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Meeting the Common Needs of Your Community

 

Community Dialogue on Gangs

 

In 2004 Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova held a series of meetings on the topic of gang activity in the Annandale/Heritage area. Participants included representatives from local law enforcement agencies, the courts, the schools, and various non-profits that deal with the gang issue. Topics addressed included current programs for prevention and enforcement, dealing with gangs in the legal arena, the impact of aging neighborhoods and communities, and where should we go from here.

 

The gist of these meetings was that it will take both public programs and a cooperative community effort to successfully deal with the gang issue. There are a substantial number of Government and non-profit agency initiatives underway or planned that deal with the gang issue. For more information on these programs, please contact Sharon Bulova’s office at (703) 425-9300. As for the community’s part, it is important that each citizen understands the problem and is aware of what he or she can do to help.
 
 Gang activity in our area is limited and it does not pose an immanent threat to most citizens. However, the problem is growing and it should be addressed before it becomes a critical problem. Gangs are groups of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and commit violent, unlawful or criminal activities. Gang members generally range in age from 13-21 years old, but can be as young as 9. Kids join gangs for a variety of reasons and each case is individual. Reasons include: excitement and fun, a sense of belonging, companionship, peer pressure, attention or status, financial gain, intimidation, protection, and a failure to realize what being in a gang means. Living in a gang infested area or having a family member in a gang increases the possibility of a kid joining one. Among the risk factors are: lack of community youth support systems and too much unsupervised time, poverty, lack of self-worth, poor decision-making and communication skills, domestic violence at home, media that glorifies violence,  and parental denial of a gang problem.
 
 Every citizen should be aware of the signs of possible gang involvement. If you’re a parent, react to those signs and, if you’re a neighbor, mention your observation to the parent in a non-judgmental manner. The sign you observe might not be a problem, but you won’t know that for sure unless you check it out. Remember, it’s important that you take an interest and speak up even when it’s not your kid; many kids act differently when their parents are not around, thus the parent might not be aware of the behavior.
 
 The signs of possible gang involvement include sudden poor school grades and disinterest in school, withdrawal from family activities, use of unknown vocabulary, sudden changes in friends, evidence of drug abuse, sudden affluence, use of hand signs, desire for excessive privacy, having a new nickname, developing a bad attitude towards family, school and authorities, purchase or desire to buy clothing of all one color or style, wearing altered headwear, changing appearance with special haircuts, eyebrow markings or tattoos, use of gang graffiti on folders, desks, walls, and buildings, and staying out later than usual.

 

Keeping the neighborhood free of graffiti is also important. If you see someone actually writing the graffiti call the police non-emergency number at 703-691-2131. If you see something in the neighborhood that has been marked with graffiti, call Ed Stock at (703) 256-8174. It is important to clean up graffiti quickly, but please do not do that until the authorities have had a chance to look at it and photograph it. Knowing what graffiti was put where helps the police develop a sense of the areas in which specific gangs are operating.