GANG TIPS FOR KIDS
How Gangs Will Try to Recruit You
Gangs are always looking for recruits. Older members may hang out near your school or other places where young people go to see who they might attract. Active members who are in school are on the look out for students who may be by themselves, or who are being picked on or bullied, or who cause discipline problems.
They may offer to be friends with you or protect you. They may give you small bits of gang knowledge or history to make you curious about them and to get you to think about joining them. They may invite you to parties where there's no violence and everyone is having a good time. There may be drugs, alcohol or weapons there. They'll show off clothes, shoes, jewelry and money; things that may glamorize the lifestyle and lead you to believe that you can have those things too just by joining the gang.
What they won't tell you is what they had to do to get those things and the commitments to crime and violence they had to make. They had to rob, steal, and commit violent acts against rival gangs and innocent victims. Are you willing to make those same commitments?
Gangs are always looking for recruits. Older members may hang out near your school or other places where young people go to see who they might attract. Active members who are in school are on the look out for students who may be by themselves, or who are being picked on or bullied, or who cause discipline problems.
They may offer to be friends with you or protect you. They may give you small bits of gang knowledge or history to make you curious about them and to get you to think about joining them. They may invite you to parties where there's no violence and everyone is having a good time. There may be drugs, alcohol or weapons there. They'll show off clothes, shoes, jewelry and money; things that may glamorize the lifestyle and lead you to believe that you can have those things too just by joining the gang.
What they won't tell you is what they had to do to get those things and the commitments to crime and violence they had to make. They had to rob, steal, and commit violent acts against rival gangs and innocent victims. Are you willing to make those same commitments?
As a gang member, you may get a sense of belonging and feel like you have friendship and love. You may feel like you're part of something or that you have a family. You may feel respected, valued and protected from enemies and rivals. But cruel initiation ceremonies, violent punishments for violating gang rules, doing things you don't want to when you know they're wrong, always having to watch your back, and the possibilities for injury, incarceration, or death are the realities that you will face if join a gang. Here are a few things you can do to help from falling victim to the gang lifestyle.
- Best response is to walk away if approached by a gang member
- Do not use hand signs or gestures mimicking gang signs. This could lead to violence.
- Don't write or practice writing gang names, signs, symbols, or graffiti on your notebooks, clothes, bodies, walls, etc.
- Do not associate with gang members, associates or sympathizers
- Do not hang out on the street corners frequented by local gang members – especially in groups.
- Do not approach people in vehicles who seemingly want information – this could be a drive by shooting set up.
- Do not wear colors, clothes or attire that are gang related
- Do not use gang type slang such as Crab, Slob, etc to sound cool.
- Do not attend parties or social events known to be gang attended
- Do not hang around graffiti marked walls
So You Think You Want to Join a Gang?
Think again. Joining a gang is dangerous business that can ruin your life.
Think again. Joining a gang is dangerous business that can ruin your life.
- Young people involved in gangs are much more likely to be victims of physical violence or gun crimes.
- They are more likely to be victims of retaliation and rival gang violence than non-gang members.
- Gang involvement increases your risk of being arrested, having to go to court, being put on probation or parole, being jailed, injured, or even killed.
Other Consequences to Think About...
- You lose the trust of your family.
- You gain more enemies than friends.
- You may be feared, but you will not be respected.
- You could become a drop out limiting your future employment opportunities.
- You could become a substance abuser addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Joining a Gang Affects Your Family
- When you join a gang your family becomes involved too and you put them at risk for violence, injury or death because of your actions for the gang.
- They may live in fear - for your safety and for their own.
- They may have to relocate to protect you or pay expensive legal fees or hospital bills to take care of you if you become incarcerated or injured.
Gang Initiations
When you decide to join a gang, you have to be initiated into it. Initiations always involve some sort of physical and emotional abuse or risk for involvement with the police.
Beat - Clicked - Jumped In - An initiation where you have to fight multiple members of the gang all at once. The fights can last anywhere from seconds to several minutes and they are violent, physical beatings.
Sexed In - Some gangs initiate females by having them have sex with all the ranking members of the gang, or the members who are at the initiation.
Commit a Crime - Gangs may expect you to commit a crime to get into the gang. You could be hurt, or you may have to hurt someone else. You could also be caught, arrested, and jailed
When you decide to join a gang, you have to be initiated into it. Initiations always involve some sort of physical and emotional abuse or risk for involvement with the police.
Beat - Clicked - Jumped In - An initiation where you have to fight multiple members of the gang all at once. The fights can last anywhere from seconds to several minutes and they are violent, physical beatings.
Sexed In - Some gangs initiate females by having them have sex with all the ranking members of the gang, or the members who are at the initiation.
Commit a Crime - Gangs may expect you to commit a crime to get into the gang. You could be hurt, or you may have to hurt someone else. You could also be caught, arrested, and jailed
Other things you should know:
- You have to study and memorize the gang knowledge or face punishments.
- You have to follow all their rules.
- You always have to represent the gang, putting you at risk for attacks by rivals.
- You always have to do what the leaders tell you to.
- The gang will turn on you if they feel they can't trust you, or if another gang member wants to take your place, or if they just don't like you anymore.
- They'll say that they will but they won't pay your bills if you wind up in the hospital or need a lawyer. They won't take care of your family or your kids. They won't visit you in jail or send you money. They'll just cut you loose because you're of no use to them anymore.
You can walk away from gangs
For most gang members, the gang they belong to meets some kind of need in their life: for safety, love, excitement or money. When a gang member learns that he or she can meet these needs in other ways, the gang may lose its appeal, and this person may decide to walk away from the gang life. However, being a gang member is far more dangerous than the typical dangers faced by most of today’s teenagers. For that reason, the issue for many gang members is not if they will decide to stop being a gang member. The issue is whether they will live long enough to make that decision.
For most gang members, the gang they belong to meets some kind of need in their life: for safety, love, excitement or money. When a gang member learns that he or she can meet these needs in other ways, the gang may lose its appeal, and this person may decide to walk away from the gang life. However, being a gang member is far more dangerous than the typical dangers faced by most of today’s teenagers. For that reason, the issue for many gang members is not if they will decide to stop being a gang member. The issue is whether they will live long enough to make that decision.
Make a plan for getting out:
When a gang member decides that they want to leave the gang, there are a few simple steps they can follow:
Never tell the gang that you plan to leave. You may be beaten or even killed
When a gang member decides that they want to leave the gang, there are a few simple steps they can follow:
Never tell the gang that you plan to leave. You may be beaten or even killed
- Begin spending your time doing other things. Instead of spending time hanging out with your gang friends, find something else to do during that time. Look around. There are possibilities everywhere: sports, recreation centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, arts programs, drama, school activities, and even spending more time with your family.
- Try to stop looking like a gang member. For many gang members, dressing down makes them feel safe because other people are afraid of the way they look. As you begin to believe in yourself, you will find that you don’t need to make other people feel afraid in order to feel good about yourself. Stop wearing the clothes that you think have a gang meaning.
- Find other things to say, other things to do, and other people to do them with. Stop hanging out with gang members, talking like a gang member, and acting like a gang member. Hint: this is much easier to do when you stop dressing like a gang member.
- Get good at making excuses. Your parents can probably help you with this, but if not, try asking a teacher for help and maybe just an older friend. Some former gang members have said that when they started trying to leave the gang, they stopped taking phone calls from their gang friends or had their family members tell friends from the gang that they were busy or involved in some other activity.
- Find people who will support you and believe in you.
Getting out of a gang isn’t easy, but it can be done. Young people across America make the decision to have a better life every day. Find people, especially adults, who think that you are special and will keep telling you that. In your mind, think of a supportive adult wherever you go (school, neighborhood, recreation center) that you can touch base with if you have a problem or need to talk. Then use the people to help support you as you change with good advice and assistance.
Finally, begin believing in your power to change. Gangs are a dead-end street. No matter whom you are, what you have done, or where you live, you deserve better.
Finally, begin believing in your power to change. Gangs are a dead-end street. No matter whom you are, what you have done, or where you live, you deserve better.
