While we tend to think of gangs as local, that is no longer the truth. I took a one-day training course on gangs last fall and learned some interesting things. Gangs today are national and they are organized like corporations with boards of directors and a very structured organization chart. Some gangs, including one active in Minnesota, has more than 35,000 members nationwide. This is why criminals who commit serious crimes here in Minneapolis are often found in Los Angeles or Chicago where some of the major gangs are headquartered.
My point is that we are not up against a group of local kids who have decided to do bad things. In many cases, we are up against strong organizations who funnel money and guns into the local group and who provide protection and transportation to get people away when things get too hot.
I'm also mindful of how neighbors can help. Invite younger kids in to do activities with you. Be sure their parents know and give permission. I have a big bunch of Legos at my house, and kids come in and alternate between playing with the Legos and making cookies to take them home to the family. When you reach the younger ones, you also reach the parents. Let's get walking clubs going. There are dealers and prostitutes out until 9 or 10 a.m. during warm weather. How about groups of elders who want some exercise getting together in groups of 4 to 6 to walk and, at the same time, keep an eye on their neighborhoods and provide an added level of protection for the kids waiting for the school bus. Do the same in the afternoon when the kids come home. The drug dealers show up about the time school lets out. Form neighborhood patrols. Did you know that if you walk with an official neighborhood patrol, you have extra protection by law. Assaulting a person who is identifiable as a neighborhood patrol (we wear bright red vests in Jordan) is treated the same as assaulting a police officer. Pay attention to what happens in your neighborhood. Get license numbers and call them in to your neighborhood association or, if you see them acting in a criminal manner, to 911. The other night, I could hear a car engine running outside. It was parked in front of the vacant house next door. I got my binoculars (a MUST for every homeowner here) and checked it out. I got the license number. As I watched, I eventually was able to pick up more identifying information about the car and the person inside. I didn't hide the fact that I was watching. After about 15 minutes, the car decided to leave. He may have been there legitimately (at 1 a.m.?), but if anything should come up later about something happening that night, I have the identifying information that might help.
The kind of things that you are willing to do will depend on your fears, your family situation (I'm an almost-60 single woman, so I have less to lose than some), and so on. Find the level that stretches you just a bit. We build courage by challenging our fears. That doesn't mean confronting dangerous people, but it might mean looking out the window to get a description of someone or calling 911 when dealers are working on your street. If all of us stretch beyond our comfort zones, we can accomplish much.
Dottie
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