HEART

Currently, there are about a million of gang members identified in the United States, and about twenty percent of them are located in California. In some areas of California, more than half of the crime is gang related and in Southern California, gang homicides are raising to a 125 percent increase in murders since 2006 (Lopez, 2009). According to Daniel McMullen, FBI agent of gangs in Los Angeles says that “southern California is the epicenter of street gangs and in the city of LA, there are nineteen gangs operating that have military training” (Lopez, 2009). Over the years, many youths within schools are the main targets for gang recruiters; therefore, anti-gang programs are implemented in schools to reduce violence and youth-gang membership.

Human Efforts Aimed at Relating Together (HEART) is a program to inform youths about the dangers of joining a gang and to prevent and reduce violence. HEART is a mediation program implemented in Los Angeles School District for children and adolescents from different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds to resolve problems through words rather than using violence (Lopez, 1999). It was created in 1992 by Joel T. Juntilla, a youth relations assistant for the LA Unified School District (Wedner, 1999). HEART’s main purpose is to “encourage young people to assume responsibility and accountability for maintaining a safe school campus” (Lopez, 2009). HEART’s mediators involves teachers, school counselors and administrators to apply the “Four Ds to Conflict Mediation and Resolution” which are to “defuse the situation; create a dialogue between parties in conflict, decide on a solution, which is formalized in a written contract, and do what you promise” to students or participates (Wedner, 1999).

Over the years, HEART has been an effective program to reduce school violence as well as to prevent youths from joining gangs. According to Pete Salazar, Birmingham’s dean of students says that “I’m so impressed with how these mediator work, last year we had many fights breaking out, and I had to kick students out of school. I’ve been trained by HEART now, and I have a good feeling that we now have a handle on these problems on campus” (Wedner, 1999). Furthermore, Rocio Martinez, a Youth Relations Associate in the Crime Prevention Unit for the LA Unified School District, reports that “young ladies (all between 11 and 14 years old) this program was their last shot at redeeming themselves before the LAUSD would have to wash their hands of them and deliver them to the authorities” (Lopez, 2009).

What makes HEART an effective program? HEART is an effective program to reduce school violence and prevent youths from joining gangs because it involves representatives from each ethnic, racial, and religious group to teach youths about cultural differences, and it provides a secure and safe environment as well as assistance and guidance. Since many of these youths are face with racial discrimination and lack guidance from their single-parent, HEART provides information, builds relationships and identity, and a place to study.

Unfortunately, the HEART program and many other prevention programs are suffering from a budget crisis. HEART’s budget is being cut in half, leaving only eight counselors to provide guidance, assist, and talk to students in about 400 public middle and high schools. Many individuals and the government have argue that education is the most effective method to reduce gang violence, but funding have been cut, leaving students with no books, no music classes, and recreational classes; therefore, leaving children with no choice, but to be on the streets and possibility of using violence and joining gangs. Most of these children, live with a single parent and are absent in their children lives; therefore, they need other mentors to guide them in the right path of their future. In addition, these youths want an education and are willing to learn. For example, one student says that she completes her homework at two in the morning because it is the only time that it’s peaceful for her to concentrate. Most of these children want to learn and earn an education, but with the lack of resources and living situations, they feel discouraged and tend to give up. Another student reveals that he was bruised and bloodied arriving to school every single day because he had to arrive to school through enemy territories. Children need love, affection, and belongingness, so we need to make an effort to persuade the government for more funding while we can dedicate our times to volunteer and make a difference.

Other gang prevention programs include:

Positive Education and Action to Create Excellence (PEACE)

References:

Top image: http://murcha.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/school-children.jpg

Image with females: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kamala-lopez/stop-tearing-the-heart-ou_b_229743.html

Lopez, Kamala. (July 2009). Stop Tearing the Heart Out of L.A.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kamala-lopez/stop-tearing-the-heart-ou_b_229743.html

Wedner, Diane. (September 1999). Class Notes/NEWS FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS-Students End Fights With HEART. Los Angeles Times

http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/22/local/me-12966

MONSTER

MONSTER: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member

Monster is a novel written by a former L.A. gang member known as Monster Kody Scott that reveals his life as a gang member participant for about sixteen years. He shares his life stories of living in South Central L.A. from “the gun, street, fence, and wall” (xiv).

Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, at age eleven, Scott was initiated to the L.A. gang, the Crips. He received his name Monster Kody Scott by his brutality and violence beating of a man. Throughout his life, “gangbanging” was his career. His motto was that “Bangin’ ain’t no part-time thang, it’s full time, it’s a career. It’s bein’ down when ain’t nobody else down with you. It’s geettin’caught and not tellin’. Killin’ and not caring, and dyin’ without fear. It’s love for your set and hate for the enemy” (12). His “homeboys” became his family and was more important than anyone else. Over the years, he landed in Juvenile Hall, Camps, and prison, but once released, he soon returned to the life of a gang member. He has witnessed many deaths, bloodsheds, and has been brutally beaten and survived by six rounds of gunshots. Until he was locked up at Youth Training School, a maximum-security youth prison, he was introduced to Muslim services and begins to redirect his life away from “gangbanging.” He changed his name from Kody Scott to Sanyika Shakur. He educated himself and became an active member of the New Afrikan Independence movement as well as being part of the Consolidated Crip Organization (CCO) to unite all Crips into one. After an early released from prison, he shifted his life from a gang member to a civilized citizen. At the age of twenty-six, he settle with his wife, Tamu, and lives with his three children.

Interview of Sanyika Shakur on BET

References:

Top Image: http://www.mainlybooks.co.nz/-img-0802141447.jpg

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cudU68Cyptw

Sanyika Shakur, Monster Kody Scott. (1993). Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member. New York: Grove Press.

The Turf War

One of the most prized possessions of a gang is their “turf”. Turf is the area, the territory, the land that gangs use to operate their drug business. The more land, one gang controls, the more they profit and consume more money. Gangs control an area economically to support their gang by buying more weapons and paying individuals to commit illegal crimes. For example, if an owner of a liquor store were to be located in the territory of a gang, the owner can pay the gang to keep the liquor store safe from other gang members or thieves. Also, inside these territories, gangs can traffic drugs. So by controlling a larger area, a specific gang can generate more income by selling to a larger group of drug users.

As gangs expand their turf this usually ignites turf wars. Turf wars are between two or more gangs, fighting over to take full control over a specific area. Gangs use violence and kill as many rival gang members as they could to gain territory. These wars not only harm gang members, but also innocent people as they attack through neighborhood and streets.

Mexico is plagued with turf wars. As Mexico turns into a drug consuming country, gang members are fighting each other in Mexico to control over territory in order to sell what and where in Mexico in which they can produce more money at home (Brice, 2009). In 2008, 5,400 deaths were recorded resulting from turf wars. Some consider turf wars in Mexico as its “civil war” because so much violence and so much damage are being done.

In Mexico, the gang turf war, not only is it affecting residents in Mexico, but also Americans as well. As gang members expand their territory, they will migrate further and soon cross the border killing bystander Americans. The turf war is also a problem for the United States because most of gang members’ customers are Americans. Gang members in Mexico are trafficking drugs to the US and selling drugs to Americans, causing more drugs to enter into the lives of Americans as wells as violence in the community.

References:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLlrbAZv9Do

Brice, Arthur. (February 2009). Official: Mexican drug turf wars have led to surge in violence.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/02/19/mexico.drug.war/index.html