KeepingKeeping OurOur ChildrenChildren OutOut ofof GangsGangs Presented by Dr. Anthony Hutchinson CC, GA, BSc, BSW, MSW, RSW, PhD

The Many Faces of Childhood Well-Being: The Tween Years Jubilee Ballroom, Radisson Hotel Edmonton South 4440 Gateway Boulevard, Edmonton (9:35am to 10:05am - November 23, 2010)

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com I. Background/Context of Presentation: “Our Children in the Crossfire”

II. Overview of Children/Youth in Gangs

III. Do Gangs Entice/Lure Children? If So, How?

IV. Which Children are Most “At-Risk”?

V. Gang Prevention 101: “What Can a Parent Do?”

VI. Questions and Answers ObjectivesObjectives ofof PresentationPresentation

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 2 PartPart II:: OurOur ChildrenChildren……

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 3 2008: Asia Saddleback, Hobema  Shot while having lunch in her kitchen. Age 2.

2007: Ephraim Brown,  Shot at a family birthday party – aged 11.

2007: Jordan Manners, Toronto  Jordan Manners. Age 15.

2005: Jane Creba, Toronto  Boxing Day shooting. Young girl aged 15.

1999: Brianna Davy, Toronto  In a car with her father at a playground. Age 3.

…… inin thethe CrossfireCrossfire

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 4 “That could have been my child”… ParentsParents’’ ResponseResponse

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 5  Rare for an innocent child or youth to be shot or killed in a gang shooting.

 More common: For children to get lured into a gang as early as 6, 7 or 8 years old.

TheThe RealityReality

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 6  Difference Between Gangs and Other Groups

 Definition of a Gang/Gang Member

 Number of Gangs/Gang Members in

 Who are in Gangs/ Demographics of Gang Involvement in Canada

PartPart IIII:: AnAn OverviewOverview ofof Children/Children/ YouthYouth inin GangsGangs

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 7  Violence and intimidation  Colors/ clothing  An organized or informal group  (Secret) codes and hand signals  Hazing, rituals and facial expressions  Competition  Blood  Mostly young males  Weapons  Lots of money  Sex(uality)

GroupsGroups v.s.v.s. GangsGangs

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 8 AreAre anyany ofof thesethese gangs?gangs?

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 9 HandHand signals:signals: DefinitelyDefinitely aa gang?gang?

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 10  A group of 3 or more people who are formally or informally organized to pursue some form of criminal activity: self-identify; identified by police; or, identified by research.

 Not applied equally: low-income neighbourhoods v.s. suburban areas (i.e., Sherwood Park or Burlington)

DefinitionDefinition ofof Gang/GangGang/Gang MemberMember

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 11  A Moving Target

GangGang NumbersNumbers AcrossAcross CanadaCanada

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 12  USA has 10x the population of Canada (300MM to 30MM)

 USA has 2x number of gang impacted areas (Canada has 2x the land mass)

 There 50x more gangs in USA than Canada

 There are 100x more gang members in USA than Canada

 Population Density of Gang Members is USA is 11x higher than in Canada (2.75 per 1,000 compared to 0.24 per 1,000)

CanadianCanadian versusversus USUS ExperienceExperience

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 13  434 gangs across Canada with about 7,000 members in 2002 (now possibly 10,000 to 12,000 members?)

 94% are male but in B.C. 12% are female, 10% in and 9% in Saskatchewan.

 48% are under age 18  39% are between 16 and 18.  9% are under age 16.

 25% African-Canadian/ 21% First Nations/ 18% Caucasian

: 216 gangs/ 3,320 members  Saskatchewan: 28 gangs/ 1,315 members  : 102 gangs/ 1,027 members

Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs (2002) Source: National Crime Prevention Centre(2008). Online at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007-yg-1-eng.aspx

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 14  6 percent of high school students reported being a current gang member; 5 percent said they were a former gang member

 82 percent of Canadian gangs members are male; 8 percent female

 70 percent were born in Canada

 23 percent come from two-parent families; 61 percent from single-parent families

 37 percent are white, 41 percent are black, 7 percent are First Nation, 3 percent are Asian and 3 percent are South Asian

 14 is the mean age for first gang involvement, 10 was the minimum age of gang members interviewed

Centre for Criminology, University of Toronto Wortley, 2004). Online at: http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/tvoparents/index.cfm?page_id=483&event_id=1931

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 15  Youth gangs are not just an urban phenomenon. They are active across the country in both large and small communities (RCMP, 2006).

 Crosses low-income to high income strata

 Crosses race and ethnicity

 Crosses gender

 Generally, ages 6 to 28 (but beyond)

 Cross religious and non-religious spectrums ImportantImportant PointsPoints

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 16 GangGang MembersMembers CanCan LookLook LikeLike AnyoneAnyone

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 17  As young as age 6

 Playground recruitment

 Money, candy, sense of family/love, identity, promises, manipulation, sex, concert tickets, music, rebellion against parents, excitement, fantasy

PartPart IIIIII:: DoDo GangsGangs Entice/LureEntice/Lure Children?Children? IfIf So,So, How?How?

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 18 MaslowMaslow’’ss HierarchyHierarchy ofof NeedsNeeds

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 19 EriksonErikson’’ss StagesStages ofof DevelopmentDevelopment

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 20 ALL children in our society are “at-risk” by the virtue that they are:

 Impressionable  Need love  Need acceptance  Need friendship  Need security  Need identity  Want money: “Choice”/ “Opportunity”

PartPart IVIV:: WhichWhich ChildrenChildren areare MostMost ““AtAt--RiskRisk””??

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 21  Identity  Bored  Barriers to sports and recreation  Family problems/ family breakdown  Fantasy/ romantic views of gang life  Money, choice, opportunities, video games  Media influences  Love, acceptance, intimacy, security, sex  Just because… limited cognitive processing/ maturation (brain injury?)

KidsKids joinjoin gangsgangs becausebecause……

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 22  Prevention is Better than Cure

 What Can a Parent Look for as Signs of Gang Involvement?

 Good News: “Stages of Gang Involvement”

 What Can a Parent Do If They Suspect a Gang is Trying to Lure Their Child or That Their Child is Involved in Gang Activity?

PartPart VV:: GangGang PreventionPrevention 101101

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 23  Communication means “COMMUNICATION”

 Love and affection

 Know your children’s friends

 Know where your children are and with who

 Talk about gangs with your children: Address myths and realities

 Support positive opportunities for your children: employment (resumes)/ sports and recreation/ faith involvement/ family time

 Everything begins at home PreventionPrevention isis BetterBetter thanthan CureCure

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 24  A = affect / depression, anxiety & paranoia  B = behavior/ staying out late & evasive  C = cognitive / attitude & thinking

 A lot of kids “wear” their emotions, “express” their behaviors, “show” their thoughts: They are still DEVELOPING – often do not hide well… NOT “covert operatives”

 Drugs and cash in pockets and closets  Guns and weapons under the beds and pillows  Explicit verbal expressions and hand signs SignsSigns ofof GangGang InvolvementInvolvement

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 25  Clothing styles and colours  Language and hands signs  Media choices: music, movies, TV shows  Absence from homes and wake-sleep cycles  “Friends” and peer choices/backgrounds  Performance in school  Behavior: isolation/ secrecy from family  Drug use and/or paraphernalia  Wads of cash in pockets  Mental health status: depression/anxiety/mTBI

KEY: OBSERVATION & LOVING COMMUNICATION

SpecificSpecific SignsSigns

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 26 Stages of Gang Involvement

“Fantasy” stage “At-Risk” Stage “Hardcore” Stage (Const. Scott Mills, )

Successful intervention can occur in first two stages: 80% to 90% of all children and youth

GoodGood News!News!

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 27 Resources

Canada:  http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007 -yg-1-eng.aspx

Calgary:  http://www.getalife.ca/

 http://people.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Youth_G ang_Report.pdf

Edmonton:  http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/CommunityPolicing/O rganizedCrime/Gangs/CommunitiesvsGangs.aspx

SupportSupport forfor ParentsParents andand Kids:Kids: 11

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 28 Resources

Vancouver:  http://vancouver.ca/police/media/2010/report- gang_report.pdf

Manitoba:  http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/safe/gangproof/gangh andbook2004.pdf

Toronto:  www.notogangs.org

Nova Scotia:  http://www.gov.ns.ca/just/publications/documents/G angPrevention.pdf SupportSupport forfor ParentsParents andand Kids:Kids: 22

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 29 For more information please contact: Dr. Anthony Hutchinson CC, GA, BSc, BSW, MSW, RSW, PhD

Email: [email protected]

Online at: www.dranthonyhutchinson.com

QuestionsQuestions andand AnswersAnswers

www.dranthonyhutchinson.com 30