2. Pages from a “Gang Knowledge Book”
031 = LOVE FOR BLOOD
CODE
MEANING 31
I’M BLOOD
031
LOVE FOR BLOOD
404
SEND MONEY
Taken from students that had displayed gang like activities… basically the dictionary for graffitti and gang signs
Courtesy of K. Ferguson Kelly, STG-A

3. GANG NAME :
AFFILIATION:
ETHNICITY:
SYMBOLS:
AKA:
COLORS:
SAYING:
BLACK GANGSTER DISCIPLES
FOLKS
MOSTLY BLACK
UPWARD CROSSED PITCHFORK AND SIX POINT STAR
BGD /  BGDN / BGDs / SUPREME GANGSTERS
BLUE AND BLACK
David Barksdale

7. Dirty White Boys
This gang is not affiliated with any White supremacy groups..members tend to be white males who feel they do not fit in with Caucasian community because they were raise around minorities, but also feel rejected by minorities for being white.

8. MS-13

9. MS-13~Mara Salvatrucha Colors-Blue and White
Wear gang-related tattoos visibly on body
Ages range from 11 to 40 years old
Named after “La Mara”, street in
El Salvador and “13th Street” in Los Angeles.
They have no structural leadership, but they are organized into cliques.
MS-13 members are moving to the United States because of laws against gangs in other countries. 9 9

11. Lets Look at the Stereotypes…..11 11

12. SURENOS 13

13. Stereotypes that are not true…
Gang members are all males…. violent, addicted to drugs and confrontational.
They are all African American or Hispanic.
They are ignorant and uneducated and poor.
They thrive in the inner city neighborhoods.
They only prey upon other gangs.
The deal heavily with drugs, especially crack.
ALL gang members wear colors
Gangs are ONLY criminal enterprises. 13 13

14. Stereotypes that are true…
The connection between gangs and drugs is as strong as believed.
It is not as difficult as believed for youth to refuse to join a gang.
Gang members often leave their gang with serious consequences.
More gangs are in suburban areas , small towns, and rural areas than in the past.
There is more gang presence in school today than in the past.
White gangs are more prevalent among teens gangs than in the past. 14 14

15. Video Clip
“IT’s YuR Life” 15 15

17. Why do you think they join???
Discussion….. 17 17

18. Factors that contribute to Youth joining Gangs…
POVERTY
Desire to Gain Wealth
Desire to gain power
Lack of Family Support /involvement
Desire to gain acceptance
Desire for protection
Peer Pressure
Desire to gain acceptance
Desire to gain power
Fear
Desire for protection 18 18

19. by their family, school, or environment.
Youth join gangs for various reasons….
The overwhelming reason for most youth to join is to meet a need that is not being fulfilled
by their family, school, or environment. 19 19

20. To become a gang member one must
How Do Youth Join Gangs? Initiation…..
A rite, ceremony, or instructions with which one is made a member of a set or society, or is vested with a particular function or status.
Initiation is used to determine if a potential
member is mentally and physically strong
enough to be worthy of membership.
( They don’t want a member to run at the first
sign of trouble or one who whines about what
his/her order or instructions are)
To become a gang member one must
“put in work" 20 20

21. Initiation Methods Beat in or “jumped in” Armed Robbery
Drive by shooting
Assault
Rape
Blessed in
Sexed in
Murder 21 21

22. Initiation cont.. Female Initiations Male Initiations
Sexed in: A die is rolled and the number rolled determines the number of sex partners the initiate must accommodate.
Jumped in: This method is becoming more prevalent with female gangs
Male Initiations
Jumped in: The initiate is beaten by the other members for an indeterminate amount of time.
Blessed in: If deemed worthy by the O.G., or “Original Gangsta,” founder or older member of a gang, they are automatically accepted. 22 22

23. Wannabe
vs.
Gonnabe
“One of the easiest mistakes that occurs is not intervening when warning signs present
themselves.
This is commonly due to a
dismissive attitude towards the subject/group
and a lack of understanding of the issue.
If a subject represents themselves as a gang
member, has the needed mindset and “wants to
be” a gang member then they are most likely
“going to be” a member.
These subjects can not
be overlooked and present the best opportunity
for intervention techniques. Never use the term,
“Wannabe”, as it trivializes the real issue and
may result in a greater effort by the
group/subject to prove their status. 23 23

24. Traditional Gang Attire
1. Beads: May be found on necklaces, key chains, rosaries, and any other jewelry. The colors found on the item can be linked to the gang and the order of the beads may indicate the subject’s status in the group and/or activities they have engaged in.
2. Tattoos/Markings: May simply have the gang’s name or symbols associated to the gang (i.e. crowns, numbers, pitchforks, dots, etc). Markings may be applied with pens or markers to be easily removed and prevent detection by parents, educators and law enforcement. 24 24

25. Traditional Gang Attire cont..
Clothing:
Colors are used to show association
with the gang. Apparel may have
numbers or acronyms related to
the group (Very common with
sports apparel). Clothing may
be altered to identify the gang.
Bandanas are the most
common piece of clothing
members use to represent the gang. 25 25

26. Traditional Gang Attire cont..
Personal Appearance/Grooming:
Hair styles and eyebrows may have covert numbers or symbols (i.e. lines shaved in eyebrows or hair). Pants worn up on one leg, hat tilted to a certain side and unusual hand gestures may also be used. 26 26

27. 27 27

28. Gang Signs and Symbols 28 28

29. 29 29

30. 30 30

31. Warning Signs Admits to hanging out with known gang members
Begins to have criminal involvement.
Shows a strong interest in one or two particular colors of clothing, a particular logo, or odd clothing features such as wearing the belt buckle to the right or left, or cuffing one pant leg
Has an unusual interest in gangster-influenced music, videos, movies or website materials
Uses unusual hand signals to communicate with friends
Has specific drawings or gang symbols on school books, clothes, walls or wants a very specific tattoo 31 31

32. Has unexplained physical injuries (fight-related bruises or wounds)
Has unexplained cash or goods, including clothing or jewelry
Has been in trouble with the police or at school
Exhibits negative changes in behavior such as:
Withdrawing from family
Declining attendance at school
Declining performance or increase in negative and/or disruptive behaviors (ISS / OSS)
Staying out late without good reason or permission 32 32

33. Carries or expresses a desire for weapons such as: guns knives
Desire for secrecy
Signs of drug use
Breaking rules consistently or suddenly using gang-style slang
Carries or expresses a desire for weapons such as:
guns
knives
baseball bats
brass knuckles
rolled coins 33

34. PANEL DISCUSSION

35. Tips to Preventing Youth from
What Can Schools Do?
Tips to Preventing Youth from
Joining Street Gangs 35 35

36. Tips Spend quality time with students
Keep students involved in school activities
Be a positive role model and set the right example
Encourage good study habits and academic excellence, tutor students…give help as needed.
Get to know your students friends and their parents and keep an open line of communication.
Provide job training, internship opportunities 36 36

37. Tips
Encourage participation in positive after-school activities with adult supervision, organized sports, and youth groups.
Make anger management, conflict resolution and stress management for students
Teach your child how to cope with peer pressure and help them develop good conflict resolution skills.
Be proactive and ask questions. 37 37

38. Be Proactive…….
The first step of action, is to get out of the “Denial Syndrome”!
When the first signs of gang involvement are present staff need to intervene.
Get a “Plan of Action” for each suspected gang affiliated youth and document in their file.
Get a “Plan of Action” to deal with general gang problems
TEAMWORK! 38 38

39. Remember…. Membership in a gang in itself is not illegal
One indicator or a combination of many does
not automatically mean a subject is member of a
criminal street gang.
Enforcement of all school policies (i.e. Dress code violations)
should be done equally and be based on the subject’s
actions and not their possible affiliations.
The best defense for preventing a child from joining a gang starts at Home. 39 39

40. It is the totality of identifiers…
This presentation was designed to create awareness for your school and staff.
When making observations you should understand that one sign, symbol or color of clothing does not identify a gang member.
It is the totality of identifiers… 40 40