Made in America - Solve Gang Violence

I am a teacher and what I have learned about gangs, was so sad and shocking, that I formed an organization called KeepingKidsOutOfGangs.(We are on myspace.)
I met a former gang member, who is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of gang violence. He is only 25 years old and was shot at the age of 21.
His life was forever changed and he deeply regrets his decision at age 13 to become a gang member.
The 3 best ways to help are:
1~Get involved with children who are at a high risk for joining gangs.
2~Do not glorify the "gangster life" in any way!
3~This is for parents~ Statistics show that most gang members come from homes where there is little parental love and guidance.
Most of the young people who join gangs are looking for a place to belong and really have almost no idea what they are getting into. So please take time to love, listen & pay attention to your children.
This is a difficult task to end the violence, but together, I know we can do it!  (see more)

A lot of you dont know this but I was actually the founder of a very powerful gang that terrorized people to get what they wanted. This gang wasnt exactly like the ones you see on tv (ex:bloods, crips) but we were just as troublesome.
This time i spent "gangbanging" made me come to the realization that gangs will always be around. There's no doubt that there are strength in numbers and as long as you are in a competitive environment where everybody has to scrape to get by, people will bind together for acceptance and teamwork to make their lives easier to live.
The only way I see to combat gang violence is with the children/peewees. If they are shown love, patience and acceptance at an early age then nobody would have this "Me against the world" mentality and would actually turn out to be half decent human beings.
I thank my lucky stars everyday that I had the strength and guidance to walk away from Men Fatale and the gang life. Who knows where I would be today if i didnt. (see more)

It must start from the bottom, making sure children at a young age get involved with the communtity! Also make sure children are enrolled in numerous neighborhood activities, keeping them off the streets. I know saying focusing on children might sound weird, however they are the next potentional gang members if they do not enroll themselves into positive areas. Gang Violence cannot continue without new recruits and new people. The hardest part is knowing who currently is in a gang, some people are very well at hiding that, and I know it first hand after finding out 8 years after a friendship started that my best friend was involved in gangs. Thats the reason I say start with changing the upcoming generation of children and hopefully the future will look brighter and it becomes easier to solve gang violence! (see more)

I think the most important element in pacifying gang violence in America is to separate the terms 'urban', 'underprivileged', or 'gang violence' from any connotation they may have with any race. These words are not synonymous with 'African American.' To continue to allow these terms to be embedded in the collective conscience as such is - not only utter fallacy - but also counterproductive.

We need to change the culture of failure. How do we do that? We prop up people who have succeeded with something other than a cross-over dribble or an ability to 'spit rhymes', and focus on people that 'got out' with something other than physical gifts. Hard work, education, and positivity can also be keys to success. Those who 'got out' under the old paradigm, like Jim Brown, can't just pay lip service to these facts.

Finally, I take issue with this movie. Overlooking the 'Sureños' gangs may have been okay in 1991. But just Bloods & Crips? There's so much more goin' on nowadays...
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1.it's been said, start with the young kids. keep them busy with positive activities. school, church, neighborhood projects. give them music lessons and take them out to learn sports.

2.parents should pay very close attention to who their children play with. they should monitor the kids internet use visit the same sites as their kids. this will give you a better idea of what your kids are looking for.

3.family values. nothing beats that fishing trip or road trip. get to know your kids and do things with them. family time seems to be going the way of the dodo.

as for thhose in the gangs already. a gang is nothing like a family. you think you are hard because you bang, but i bet it would be harder to leave the gang and do something positive. show me how hard you can be. (see more)

If we can get these kids of the streets & get them to let their anger & stress out in a way that isn't life threatening, i think it would reduce the number of new, young gang members
As for the adult gang members, we can't exactly just give them jobs or money... but we can put them in a program much like alcoholics have programs to help them stop drinking... & we can hope that they change their ways
As long as we keep children out of gangs, the number of gangs & gang members should greatly decrease over time
I am crackdownjr & i have approved this message :) (see more)

Famous people such as rappers that have an influence over gang members need to show them that gang violence is not the answer & that they need to get of the streets & try to make a life for themselves (see more)

A way to solve gang violence is to have special people to talk with them and help them with there problems so that they won't have issues with their family or whatever it is that they're having problems with.They could work them for a couple years and then see how much they have improved and if they haven't they could talk with them and have different exercises until they meet their goal and won't have anymore gang issues. (see more)

Well depends gangs is every group of close tucked up bind of friends or family..So not really we can never stop gangs...Sorry that;s da world we live in. (see more)

The most important thing that has to go away is racism. You can't change the fact that your black. You can't change the fact that your white. You can't change the fact that your mexican. People need to accept the fact that people are a different ethnicity than themselves. Why call someone a racist word when you could have been that person? Put yourself in their shoes and see how that feels. Racism needs to go to start the journey to ending gangs. Thank you. (see more)

what you need to do is let the teenagers know that they dont need to be afraid, try to make them see that their life has meaning and that when they are younger teach them that gangs are bad. (see more)

TO UNDERSTAND WHY ONE JOINS GANGS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO DECIPHER. HOWEVER, LIVING IN COMPTON FOR THE LAST 19 YEARS, I HAVE HAD MANY FRIENDS JOIN GANGS, AND MANY FOR THE SAME REASON. A GANG IS A YOUNG MAN'S, AND WOMAN'S, WAY OF HAVING A FAMILY. A GRIP OF MY HOME GIRLS AND HOME BOYS CAME FROM FAMILIES WHERE THEIR POPS WAS NOT AROUND. EVEN MORE CAME FROM A HOUSEHOLD WHERE THEIR GRANDMAMA RAISED THEM. SO, THEY FIND LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE IN GANGS. IT IS HUMAN NATURE TO WANT TO BE LOVED, TO BE ACCEPTED. WHEN THEIR IS NO OTHER OUTLET, THE ONLY THING LEFT IS A GANG. IN COMPTON, OUR PARKS ARE RUNDOWN, AND UNFIT FOR PLAY. THERE ARE NEVER ANY ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE. WE NEED TO CREATE OUTLETS OTHER THAN GANGS SUCH AS REC PROGRAMS. IT IS PROVEN THAT WHEN ADOLESCENTS ARE INVOLVED IN SOME SORT OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY, DELINQUENCY REDUCES A GREAT DEAL. IF WE INJECT MONEY TO FUND PROGRAMS IN GANG RIDDEN AREAS, IT WOULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. (see more)

Provide kids with an opportunity to be a part of a positive group rather than a gang. Through events, after school programs, foster a sense of community involvement.  (see more)

Gangs are a violent reality that people have to deal with in today's cities. What has made these groups come about? Why do kids feel that being in a gang is both an acceptable and prestigious way to live? The long-range answer to these questions can only be speculated upon, but in the short term the answers are much easier to find. On the surface, gangs are a direct result of human beings' personal wants and peer pressure. To determine how to effectively end gang violence we must find the way that these morals are given to the individual. Unfortunately, these can only be hypothesized. However, by looking at the way humans are influenced in society, I believe there is good evidence to point the blame at several institutions. These include the forces of the media, the government, theatre, drugs and our economic system.

Originally the word gang had no negative connotation. In Old English, gang simply referred to a "number of people who went around together-a group." Today a gang can be defined in four basic  (see more)

I'm not in a gang, but I know a lot of gang members. And they are human beings, so please don't say let's have them all kill each other.
First, like everyone else says, you have to start with the kids. A lot of these children come from broken homes, single parent homes, etc. It is hard for a single parent to guide a child and make enough means to support him/her. Mentoring is a good idea, but so is economic assistance.
Many kids join gangs because of their friends, or just because whatever neighborhood they are in automatically associates them with a certain gang, and they join because this other gang has beef with them already because they are from that neighborhood. Joining a gang is automatic protection from this other gang. How do we stop the gang violence that is already happening? That I don't know. It is hard to erase the anger that has been there for so long. Members often have friends/family who died because this other gang killed this person.  (see more)

Many join gangs either out of fear or wanting to be accepted as a part of a group. Make sure kids can safely get to school, basketball practice, dance class, and other community activities. And make sure that those activities are there for for them. All of this requires adults who are willing to take the risk and make the investment to protect our kids and be their mentors. It's also important to reach out to those who might have slipped into the gang life and need a hand to help them out.

We've got a role model in the white house. Let's get it done! (see more)

Ice-T said it. And it's regrettably true. 'Our war won't end 'til all wars cease.'
What you're dealing with is just one application of tribalism--which is one of the most base instincts in all mankind. Inevitable. Undeniable.
Key word for any possible solution is: opportunity.
Would-be and current Bs, Cs or other need to have their environments reconstructed so that the perception of a financially rewarding, emotionally enriching life is not exclusively linked to gang membership.
It has to be a family thing. It has to be a neighborhood thing. And, I think, it would have to have an assertive partnership between the private and public sector to invest in those neighborhoods where gang life is the ubiquitous best option.
Not to gentrify the place, but to economically re-integrate. So that kids know doctors or web designers or accountants as their neighbors. So that they can touch a life that is not a gang life.
It's a nebulous idea, I know. But I think it's the right strategy. (see more)

Really wanted to add on to this convo. And borrow from Colors again.
In that movie, there are 2 police officer archetypes. Robert Duvall as the community servant. Sean Penn as the para-military man.
What we have seen in most of our cities (especially LA) is a move toward the Sean Penn type. To effectively combat gang violence, we need more of the Robert Duvall types. The guys who are embedded in the community to truly protect and serve. The average citizen needs to believe the police are on their side. Not a force to be opposed quietly or with vigilance.
Also, we need to understand that when the city or state is sued--it's not like you're drawing freely from a bank. You and me--the taxpayer--are who fund those fines. To that end, I'd say we also need to think differently about how bad police are punished. Cut down on the 7-figure settlements to one person. How about lesser sums that go toward community development? Schools. Boys&Girls Clubs. Transportation. Etc.  (see more)

I have another idea.
What if we re-think the 3 Strikes law so that we can create better sentencing options.
I'm thinking that 3-Strikes be redefined so that it only applies to violent offenses. For example, once a person has been convicted of 3 violent offenses, the court offers them a choice: 20 years in solitary confinement or 10 years in the US Army.
The idea is that violent offenders have a skill set that would be valuable to the army. (SEE: MS-13)
Like, they can/will maim/kill. That's normally a bad thing to do. Except for when you're in the army.
It's an idea with some holes in it, but it addresses one key element of the gang problem: getting dangerous people the eff outta the neighborhood.  (see more)

Well first off, I'm not sure there is any way to truly SOLVE gang violence, as I believe violence is a human trait that will unfortunately always exist.

However, I also think that more aggressively and PUBLICLY enforcing the RICO Act against street gangs would be a major deterrent for teenagers and younger kids to want to join. If they see everyone they thought were role models to them getting taken away, they might reconsider going down that same road. As a result, gangs themselves would eventually start to fade and that in turn would "solve" gang violence.

As of now, there is no true fear of incarceration from these gangs because they see maybe a handful of fellow members go to jail, but someone else just takes their place and nothing at all ever changes.

I also have to add, stop making these movies/videos glorifying who they are and what they're doing. These are seen by younger eyes and all they see is the money, power & respect these gangs are getting and they want it too (see more)