Ed Psy 399OL:  Forum 14

L14-Q2:  Gangs

 

Instructor:  Tom Anderson

 

Submitted by Kim Fitzer

 

During the course of my teaching career, I have had some exposure to street gangs.  These gangs were primarily Hispanic, and were represented in my school, community and at times, their members took seats in my classroom.  My first encounter with street gangs was at a close-in suburban high school in Cicero, Illinois, where the school and community demographics are at least 90% Latino.  While the gangs were a significant problem outside of school, where rival gang members would wait just off school grounds to shoot  the current target as he or she left the building, I rarely encountered any feeling of danger to myself.  The school administration and teachers always assured the kids that once they were inside the building, they were safe.  But the sad fact was, and everyone knew it, that once the students left the building, there was nothing we could do to protect them.  Too many times upon the return to school after the weekend, we would learn that Juan, a promising sophomore with an engaging smile, met his end at the hands of drive-by shooters, or that Aracely, a bright, yet doomed teenager was raped, beat, and put in the hospital by members of her own gang in an initiation rite.  And gradually, as more guns, knives, brass knuckles and locks on chains were discovered in lockers and backpacks, we began to doubt that our assurances to the students and ourselves would hold true much longer.  After two years of teaching in Cicero, I left and moved to a school further out in the Western suburbs, partly because I was no longer sure that I would always be safe.  I sometimes regret the decision to leave, not because I let my white, middle-class fears get the best of me, but because while I was there, I felt that I was making a difference, no matter how small. 

 

However, even in the far-western suburbs, gangs are still a major problem.  In Cicero and in most Chicago neighborhoods, the community pressure to join gangs is enormous.  Even parents and relatives often encourage their children to join gangs, to fit in, and to gain status in the neighborhood.  But in the western suburbs, kids join gangs for different reasons.  The City of Darien Police Department has published an extensive booklet that summarizes the extent of gang involvement in the Darien community.  They list the reasons for gang involvement as follows:

·        Unstable or non-existent family life

·        Lack of success in school

·        Lack of success socially

·        Need to be accepted

·        An escape from boredom, emptiness, depression or despair

·        An outlet for rage or frustration against self, others, community or society

·        Access to drugs, alcohol, weapons and relationships of the opposite sex

 

While suburban kids may not feel the community pressure to join gangs, the above list of motivating influences may be more prevalent in the suburbs than in more urban, inner-city communities (Darien, 2001).  Kids in the suburbs may feel more pressure to fit in, to be accepted with the in-crowd, or to have access to drugs and alcohol.  Their family backgrounds can range from lower to upper class and encompass a range of ethnic backgrounds (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Eastern-European).  And while more males are involved than females, there is a rise in females involved directly at the core of the once all-male gang scene, and experience the same initiation rites (Darien, 2001).

 

In the Chicago area, gangs are affiliated with two major overhead organizations:   FOLKS and PEOPLE.  In the community of Carol Stream, where I live, there are approximately six dominant gangs represented:  Latin Kings (PEOPLE), Vice Lords (PEOPLE), Gangster Disciples (FOLKS), Oriental Eight (Asian), Simon City Royals (FOLKS), and Spanish Cobras (FOLKS).  In Hinsdale, where I work, only one gang, the Disciples (FOLKS), is identified.  In Darien, nine gangs are identified:  Latin Kings, Black Gangster, Disciples, Gangster Disciples, 12th Street Players (?), Two-Two Boys (FOLKS), Two-Sixers (FOLKS), Vice Lords, and Satan Disciples (FOLKS)(Chicagoland Gang Investigators). 

 

The following chart illustrates the list of the gangs listed above and their affiliations, colors and symbols:

NAME

 

COLOR

ALLIANCE

 

SYMBOLS

 

Black Gangster Disciples

 

Black and Blue

 

 

 

 

Folks

 

 

 

 

The BGDs, GDs and BOs use an upward crossed pitchfork and six-pointed star

 

 

 

 

Gangster Disciples

 

Disciples

 

Latin Kings

 

 

Black and Gold

 

 

People

Three or Five-pointed crown, five pointed star, five dits, cross, kings head w/crown

 

Oriental Eight

None

Asian

None

 

Simon City Royals

 

Blue and Black

 

Folks

Rabbit head w/ bent ear, cross hat with crossed shotguns, initials SCR

 

Satan Disciples

Canary Yellow and Black

Folks

Pitchfork, devil, Folks logo

 

Spanish Cobras

Green and Black

Folks

King cobra snake, initial SC, ISC

12th Street Players

White and Black

People

Initials TPN, upward pitchforks

Two-Two Boys

Black and Blue

Folks

Two dice showing two; crest or shield w/ two lions

Two-Sixers

Tan and Black

Folks

Playboy bunny w/ fedora, bent ear & glasses, pair of dice with tattoos and 3 dots

 

Why are there gangs in the suburbs, the enclave of the American dream, communities of winding streets, green lawn and backyard barbeques?  In the past, gangs were thought to be an exclusive problem of inner-city neighborhoods.  But in recent years, many gangs have moved into the suburbs because families wanted to escape the violence-ridden neighborhoods they had grown up in.  They wanted to give their kids a better life, free from the gangland influences, not realizing of course that it was too late.  Sometimes, the gang affiliation continues, and the students begin recruiting just as soon as they’ve settled in to the new neighborhood and school.  Often, these “gang-lets” become full-fledged organizations with ties to inner-city gangs (Darien, 2001).

 

Because gangs have become a part of life at most Chicago area high schools and middle schools, it is crucial to be defensive in order to effectively deter their influences.  As a teacher, I am legally and morally bound to recognize gang involvement and report it.  The Darien Police Department recommends that one of the primary defenses against gangs is to be aware and knowledgeable about gangs. 

·        Learn the basics:  lifestyle, trends in community, symbols, signs, clothing and colors.

·        Be aware of the schools’ current discipline policy

·        Be aware of the specific gang presence in the community.

·        Be observant of students and their behavior.  Be aware of potential gang wanna-bees.

·        Be observant of clothing, jewelry, handwriting.  Old English script is popular among many gangs.

·        Look at papers, notebooks, letters written to friends, etc.  Often, gang members can’t resist decorating their personal belongings.

·        Report grafitti and tagging when it appears to the Police Liaison or the Dean’s office and have it removed immediately.  Tagging is indicant of a gang presence, tells a story or identifies an individual, and will almost certainly encourage more tagging if left in place.

·        Report any threatening speech, signs of recruitment, or intimidation.  Any failure to report will be noted by the gang as a condonement on the teachers part.

·        Bring any suspicions to the notice of the Deans or Police Liaison.  No matter how trivial it may seem, it may assist them in the information gathering process, or be crucial to an already ongoing investigation.

 

While the current school I teach at does not seem to have any outward signs of gang activity, I am not naive in supposing that it never will.  In conversations with our own Police Liaison, there appears to have been gang activity in the past, and is very present in the surrounding communities and in the district’s sister school.  There are some wannabees in my classrooms now:  mostly they are students that have moved out from the inner-city or collar communities and are having a hard time fitting in with the mostly white, affluent student population.  It may be just a matter of time before they “find” their gang.  Hopefully, by showing that I care, I can get to them first.

 

References

 

2001.  Gang Manual.  Published by the City of Darien Department of Police, Darien, Illinois.

 

Directory of Chicago and Suburban Gang Investigators

http://pw1.netcom.com/~chgocrcm/pubs/gangdir.html#Directory-H

 

Partial List of Gangs in the Chicagoland Area

http://pw1.netcom.com/~chgocrcm/pubs/ganglist.html

 

Interview with Hinsdale Central High School Police Liaison Mark Keller, December 3, 2001