court proceeding,
we did very well. Several ladies came
forward to aid the court. If there are
other community members who are
interested in helping with this youth
program, please call the Polk County
Sheriffs Office. Thank you.
Deputy Tom O'Brien
4th of July facts:
Firework Safety
Use only legal fireworks sold from
a licensed retail stand.
Have a hose or bucket of water
handy for emergencies and to douse
misfired or exhausted fireworks.
Always have an adult present when
using fireworks.
Use fireworks only outdoors
away from buildings, vehicles, dry
grass and other flammable objects.
Keep fireworks, lighters and
matches away from small children.
Never point or throw fireworks at
people, pets, cars or buildings.
Candidate Forum
coming August 1
The Election Board would like to an
nounce that there will be a Candidate
Forum held at the Tribal Community
Center on Saturday, August 1 at 11
a.m. We would like to encourage all
tribal members who have questions but
can not attend, to send their questions
in writing to the tribal offices in care
of: Valorie Sheker, Election Board,
9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand
Ronde, OR 97347. We will ask all
questions and publish results in the
August 15 edition of Smoke Signals.
Kids can get into gangs - even in small towns
By Sunny Bigby,
Community Resource Worker
W don 't live in the city. There is
no gang problem here. My kids
would never join a gang. These are
comments you may have heard or
spoken yourself. Believing this could
be a terrible mistake. Because we live
in a rural area does not mean that
your child is exempt from gang in
fluence. Gangs are everywhere, not
just in the cities. Parents of gang
members are from all walks of life
and every social level. Many gang
members come from loving caring
environments, but feel excluded for
one reason or another.
Potential gang members may have
learning difficulties, others may ex
hibit amazing organizational and lead
ership skills and may strive to be the
big duck in the little pond. Status can
be achieved in a gang situation that
the child may not feel is possible out
side the gang environment. Not all
gang members dress a certain way or
exhibit behavior that seems to be gang
related. Attitude is a strong indicator
of vulnerability of your child to gang
influence. Be aware that not all gangs
shoot and kill, there are many levels
of gang activity.
The level of violence in a gang is
determined by the strongest members
and their ability to coerce others to
go along with them.
Young people are motivated to join
gangs in search of identity or recog
nition, protection from real or imag
ined enemies, brotherhood or com
panionship, or may be intimidated by
their peers to join gang activity.
Gangs have rules a set of values, and
behavior codes; a child may be
searching for structure. Be sure your
home has structure. Make sure your
child knows the consequences of not
following the rules and follow through
with punishments or restrictions.
Physical punishment is not a deter
rent and sometimes escalates behav
ior associated with gangs.
Spend time with your child. Ask
for education in what signs to look
for. Join in community programs that
are fighting for early intervention in
schools for gang activity, band to
gether with school officials, social
workers, police and law makers and
the community as a whole to fight for
your child's life. The best defense is
to know who your child's friends
are, where they hang out, and what
kind of activities they are involved
in. Be aware of your child's needs,
concerns, interests, and maintain
open loving communication with
your youngster. Set rules and stan
dards for the child and make sure they
follow them. It's OK to be nosey,
this is your child's life; you are re
sponsible. You can not afford to turn a blind
eye or feel sure that it is just a phase
your child is going through. If you
suspect that your child my be at risk
of becoming a member of a gang,
start collecting supporting evidence;
check your child's room or places
they keep their private possessions.
Ask for professional help, CALL
your school or local youth agency.
Gangs give young people a sense of
family.
Be sure your kids feel secure in
their family ties at home. Keep chil
dren involved in positive activities,
if your child does not participate in
extra curricular activities such as
sports or school supervised clubs,
encourage himher to get an after
school job; too much leisure time can
lead to trouble.
Being an important part of some
thing is a basic human need. By pro
viding the love and acceptance your
child needs you will go a long way in
ensuring your child does not get in
volved in gangs.