A Reminder of Reality

In June 17, 2011, I wrote my first blog post on here of substance.  It detailed how gangs are still very much alive but most of the general public and media is either unaware or in denial.  Fast forward to this past Sunday, May 17, 2015.  In Waco, Texas, at a Twin Peaks restaurant, there was a meeting of several hundred members of various motorcycle clubs.  They have been deemed 1%, outlaws, and OMGs.  News outlets from local news channels, national news site, and international online sites from Yahoo to others are leading with titles such as "Biker Wars" and "Biker Gang Shootings".  Listening to the news and watching the stories often has the same message, people saying things such as "When Sons of Anarchy meets real life" or similar.  There seems to be a thought that these bikers are copying what was an extremely popular TV show or that they live in a fantasy world.  People do not know the real presence of all types of gangs, from actual outlaw motorcycle gangs to prison gangs to street gangs.  While entire city councils and police agencies continue to deny a presence of gangs in their areas, those same gangs continue to operate.  Gangs are not dead!  This is not the 1980's. Gangs do not operate in the same traditional roles as they did when the gangster lifestyle and gangster rap took hold of this society.  While these traditional roles have gone by the wayside, so has the general publics knowledge of gangs.  Unfortunately, it took 9 deaths at a Texas restaurant to open some eyes.  More unfortunate are the untold number of young people who are victims of gang violence every day.

Video Games – GTA

Probably one of the most controversial games of all time has been the Grand Theft Auto series, also developed by Rockstar Games.  Grand Theft Auto, or GTA, was originally released in 1997.  There was a format change beginning with GTA 3 which was released in 2001.  GTA has been highly scrutinized for the actions allowed in the game.  Aside from the story and missions of the game, players can spend hours exploring the city.  Players earn skills, points, and money for stealing cars, assaulting, robbing, and/or killing innocent civilians, picking up hookers, and killing police officers.  Stealing a police car, ambulance, or fire truck unlocks side missions which are necessary for 100% completion of the game.

In 2004, Rockstar games released Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and introduced gang life to millions of people who may have never been exposed to this lifestyle.  I’m not sure who the creators of the game consulted, but the lengths that were taken to mirror real life gangs are pretty amazing. 



CJ

When the game starts, the main character, known as CJ, moves back to this fictional city after the murder of his mother.  He is quickly drawn back into his gang.  The game allows for customization of tattoos and bandanas on the player, and includes some styles that are highly recognized as gang identifiers.  Early missions involve spray painting over rival gang graffiti, recruiting more gang members, taking over rival territories, and drive-by shootings.    Later missions involve working with crooked police, harvesting marijuana, killing music producers, and operating casinos. 

Going back to the detail involved in the game, here is the list of gangs in the game

Grove Street

• Grove Street Families – CJ’s gang with members named Sweet, Ryder, and Big Smoke
• The Ballas – a rival black gang, who have a subset named Rollin Heights
• Varios Los Aztecas – a Mexican gang
• Los Santos Vagos – a Mexican gang
• San Fierro Rifa – Involved in international drug trade
• Triads – Chinese gangs in the Chinatown version of the game.    



The Ballas

• One of them is named the Red Gecko Tong
• Da Nang Boys – a Vietnamese gang who control the docks
• The Mafia – 3 mob families ran by the Leone, Sindacco, and  Forelli’s.  They control the casinos.

 Over 20 million copies of this game were sold across the various gaming platforms.  While many adult males enjoy the game, there are many teen and pre-teen boys and girls who spent hours playing this game.  Many of my son’s friends had the game and he often would ask why I didn’t let him play it when his friends could (another story for another day). 

Parents – monitor what games your children are playing.  If they ask for a specific title, look into it. Search the game online and especially on Youtube for ideas of what will happen in the game.  Set and enforce the appropriate boundaries for your home.  While the game might be very fun, it can also introduce negativity.

Rachel's Impact

This past Thursday was an eventful day.  On Thursday morning I had the great opportunity to sit through a presentation of the Rachel’s Challenge program to a middle school assembly.  Rachel Joy Scott was the first victim of the Columbine High School Massacre on April 20, 1999.  Her father and brother have since started the Rachel’s Challenge campaign to teach students and adults how to effectively deal with bullying and other issues at schools.  Rachel’s saying was basically that with a simple act of kindness, you could “start a chain reaction.”  Rachel left such a legacy and touched so many lives prior to her death just by the way she lived.  There are over 20 little girls out there named after her, based on her life, her choices, and her acts of kindness.  Her message is simple, yet profound;

1 – Look for the best in others and eliminate prejudice

2 – Treat others the way you want to be treated

3 – Choose positive influences

4 – Speak words of kindness not cruelty

5 – Forgive yourself and others.

Imagine if we all headed those 5 simple steps.  What if we started living like this tomorrow?  How many lives would be positively affected? 

As I said, it was an eventful day.  On Thursday evening, I attended a wake for a friend who also died young the week before.  His wake was filled with memories about how this young man loved everyone, made time for everyone, and would give anything he could to anyone.  He would give his time, his talent, his ear, and his smile.  And although this young man will not be remembered in the way Rachel is, I like to think that the legacy he leaves behind, to his 3 children, was very similar; acceptance, love, and kindness.  RIP Gary ‘Clutch’ Flores. 

For more information on Rachel Joy Scott or the Rachel’s Challenge program, click here.

America's Longest Running Civil War

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a civil war as a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country.  From the American Civil War from 1861-1865, to modern day civil wars in the Congo, Kosovo, Chechenia, and Sierra Leone, millions of people die as a result of these conflicts.  When a country cannot solve their issues, other nations step in with military and humanitarian aid.  In 2009, the United States appropriated over 20 million dollars in foreign aid to Sierra Leone alone.  In 2011, it is estimated that this number will grow to 30 million dollars.  3% of the yearly aid is allocated to "peace and security." 

Now let's change the focus to Los Angeles, California.  Although there are many stories and theories about the origins of LA's most infamous gangs, it is widely accepted that the Crips started around 1969 and the Bloods started around 1972.  In 1979, the Los Angeles Police Department created an elite unit to combat gang activity.  This unit was called "Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums" or CRASH.  This unit was disbanded in 2000 amid reports of controversy and police brutality. 

In 1988, the film "Colors" was released.  I lived in Inglewood, California at the time.  Gang violence was rising exponentially in the area.  I remember a day shortly after the film was released.  My mother, sister, and I were at a local mall.  On our way back to the car, there was a shoot out outside the theater when the movie let out.  As this was happening more and more frequently, several theaters stopped showing the movie.  A few years later, gangs were forming truces all across the country.  Police departments started cutting back their gang units.  As the war on drugs escalated, gangs were no longer given as much attention.  The attacks on September 11, 2001 further pushed gangs out of the spotlight as the war on terror began. 

However, one statistics stands out more than any other.  Between 1999 and 2009, 5,750 people have been killed by gang violence in Los Angeles County.  That's over 500 people per year in 4000 square mile area.  There are no concrete statistics on the number of people killed every year due to gang violence in the United States.  However, one can easily estimate that over 1 million people have been killed across this country as a result of gang violence since the bloods and crips emerged in the late 60's, early 70's.  While the US is spending billions of dollars on foreign aid and foreign wars, people across this country are killing themselves in what can be looked at as America's longest running civil war.  These are kids, often as young as 12 years old, killing each other over colors and neighborhoods.  A sad fact is that many of them have no idea why their gang started, nor what the colors, names, and symbols stand for.  They just see their peers doing it, so they decide to do it. 

Baron Davis (professional basketball player) and Stacy Peralta (former professional skateboarder and surfer) came from different walks of life.  Stacy Peralta graduated high school 4 years before Baron Davis was born.  Stacy Peralta was innovative in making skateboarding the craze that it is today.  Matter of fact, my first skateboard was a Powell-Peralta Tony Hawk board.  Baron Davis, at the age of 14, became involved in gang activity.  Although years apart, sports allowed both men to become professionals in their field.  In 2008, they worked together on an amazing documentary, Crips and Bloods: Made in America.  Baron Davis was the executive producer and Stacy Peralta was the writer and director.  While the movie does a good job of depicting how these gangs started, it paints a very clear picture of 2 things:

1 - gang violence continues to be an epidemic
2 - there is a lack of resources aimed at preventing or intervening in gang activity.

As one crip gang member says on the movie, "It's like you're waiting for someone to come save you man but you never get saved."

So as you reflect on statistics and dollar signs, I leave you with this quote from Stacy Peralta's director statement
   "With that in mind then, why is it that young African-Americans  have been involved in this spiral
    of death for over four decades with no viable solution in sight?"

Crips and Bloods: Made in America can be found on Netflix and several other legal sources for viewing.  Please take the time to watch this powerful documentary.

Kickoff!

Yesterday's post, while the data and stats are accurate, was more of a test run for me to get the feel of the site, to get used to the idea of writing, and to shake the uncertainties off.  I only told one person I did it.

So today, I'm letting everyone know.  I'm going to tweet and Facebook the link to this blog and go from there.  I'm sure there will be some that wonder why the heck I'm doing it, and others who fully support it.  Either way, I'm doing this for me and for anyone who is interested in the information or in discussions.  I've had the desire to write for a long time, but I have to give credit to a guy named Scott Dickson who writes the Crime Analyst Blog.  I heard him speak at an association meeting and since then I decided to do it.  I wasn't sure exactly what topic or name I would use so it took a few days.

My initial thought was to center the writings on school violence, which could encompass many things.  But anyone that knows me knows that I am passionate about gangs.  Doesn't mean that I won't discuss other school violence related topics, but I will try to tie them into gangs if I can. 

One thing that surprised me was that there are a number of "school and gang" related blogs out there.  Many of them have not been updated in years.  Some of them, which appeared to be followed by many, decided that the topic had run its course and shut them down.  This is going to be the perfect lead in to my next topic.  Gangs are not going away!

So with all that said, if you read this, thanks.  If you tell a friend to read it, thanks again.  And if you have any constructive criticisms, ideas, or topics, let me know.