GANG VIOLENCE AND PALM BEACH COUNTY

Transcription

1 TEQUESTA 357 Tequesta Drive Tequesta, FL (561) CONTINUED PALM BEACH COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 215 N. Olive Ave, Suite 118 (561) GANG VIOLENCE AND PALM BEACH COUNTY WEST PALM BEACH 600 Banyan Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL (561) CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY PO box 6245 West Palm Beach, FL (561) DATA (Drug Abuse Treatment Association) 1016 Clemons St, Suite 200 Jupiter, FL (561) CRIME STOPPERS Anonymous TIPS (800) 458-TIPS (8477) AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE ON GANGS Add your agency information here Palm Beach County Crime Prevention Officers Association, Inc. PO Box West Palm Beach, FL (561)

2 AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES Disclaimer The information in this document was compiled to enlighten parents, teachers and community members concerned with the growing influence of gangs among school aged children today. The signs and symbols discussed in the document have their roots in gangs, which originated outside the State of Florida. These gangs have transplanted to Florida by the migration of families from areas such as Chicago, Los Angles and New York. Other influences have stemmed from glorification of the gang life style by the entertainment community. This guide was developed by the Palm Beach County Crime Prevention Officers Association, Inc. using various informational resources from the state of Florida. Some information in this guide may only be current up to the date of printing. You are encouraged to contact your local law enforcement agency or school resource officer for information specific to your area. The Palm Beach County Crime Prevention Officers Association, Inc. makes no guarantee of results and assumes no liability in connection with the information contained herein. It is not our intention to encourage persecution of any single person, group, organization or religion that is free to express themselves under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This text should be used only as a guide and not as a sole source of information of all gang symbols and practices. The purpose of this guide is to educate and enlighten parents, teachers and the community and we herby disclaim responsibility or liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained herein. ATLANTIS 260 Orange Tree Drive Atlantis, FL (561) BOCA RATON 100 NW 2 nd Avenue Boca Raton, FL (561) BOYNTON BEACH 100 E. Boynton Beach Blvd Boynton Beach, FL (561) DELRAY BEACH 300 W. Atlantic Avenue Delray Beach, FL (561) GREENACRES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 2995 Jog Road Greenacres, FL (561) JUNO BEACH 340 Ocean Drive Juno Beach, FL (561) JUPITER 210 Military Trail Jupiter, FL (561) LAKE CLARKE SHORES POLICE DEPARTMENT1701 Barbados Road Lake Clarke Shores, FL (561) LAKE WORTH 120 North G Street Lake Worth, FL (561) LANTANA 500 Greynolds Circle Lantana, FL (561) MANALAPAN 600 South Ocean Blvd. Manalapan, FL (561) NORTH PALM BEACH 560 US #1 North Palm Beach, FL (561) PALM BEACH 345 S. County Road Palm Beach, FL (561) PALM BEACH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD POLICE 3330 Forest Hill Blvd., Ste B-127 West Palm Beach, FL (561) PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE 3228 Gun Club Road West Palm Beach, FL (561) PALM BEACH GARDENS N. Military Trail Palm Beach Gardens, FL (561) RIVIERA BEACH 600 W. Blue Heron Blvd. Riviera Beach, FL (561) SOUTH PALM BEACH 3577 South Ocean Blvd South Palm Beach, FL (561)

3 1. Is there graffiti in or near your neighborhood or community? (5) 2. Is the graffiti crossed out? (10) 3. Do the young people in your community wear colors, jewelry, clothing, flash hand signs, or display other behaviors that may be gang related? (10) 4. Are drugs available in or near your community? (10) 5. Has there been a significant increase in the number of physical confrontations within the past 12 months in or near your community? (5) 6. Is there an increasing presence of weapons in your community?(5) 7. Are beepers, pagers, or cellular phones used by the young people in your community? (10) 8. Has there been a drive-by shooting in or around your community? (15) 9. Have you had a "show-by" display of weapons in or around your community? (10) 10. Is the truancy rate and/or daytime burglaries in your community increasing? (5) 11. Have racial incidents increased in your community? (5) 12. Is there a history of gangs in your community? (10) 13. Is there an increasing presence of "informal social groups" with the unusual names that have words like: kings, disciples, queens, posse, crew? (15) Add up your score: GANG ASSESSMENT TOOL 0-20 points = No Problem points = Emerging Problems points = You Have Problems 70 + points = There Are Serious Problems At 50+ points a need exists to develop a gang prevention and intervention program. HISTORY OF GANGS In early America, people from the same race or ethnic background often socialized or lived together in gangs for protection or even companionship. Today, gangs are involved in criminal activity to gain respect, money or a reputation. Gangs are anti-social, and loosely organized groups that usually consist of individuals between the ages of eleven to twenty four. They frequent a specific territory, wear similar clothes, share mannerisms, speech and hand signs, and engage in criminal activity. The criminal activities gangs are involved in, usually ranges from graffiti to drug dealing, committing burglaries, assaults, and even murder. Gangs affect all ethnic groups, economic classes and neighborhoods. The 2002 National Youth Gang survey estimates that there were approximately 731,500 gang members and 21,500 gangs in the United States. Overall, 87% percent of cities with a population between 100,000 to 249,999 reported youth gang problems. As gangs migrate, they bring with them the violence, intimidation, and crime associated with their lifestyle. Gangs have become a problem not only for law enforcement, but for parents, educators, youth, and concerned community members as well. Gang flashing signs

4 WHO BECOMES MEMBERS Gangs feed on children who are confused, lonely and troubled. They target kids who are poor, abused, neglected, have too much unstructured time and lack adult supervision. Other kid s who fall prey feel that they don't fit in, are angry or frustrated, looking for support and someone to listen to them. Gangs draw them in by treating them with respect, making them feel a part of the group, flaunting money, drugs and girls. A strong support system at home is necessary for children to resist the offer of friendship and a sense of belonging that a gang offers. If positive outlets do not provide a strong support system, it is more likely that these basic human needs will be sought from a negative environment. Gangs treat them with respect, make them part of the crowd and flaunt money, drugs, girls. Children need a strong support system at home. If their home does not provide this support, they will often seek it from a negative environment. PRICE OF JOINING Most gangs initiate new male members by beating them in to the gang. This usually consists of several members of the gang punching and hitting the new member. Females who become members of a gang may be beat in or sexed in. This involves several of the male members gang raping the female. Once new members are beat or sexed in, they begin to gain a feeling of respect and love. Loyalty and allegiance strays from family members and is now focused on the gang. The gangs turf is what they defend the most. This could mean they defend street corners, shopping malls, schools or other locations and they protect it from rival gang members and other people. Young gang members are manipulated by the older gang leaders. They offer love and support to the children and a sense of belonging. In exchange they are asked to commit serious crimes. Gangs use children because if caught and arrested they will be released in a short period of time, and consequences will be less severe than those imposed on an adult. Q: Should I search my child s room? A: You own the house! You pay the bills! Often parents ask police to assist them in searching the room. If you suspect your sons or daughter is involved with gangs, or drugs, search their rooms. Q: When should a parent begin to take steps to combat the gang problem? A: NOW! Some parents, either through ignorance or denial, find out their son or daughter is in a gang when they get a phone call from a law enforcement agency, hospital or the morgue. A child s decision to join a gang does not happen overnight. Parents need to look, listen and turn their awareness up a notch. Pay close attention to what your child is wearing, who they are associating with, and recognize overall change in attitude towards you or life in general. Listen to your child, and especially to what others say. Is your child listening to gangster rap? As painful as it might be, listen to the music your child listens to. At least look at the CD label and research the lyrics. Many parents turn a deaf ear or bristle when they hear from neighbors, other parents and school personnel that their child may be in a gang. Your child may behave one way in your presence, and totally hide gang life and different behavior displayed outside the home. Solicit help from others, and take control, it must be done.

5 Q: I m a single parent and have to work full time. How can I keep my children away from gangs? A: Involve your children in activities both at school and away from school such as joining clubs, and sports teams. Children with to much unstructured time on their hands are prime recruitment targets for gangs. Look to extended family for assistance. Grandparents, uncles, aunts and older cousins can all help provide structured time for your child. Although extended family is and important part of a child s support network it can not replace the valuable time a parent spends with their child. A single parent may also try to obtain help from co-workers, church members, neighbors and local community organizations such as Police Athletic Leagues, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers/Sisters, Scouting, YMCA s and YWCA s, Park District programs, youth centers and others. Call or visit these places with your child as soon as possible. The younger they get involved the better. Q: Is gang graffiti just meaningless scribble or is it a type of art? A: It is neither. While some graffiti has elements of artistic flair, it serves as a gang advertisement or newspaper. Graffiti not only marks a territory a gang has claimed; it also serves as a warning and challenge to other gangs. Graffiti, depending how it is written, can also honor a fallen comrade (usually with a tombstone or RIP), list the street names of gang members and show opposition and disrespect for another gang. Gang graffiti should be reported to the local law enforcement agency. Law enforcement may wish to photograph and investigate the graffiti to determine which gang or gangs are operating in the area. Graffiti removal should NEVER be done alone individual. Gangs have been known to retaliate against individuals painting over their graffiti. It bears repeating, there is safety in numbers. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILDREN Children and teens who interact well with their peers and find friendship in positive outlets are less likely to join gangs. The following tips will help a parent or guardian teach their children self confidence, self respect and how to respect others. Honest Communication - Teach children to express feelings such as anger, joy, love, and fear. They must believe it's okay for them to do so without fear of being teased or punished. Since children learn by example, adults must also express feelings honestly. In addition, adults must practice good listening skills. This helps teach your children to be good listeners, too. Cooperation - Teach children to cooperate, negotiate, and respect the opinions of others. Having them imagine themselves in another persons shoes will help them learn about negotiation and compromise. Practice by have them negotiate and compromise simple choices such as what to watch on TV or what to eat for dinner. Praise your children for cooperating, especially when they don't get what they want. Personal Responsibility - Teach children to be responsible for their actions. Give them family jobs for which they are responsible. Make sure they are able to handle the tasks, and gradually increase their responsibilities. Let them know that even if they don't get it right at first, what counts is that they are trying hard and learning from the experience. Decision Making - Instead of being a problem solver for your children, enable them to make their own decisions. Help them to think about their choices and the possible solutions for to a problem. Then teach them how to evaluate the consequences for each possible choice. Unconditional Love - Love children for who they are, regardless of how well they do in school, sports, or other activities. Should you become angry or disappointed, assure them that you are angry or disappointed in their behavior or actions but that you still love and respect them. Help them learn they can feel angry at someone and still love them.

6 WARNING SIGNS If a child joins a gang most often there will be gradual but recognizable behavioral changes in both behavior and appearance. Listed below are some possible warning signs. Behavioral: Falling grades and skipping school Having large sums of unexplained money Displaying angry, moody, hostile or intimidating attitudes Sneaking out of the house and staying out late Stealing Using alcohol and or drugs Wearing expensive jewelry, clothes and or shoes Has a My Space account Uses a cell phone or using text messaging frequently Has a Facebook or You Tube account Physical: Talking slang, using hand signs and signals to communicate Wearing cloths, caps, jewelry in the same colors of friends Collecting and or carrying weapons (baseball bats, knives, pipes or any other item which can be used as a weapon) Drawing graffiti in bedroom, school books, backpacks or on personal items Parents must take notice in their children and identify those changes that are need for concern. Physical appearance, friendships, behavior and changes in attitude are just a few things to pay attention to. Check your children s computer or cell phone bill occasionally. Q: Are gangs just made up of kids and teenagers? A: Surprisingly, juveniles under the age of 18 make up only a small percentage of a gang s membership. Many hard-core and associate gang members are individuals in their twenties, and may have been incarcerated either in the local jails, state prison or both. The older member s recruit children to do many of the gang s illegal activities. They know that if kids get caught committing a crime, they will usually receive a lighter sentence than adults will. In some parts of the country, particularly in economically depressed areas and where jobs are scarce, gang members are sometimes joining for the first time in their 20 s for financial reasons. Q: Who runs these gangs? A: Many gangs are run by incarcerated adult gang leaders. For example, the notorious Chicago - based Gangsters Disciples number over 25,000 members, yet they are governed by one man, Larry Hoover, from his jail cell while he serves a 150 to 200 year prison term. Many of these leaders give orders to local area coordinators, or generals, as they are sometimes called. Smaller gangs are more loosely knit, and leadership can take the form of several individuals who specialize in certain areas such as fighting, drug sales, weapons procurement, etc. Q: What should schools do to combat the gang problem? A: Meet the problem head-on and adopt a zero-tolerance approach. Principals, administrators and teachers should determine how much gang activity their school has and then take steps towards abatement. Many schools have policies to address some gang related issues such as dress codes banning specific clothing apparel, rules banning pagers and cell phones, restricting vehicle and pedestrian traffic on campuses, and instituting a closed campus environment. School must partner with parents and local law enforcement officials to locate and utilize resources to battle the problem and help as many resources as they can to battle the problem and help save these kids.

7 Q: Are gangs just made up of Blacks and Hispanics from the inner city? A: Gangs cut across all ethnic and racial lines. It s true that the majority of gangs are made up of these two groups; however, there are a growing number of white adolescents who are either joining minority gangs or forming their own. These white adolescent gangs copy many of the same characteristics as minority gangs, such as clothing style, hand signs, colors, symbols and graffiti. They have also adopted that same type of crimes: selling drugs, extortion and drive-by shootings to name a few. Larger city gangs migrate to smaller suburban towns to spread their drug trade and look for prospective members. SIGNS OF A GANG IN THE COMMUNITY The first sign of an organized gang in the community is graffiti. Graffiti is usually spray painted on the walls of that gangs turf. It is used as a bulletin board for gang members to communicate with rival gangs, mark their territory, brag about their actions or pending plans, and to show disrespect and or honor a fallen hero. Q: Are there any girl gangs? A: Yes. In March of 2006 Newsweek National News reported that there are over 700,000 gang members in the United Stated and 10% to 15% of them are females. Although many female gangs serve as auxiliaries to male gangs, there has been a surge of female gangs that operate on their own. Because female gang members believe they must prove themselves to their male counterparts, they will use extreme violence against other female gangs or, in some rare instances, against male gangs. Female gangs are to be considered as dangerous as male gangs. Q: There seems to be a lot of gang activity coming from my neighbor s house and around the neighborhood. What should I do? A: If there is not a neighborhood watch in your area, consider establishing one. Neighbors who organize themselves to rid their streets of gangs are more successful than individuals who try to go it alone. There is safety and strength in numbers gangs use this concept, and with the assistance and direction of law enforcement, neighborhoods can begin to address gang activity in effective ways if they work together. Check with your local law enforcement agency to set up a neighborhood watch program in your area. Gang graffiti reveals information about the size of a gang, it s members, and turf they claim. Graffiti should be reported, photographed, and removed. Gang Graffiti and graffiti gangs (taggers) are not the same. Taggers use their artistic talents to gain respect. They consider their graffiti as art and want to protect it. Taggers do present the problem of creating damage to public and private property however, they usually do not get involved in other criminal activity.

8 Hand sign, Gang tattoo, and Graffiti of the MS 13 Gang FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: I think my son / daughter is in a gang. How can I be sure? A: Ask them. Your son or daughter may come right out and admit to being in a gang. Otherwise there are a number of identifiers and clues to determine possible gang involvement. Some of these include: Graffiti of Sureno Gang (SUR) 13 Gang slang being used in everyday conversation. Excessive amounts of clothes in two color combinations, or refusing to wear clothing of a certain color combination. Wearing gold or silver pendants and rings in the shape of dollar signs, automatic guns and crowns. Secrecy and or your child refusing to tell you where they are going or with whom. Having large unexplainable amounts of money. Referring to friends only by nickname, and not wanting you to meet their new friends. Gang graffiti on books, clothing, backpacks or on the inside brim of a hat. Their book bags are an excellent billboard for them. A sudden drop in school performance. A new and increasingly hostile attitude toward your authority and that of others. Q: My child admits to being in a gang. What do I do now? Hand signs of the Latin King s gang A: Under no terms should you tolerate gang language, clothing or friends in your home. Adopt a zero tolerance approach. Stand Firm. Tell them that you love them but that you do not approve and express your disappointment. Voice the dangers of what gang life offers, getting hurt or killed, arrested and sent to prison. Ask them if they want to leave the gang. KEEP ASKING. Leave the lines of communication open. Be supportive and available, but again, stand firm.

9 The graph below presents a comparison of the number of males vs. females arrested for crimes involving a firearm.. MORE SIGNS Offenders of violent crime committed with firearm by gender 1741 MALES In comparison to females, males account for the vast majority of violent crimes involving firearms in Palm Beach County. Of 1,861 people arrested for violent crimes with a firearm between the years , only 120 arrestees were female. 120 FEMALES The purpose of graffiti is typically to deliver a message. In the photo below, N.T.G. is the symbol for Nine Trey Gangsters. This was one of the eight original Blood gangs formed by the United Blood Nation, which was really a Riker s Island prison gang mimicking the Bloods street gangs in Los Angeles, California. CK is a symbol for Crip Killers, and the crab is a symbol of disrespect to the Crips. The X over the crab is being crossed out indicates gang rivalry. Explanations of this message are easily interpreted. The Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission compiled these facts from a variety of sources. The Palm Beach County Law Enforcement Agency Data, Palm Beach County Medical Examine Data, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Arrest Data, Uniform Crime Reporting Data and Demographic Data. Blood s gang sign

10 WHO TO CONTACT FOR HELP Gang activity and criminal acts of any kind should be reported to your local city police departments or the Palm Beach County Sheriff s Office. Developing police/community partnerships is a step towards eradicating gangs in Palm Beach County neighborhoods. Through your local police or sheriff you may learn of many community resources available in and around Palm Beach County to assist families and children in need of services. The phone number is also a very valuable resource. It provides teens with a hotline that helps guide them to a helping hand. Building Police / Community Partnerships! RECENT STUDIES In March of 2006 the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission initiated a county wide youth violence prevention project. As part of this project, violent crime in Palm Beach County was analyzed, and studies were conducted on violent crime in reduction strategies being utilized in the country The graph below depicts the age groups are most involved in firearm-related violent crimes in Palm Beach County Violent Crime Committed with a firearm by age group Age > From the graph you may conclude that age is a major factor related to gun violence. The vast majority of violent crimes committed by young people age This age group is accountable for over 68% of all arrests who committed a violent crime with a firearm between the years