Violent movies, T.V. programs and video games as well as rough rap music fascinate junior high potential gang recruits. In elementary school, kids had after-school care, but now in their early teens they are on their own, taking buses, and subject to violent influences. After-school activities for these youths could prevent them from joining gangs.
Gang members are brainwashed by popular movies with gang heroes: Billy the Kid, Irish gangs, Jewish gangs, African-American gangs, Italian gangs and gangsters. Mass culture adores crime and criminals. And gangs provide a key economic function in the U.S., providing drugs for thousands of addicts, and jobs.
The history of the U.S. is redolent with gangsters and their activities. Stop immigration and you'll still have gangs. Gangs provide a community and prestige to rootless kids. The solution is to provide them with a welcoming community they can join, where they will attain safe prestige and the possibility of gaining productive work experience. Pride in their community can be a strong deterrent to pride in gang membership. Likewise, their energies can be directed at real dangers, like runaway pollution and corrupt corporations, rather than against other kids who are just like them but live on the other side of State Street. Dialogue is crucial, as are community building activities in a safe, supervised environment that the Santa Barbara police and local gang-prevention groups can provide.
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Posted on July 7 at 12:46 p.m.
Violent movies, T.V. programs and video games as well as rough rap music fascinate junior high potential gang recruits. In elementary school, kids had after-school care, but now in their early teens they are on their own, taking buses, and subject to violent influences. After-school activities for these youths could prevent them from joining gangs.
Gang members are brainwashed by popular movies with gang heroes: Billy the Kid, Irish gangs, Jewish gangs, African-American gangs, Italian gangs and gangsters. Mass culture adores crime and criminals. And gangs provide a key economic function in the U.S., providing drugs for thousands of addicts, and jobs.
The history of the U.S. is redolent with gangsters and their activities. Stop immigration and you'll still have gangs. Gangs provide a community and prestige to rootless kids. The solution is to provide them with a welcoming community they can join, where they will attain safe prestige and the possibility of gaining productive work experience. Pride in their community can be a strong deterrent to pride in gang membership. Likewise, their energies can be directed at real dangers, like runaway pollution and corrupt corporations, rather than against other kids who are just like them but live on the other side of State Street. Dialogue is crucial, as are community building activities in a safe, supervised environment that the Santa Barbara police and local gang-prevention groups can provide.
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