Best Practices in Gang Prevention

PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH A PLACE TO BELONG & FEEL LOVED Provide students with opportunities to create a welcoming environment Create mentoring opportunities and provide positive role models Create opportunities to develop relationships between adults & students BUILDING STUDENTS’ SELF ESTEEM 1) Establish a Student Council: Develops leadership skills & promotes students as positive role models Recognizes value of youth; Respects their ideas & input; Pays attention to their feelings; Gives positive recognition DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ SELF CONCEPT 2) Teach youth their own history & celebrate their culture (ex: Hispanic Heritage Month activities) 3) Teach Male & Female Responsibility 4) Refer families to counseling & parenting 5) Provide substance abuse education/ prevention programs GUIDE STUDENTS IN THE DISCOVERY OF THEIR TRUE SELVES Create “Rites of passage” ceremonies Teach & give responsibilities to youth Give youth an opportunity to examine & develop own values & make good choices Community service projects After-school activities to develop talents: arts, sports, writing, acting, science DHDC’s School-Based Programs Staff are assigned full-time to schools to provide: Gang mediation Truancy prevention Monitoring students going to and from school, lunch room, hall ways In-school suspension Work with parents Provide communication between streets, schools, community and law enforcement Connect students to other programs and resources DHDC’s After-School Programs Program elements: Safe Haven for youth ages 6 -19 after school & summer Life Skills – gang, substance abuse, HIV, and drop-out prevention Male & female responsibility (relationships) Counseling – Individual, Group & Family Parenting Urban Arts - multi-media and technology Entrepreneurial Training Leadership Academy Terminology Nation: A nation is a group of gangs that come together as one group. Example: USA is a nation but is made up of a lot of states that make up the whole nation (the gangs are the states) There are three nations that are common in Midwest Cities: People, Folks, and Family Sets: Sets are smaller cliques within a gang that are usually, but not always, organized by location. Flake – traitor, someone who has switched from one gang to another V-ed in – initiation into gang by beating – “jumped in” in other parts of country Sexed in – girls’ initiation involving having sex with gang leaders and anyone else they say Catching a “v” – violation of rules, resulting in a beating or other punishment Insanes – hit men, enforcers, craziest members willing to do anything (may be “Insane” set of gang) Throw-aways – younger gang members that are considered “dispensable”, sent when high chance of death or arrest Gangster for Life – member with rank OG – Original Gangster Shorties, Babies – younger gang members, usually elementary and middle school age Crabs – what People call folks Slobs – what Folks call people Interpreting Graffiti Graffiti is used as a “billboard” to send a message, mark territory, put out a “hit”, disrespect a rival gang or as a memorial to someone that’s been killed. Graffiti that has been crossed out or painted over is a sign of disrespect done by rival gangs to their enemies. Gang members will tag over their enemies’ signs using the backwards letter K which stands for “killer”, or 187 which means “homicide”. Rival gang members will draw half a gang sign, draw a cracked line through it, or draw a sign upside down to disrespect their enemies. People Nation Some gangs under the People Nation are: Latin Kings, Latin Counts, Vicelords, Spanish Lords, El Rukns, Black P Stones People Nation (will sometimes refer to a fellow gang member as people example: what's up people) Colors: red, gold and black Dress: Represents “bangs” their apparel to the left - hat to the left, left paint leg up, left shirt sleeve up, slit in their left eyebrow, red rag on the left side Signs- Five point star or the number 5, pitch fork down (5 points = a wise guy can lie, cheat, steal, kill, or do any damn thing he wants to) Five over the hart stands for the points of the star Left sleeve pulled up Hat to left side, can also be backwards and to the left Left paint leg up Folks Some gangs under the Folk Nation are: Gangster Disciples (GD’s), Black Gangster Disciples, Spanish Gangster Disciples, D-Kings, Imperial Gangsters, La Raza, Spanish Cobras, Latin Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples Fellow gang members will some times refer to another member as Folk. example: What’s up Folk. Colors: blue, green and black Dress- Represents “bangs” their apparel to the right, hat to the right, right pant leg up, rag on right side, slit in right eyebrow. Signs- Six point star, the number 6, pitch fork up, crown, sword Six Point Star Right sleeve up Right paint leg up Hat to the right, rag on right side.

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