Gangs, guns, and school violence - The Young Desperadoes - Cover Story

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Jan, 1994 by Ronald D. Stephens

Graffiti control. Graffiti is more than just an eyesore. It encourages violence, and writing it is against the law. Gangs use graffiti to mark their territory, advertise their existence, or claim "credit" for a crime. For many gangs, the act of marking graffiti on a wall is a direct challenge to rivals to fight. There is no greater humiliation for a gang than having its symbols degraded by rivals. Writing the graffiti of opponents upside-down, marking over it, or similar written taunts have incited several fights. Flaunting one's territorial authority through graffiti has caused many homicides.

Removing graffiti as soon as possible discourages kids from writing it and keeps the intended messages from being transmitted or interpreted by others. Since most gangs use graffiti to stake a claim to territory, removing their "mark" invalidates that claim. The greatest success in limiting gang activities occurs when graffiti is removed from schools or other community facilities shortly after it appears. Read, record, and remove are the three R's for controlling graffiti.

A comprehensive gang prevention / intervention program is critical to address gang problems effectively in school. Model strategies that rely on a combination of community partnerships, school staff training, and student counseling, as well as special staff appointments to enforce rules, will assist in creating a safe school climate. Implementation requires that a school's curriculum and level of instruction are effective, it has a well-defined and enforced citizenship policy, regulations are communicated regularly to students and parents, and a comprehensive daily supervision schedule is in place.

Extracurricular activities

Included in this plan should be a variety of extracurricular activities. Offering sports, drama, music, and other programs will provide recreational activity as well as develop a sense of self-worth and self-respect in young people. Youths involved in worthwhile extracurricular programs are less likely to seek reassurance from gang membership. Referring students to work experience and employment opportunities presents another effective alternative to gang participation.

As students receive positive reinforcement for acceptable behavior and develop a more positive self-image, attitudes, behavior, and style of dress will improve. The gang-oriented student will rely less on the gang and more on school as a source of building self-esteem. Effecting these changes takes a real investment of time for school staff, but it pays big dividends in helping socialize gang members and creating a positive school environment.

Community partnerships. Investigate community gang intervention programs that could benefit the school. Establish school-based initiatives that combine gang and drug prevention lessons taught jointly by teachers and law enforcement personnel at school sites. Former gang members also can be used as community street workers to interact with gang members in many model intervention programs. Mobile units with two-way radios advise intervention teams of gang disputes. In addition, confidential hot lines allow individuals to remain anonymous while reporting gang rumors, crimes, fights, and other activities. Because most gang codes require retribution, it is especially important to protect sources and witnesses.