The hope of providing safe schools for the nation's youth is atop the priority list for every educator in the country. But in the last few years, law-enforcement and public school officials have experienced an epidemic of youth violence that is quickly spreading from inner cities to the suburbs. Gang activity not only means unsightly graffiti, but accelerated crime and dropout rates, the deterioration of neighborhoods, parks, and playgrounds, and wasted human resources everywhere. Gangs are no longer just the problem of those who live in the crime ridden neighborhoods where the gangs thrive; they are now everyone's problem. Los Angeles is regarded as the nation's gang violence capital, and has been the focal point and 'guinea pig' of prevention programs and solutions.

The most successful strategies for dealing with gangs are those which emphasize prevention and intervention instead of suppression and enforcement. Loading up the environment with police officers doesn't work either. In 1992, just two hours before New York's Mayor Dinkins was to address a high school student body, another student shot and killed two classmates. At the time of the shootings, there were seventeen police officers in the building not to mention other security personnel and measure taken especially since the mayor was on the grounds!' Research has shown that increased incarceration does not do much good. If anything, incarceration gives the individual prestige among peers. The publicity that gang violence generates satisfies the adolescent hunger for recognition and attention. This hunger for attention may have sparked the recent outbreak of suburban school shootings. "Kids like to have their names in the paper, even if someone is killed..." said one youngster to the Boston Globe. Others brag about things they have done and like to portray themselves as public enemy number one. But treating gangs as a public enemy may encourage gang membership because of the widespread publicity and notoriety furnished by that sort of reaction.

Mandatory Education Past the Age of 14

Perhaps teens that do not want to be in school should not have to be there. A possible solution would be to have schools for students that want to learn. Gang members in schools may just poison the rest of the school, as the saying goes 'one bad apple ruins the bunch'. Schools for youths who want to learn might also dry up the sources of recruitment for gangs. School ranks high among those who instill young people with scorn for education if schools are irrelevant and unchallenging. School is also the place where we learn what defines a 'book worm'. Clearly, young people's attitudes are shaped after school as well and in the community, on MTV and even in department stores that have made not only gang attire 'trendy', but have recently made the 'junkie' look popular too. Between videos gangster rap, songs about the drug culture, and gang clothing, kids are being fed with the opposite value system of that which the mainstream society, and status quo would have them learn.

Anti-intellectualism is being unconsciously fostered at home as well as throughout the society. Frequently in lower socio-economic households, there is a good deal of animosity toward college graduates. These graduates are seen as 'too good', 'big shots', or 'know it alls', and are often not accepted by various groups of people. In addition, it is not 'cool' to be studious. 'Cool' then becomes cutting classes and not doing homework. Health professionals working with mental disorders have suggested a mandate for special education programs to find methods of teaching and counseling antisocial students.2 If a special environment for peer approval and recognition is needed, something that offers identity and status, perhaps it should be separate from the classroom environment of those students who want to go to school to learn and behave normally.

Solutions Offered From Across the Country

Project Support: (Los Angeles Unified School District) A prevention program directed at elementary students in six inner city schools, included drug/gang policy awareness, drug and gang prevention education, racial and cultural sensitivity development, after school alternative programs, tutoring and mentoring, community service opportunities for kids, career awareness instruction, and parent education. Many programs go under (as did this one) because of delays in both funding and budgetary approvals for subcontracts providing services to the various schools.4 Programs like this one can be greatly assisted by parents who might want to contribute a bit of time and energy for free. After all, it might very well be them who need the programs most for their youngsters, themselves, or their neighborhood.

The PACT Program: This program (PACT) Parents and Children Together is aimed at early intervention by increasing parental responsibility, involvement, commitment, and awareness. The program insisted that the nucleus of the problem centered in family background and social characteristics and that these predisposed a youth gang membership. These tactics work well 'before' a youth joins a gang, but they are not a good 'after' approach. Once adolescents are in gangs, different strategies are needed. Most research indicates the need for building juvenile self-esteem.5

CHICAGO: From the Chicago suburb of Cicero, one of the more resourceful strategies to stem the spread of gang-related violence, grew out of an Illinois law that allowed officials to treat street gangs as unincorporated associations. Thus, officials filed suit against 14 street gangs with the intent of recovering nearly $200,000 that had been spent by the city on cleaning up graffiti and related vandalism committed by gangs.6

INTERVENTIONS: Other intervention strategies have a few characteristics in common. Most suggest targeting which adolescents are most vulnerable. They also advise early peer counseling and support group sessions. Conflict resolution programs seem to work well. Establishing tutoring schedules permits young people to experience success in school for a change. This, in turn, empowers young people and boosts self-esteem. Other interventions provide moral and ethical counseling. Some have values clarification sessions. All struggle to make the targeted youths feel appreciated and valued. Most try to bring parents, extended family, and any significant others into the plan and try to get them as far away as possible from the influence of gang youths not enrolled in the school.

ANAHEIM. CALIFORNIA: The Anaheim City Council appointed an ad hoc task force and initiated project Save-A-Youth which was a partnership between city, YMCA, Parks & Recreation, and parents. It blended individual counseling with crisis intervention and education programs for parents and youths. A distinctive feature of this undertaking was the 'street school" which offered genuine encouragement and gave drop-outs an opportunity to really do something about returning to mainstream classrooms.7

DARE: Los Angeles (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) in 1983 the Los Angeles Police Department along with the Los Angeles Unified School District developed the DARE program for adolescents in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. The objective was to assist youths in fighting peer pressure by saying "No" to alcohol and other drugs. DARE has had its successes and its failures, and has been used as a preventative model across the country. Personally, knowing the police officers and seeing them a lot as authority figures and friends made it an easier decision to stay away from drugs. I did not want to let my friend (Officer Verne in my case) down by doing drugs or alcohol.

JEOPARDY: Los Angeles. Many of the troubled teens these days are genuinely looking for alternatives to gang activity. However, there is frequently no way out of the everyday rejection, poverty, and disdain faced everyday. In response, the LAPD established "Jeopardy" designed to redirect young people at high risk. It solicited school officials, parents, and community organizations or businesses, to balance the odds that youths in a gang dominated neighborhood would join a gang.

CHURCHES AND CITIZENS GROUPS: These groups are doing a great deal in prevention as well as in the area of intervention. Some of the citizens groups have come up with the most creative and colorful solutions yet. Clearly, there is no sin~e solution to the gang problem because not only are there individual differences to deal with, but also regional and geographical differences too.

PRIDE: (Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education) was developed at the prompting of Congressman Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as part of the Coalition For A Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati which, according to some, could be a model for anti-drug activity anywhere in the country.5 The group involves parents, religious and business leaders from the community, and the media, all of who use forums of various types to drive the anti-drug message home. The underlying premise in this program is a good one: everyone must get involved because--"If you want a drug-free community, you must begin with the areas you personally can control~your homes, streets, neighborhoods, and schools," according to Walter Williams, a specialist in community anti-drug efforts.9

COMMUNITY BASED POLICING: A new style of policing, criticized by some as soft on crime, but praised by others, is the old-fashioned concept of a police officer on a beat who gets to know the merchants and folks in the neighborhood. There are various types of patrols in place in "Community Based Policing;" for example, officers on horseback, on bikes, and on foot beats work throughout an area. Generally, such programs have Police Advisory Boards composed of community residents who work with the Captain of that area or with the "Senior Lead Officer" as they are sometimes called. Because these are area Captains, their purpose is to achieve a territorial imperative for each area.10

CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS: The Douglas Center, an unofficially neutral zone, with coach Walter Smith and his teams has been successful in an area that is about 75 to 85% gang affiliated youths. In the midst of this, Walter Smith has diligently plodded along giving the gangs tremendous competition." The Walter Smith teams played football, basketball, etc. It made no difference if a teen was a Vice-Lord or a Gangster Disciple. A youth could go to the Center and play ball for a while, so long as no one caused any trouble. A no nonsense attitude from coach Smith made that point all too clear. Traveling was one of the most memorable parts of being on one of Coach Smith's teams. And camping at the end of their season was another much appreciated perk. The program was funded, although very marginally, by the Park District as well as by private collections and fund raising drives. Champaign Community Policing Units have been successful in the area as well.

CRASH: In the early 1970's, CRASH was a specially trained police unit taking the traditional approach of waging war on the gang problem. The approach means putting a lot of gang members in jail thereby creating enormous pressure on their very existence. Hindsight has confirmed that this approach hardly makes a dent. Today, Gates and Jackson, who helped establish the 1970's effort, themselves support multiple strategies. While the presence of police at every turn does drive the dope dealers from the streets and frightens off a few gang members and other unsavory characters for the time being, the long-term effects are negligible. Nevertheless, Los Angeles resurrects CRASH units from time to time whether or not they function productively in the long run.

AURORA GANG INTERVENTION UNIT: This unit's underlying approach is to let gangs know they are being identified. Thus, if a gang commits a crime, they are going to get caught, that's the word out on the street.'2 Actually, this is the purpose behind a number of community outreach programs. They meet with parents and merchants and form a coalition; a viable method of reporting crime or any suspicious activity. The Aurora Gang Intervention Unit Sought to get a grasp of the real problem and get away from the fascination with gangs that is distracting us from the "need to develop effective coordinated strategies for preventing and combating crime."'3

MENTORING PROGRAMS: Part of the frustration experienced by adolescents who join gangs is that their academic skills are usually way below par. Thus, mentoring programs, peer tutoring, kids helping other kids, is one inexpensive way of serving youngsters and helping them raise their confidence in themselves. The EPATT (East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring) is a mentor program that pairs Stanford students with East Palo Alto kids in an attempt to offer them positive role models, after school homework help, and sports activity. Although its main goal is not gang prevention, it does prevent kids from joining gangs.

COMMUNITY RECREATION: There is no way the police or community recreation center can compete with the sense of belonging that the gang subculture offers. It certainly cannot replace the money to be had by selling drugs with the gang either. '4 Technological tools like GREAT help, but here again the effort is to stamp out, intervene and arrest. The real solutions lie outside the realm of the police--in the community, and primarily in the home. "Kids need alternative to gangs and some positive adult leadership," as well as a place to "hang out" said Dick Tillson a CYA official (California Youth Authority). Principals, parents and teens must all take part in prevention programs.

Politicians, law enforcement and school administrators are targeting younger children nowadays, teaching them self-esteem and communication skills as where to get help. Focusing on student behavior is far more productive than targeting style of clothing or using "get tough" approaches. One of the newest prevention strategies popping up around the country, is school uniforms. Officials believe that clothing is a factor in gang violence and membership. By mandating that all students wear school uniforms, it is assumed that gang activity slows down. But research has not shown that.

The Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs of the California State University, Los Angeles (CSLA) developed the Gang Violence Bridging Project (GB VP), to improve the health and safety of the greater Los Angeles area through decreasing gang-related violence. This project, established in December 1993, addresses three of the most underlying causes of the rise in gangs and gang violence; lack of educational opportunities for youth at-risk or currently involved with gangs; alienation of at-risk youth from productive community involvement; and the failure of public policies to support alternatives to suppression of gang violence prevention. Through grass-roots collaboration, capacity-building within communities, and partnerships with local residents, multicultural community organizations, government and University, the GBVP has been able to develop effective initiatives within its target communities of East Los Angeles, Pico Union/Westlake, and South Central Los Angeles.'5

Programs

Community Bridges: The Gang Violence Bridging Project uses Community Organizing and Public Policy Advocacy as a means to address the problem of gang violence in Los Angeles. The Community Bridging component host monthly community meetings. Participants include individuals and organizations and the meetings are co-hosted with local community organizations and agencies.

Speaker Bureau: The Gang Violence Bridging Project activated a Speakers Bureau which contributes to the public awareness on youth violence causes. The Bureau, which offers its services is free of charge, interacts with community, media, youth, and school groups by visiting schools, community centers, and youth agencies. The main goal of The Bureau is to create a new awareness of youth violence and its causes. Campus Tours: This program provides tours at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) by former at-risk youth now attending the university. The tours are directed towards youth attending local alternative schools, continuation High Schools and educational programs located in local Community Centers. The goal is to expose nontraditional college bound students and youth to the University's resources and programs, which will increase their educational aspirations through the development of positive academically focused University tours.

Power Builders: This Program entails bi-monthly seminars to be hosted on the campus of Cal State LA for former gang members and youth at-risk who now seek alternatives to gang lifestyles. The seminars are meant to build coping skills by concentrating on building self-esteem and instilling something most of them have never had - hope. New Directions: This Program assists former gang members, and at-risk youth to complete a four-year college degree program. The program will assist in the matriculation process and provide year-to-year academic and personal support by creating a network of services to assist the participants.

The Gang Violence Bridging Project seems to be the best preventative program being used today. Although it has worked well in the greater Los Angeles area, there is no guarantee that it would work in other areas. These programs seem to have large financial costs that go along with each part of the plan. A large number of volunteers are required for this project to work, which may be the downfall of the plan in other areas. Government funding would help, but the government would not contribute unless they could see some statistics. It is hard to measure how many kids the project actually helps. Do you measure it by the number of violent crimes committed? Murders? Robberies? Or do you measure it by the number of college students from the area? Or a child's grades? In either case, the Gang Violence Bridging Project is the best form of prevention because links ex-gang members, members of the community, and people who want to help with at-risk kids. The children of America are crying out for help, in many ways and gang violence is just one of them.

Works Cited

Barrow, Linda "Aurora Attempts to Deal with Gangs Before They Overwhelm the City" Colorado Municipalities Jan 1, v67, n 1:13 1991

Clay, Douglas and Frank D. Aquila Spitting the Lit' Fact or Fad? Gangs and America's Schools Phi Delta Kappan Sept.01, v76 n1 p65, 1994.

Forbes, S. "One Way to Knock Narcotics" Forbes July 29 1996 p 26.

Lewis, B. "Do Coduct Disordered Gang Members Think Differently?" Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems vl, nl, p 17-20 (Spring) 1992.

McBride, W. and Jackson, R. "In L.A. County, A High-Tech Assist in the War on Gangs" The Police Chief June 1, 1989 v56 n6:28.

McDonald, J. KPCC radio FM 89.3 Pasadena, California, FM Radio Interview. Jul 8, 1996.

Orr, G. "Alternatives to Gangs" Illinois Issue v21, n4, p27, 1995.

Ponessa, J. "Gangbusting Tools: Courts, Computers and Coroners." Governing v6, Sept 1993,p 18-19.

Shields, C. "Should Schools Seek to Include Gangs?" Curriculum Review Sept. 8 1993, v33 nl p8-Il.

Sloan, D. "Reasons and Remedies for Gangs and Delinquency Among School Age Children." Literature Review 1993 ERIC n362603.

Slovacek, S. "Project Support Evaluation, Los Angeles Unified School District Report nl Literature Review 1993.

Willis-Kistler, P. "Fighting Gangs with Recreation" Parks and Recreation Nov. 1, v23 nll.44-49. 1988.

Website: http://www.gvbpla.freeservers.com