Gang violence shatters lives. Every day you see stories on TV news and read in newspapers about how gang violence disrupts lives and leaves a trail of blood. Here are a few articles.

Manchester, CT.:

For the first time in the history of this small town, police are having to deal with gang activity. Members of a gang have been beating up non-gang teenagers. Gang members kick, punch, or hit their victims with bats or clubs.

Los Angeles, CA.:

A drive-by shooting has left tho teens dead and eight wounded. One teen has been blinded and another paralyzed from the neck down. A three-month-old baby girl, in a house a block away, was killed by a stray bullet.

Houston, TX.

Shorty joined his neighborhood gang when he was 9 years old. The gang rewarded him with a gun when he turned 13. After that he thought nothing of shooting members of other gangs. Shorty, age 15, was found dead in an alley yesterday, apparently killed by a rival gang member.

Recent surveys indicate that:

• About 7 percent of teens say they belong to gangs.
• Gang members usually range in age from 12 to 25 years old. The average age is 17.
• Many large gangs have members of several age and ethnic groups. Some gangs may have specific ethnic groups, while other gangs contain only white members.
• About 20 percent of all teens know someone who was killed or injured by gang members.
• In some cities, as many as 70 percent of teens killed by guns are gang members.

Gangs are not a problem just in big cities. They have spread from the cities all the way to small towns and rural areas. Gangs- and the biolence they cause- are problems for everyone across the country.

What is a Gang:

A gang is usually a group of teens and young adults who spend much of their time together. They often plan how to carry out activities that usually involve violence. Gangs are known by particular names. They are organized with leaders and followers. Gangs usually claim a particular area of a city or town which they call their “turf”. They spend much of their time fighting rival gangs to keep them out of this territory.

Gangs Also:

Use special phrases, terms, or nicknames such as Shotgun, Loco, or Bounty Hunter. One term most gangs use is “stomping”- this means they use heavy boots to kick someone senseless. Mark or tattoo symbols or names on their bodies. Wear particular items, styles, brands, or colors of clothing. Some gangs wear bandannas of a certain color or baseball caps of a particular team. Use special hand signs or handshakes to great each other or tell others the gang to which they belong. Some gang members great other members by holding up two fingers. Failure to give proper gang hand signals could lead to a beating.

What do gangs do?

A gang makes money by carrying out illegal activities. They get most of their money by:

• dealing illegal drugs
• forcing people to pay protection money
• robbing people and stores
• selling stolen goods
• trading illegal weapons.

Join a gang-step into the terror zone:

Joining a gang is like stepping into the terror zone-a world where beatings and shootings happen all the time.

To join:

Boys usually have to fight several other gang members at the same time-this is called being “rolled-in” or “walking the line”.

Girls may be forced to have sex with several gang members or fight other female gang members.

To “prove themselves”, new members may also have to beat up an innocent person, rob a store, or shoot someone in a drive-by shooting.

Want to survive?-lose your identity.

Only followers have a chance of surviving in a gang. You will have to follow stricter rules than you ever would at school or home.

Here are the facts:

• a top gang leader is usually one whom the others fear the most
• gang rules and the leader’s orders must be obeyed-no questions asked
• you get “promoted” in a gang by staying in it and by carrying out violent acts-like robbery or murder
• “wanna-bes” act and dress like gang members.

Break gang rules-the punishment is death:

The day you join a gang you have to swear a “blood oath”-a promise to obey all the rules.

What happens if you break your promise? The punishment could be death. In fact, when you join a gang you will be told to plan your funeral in advance.

There are no good reasons to join a gang:

1) Everybody is in a gang;

Wrong. At least 93 percent of all teenagers are not in gangs.

2) It’s a good way to make money:

Wrong. Gang members usually don’t get and education, so they can’t find well-paying jobs. They often end up in prison. And employers don’t like to hire people who have arrest records. Over a lifetime, gang members make far less money than those who are not in gangs.

3) It makes you more popular:

Wrong. Most other kids will think that you are too dangerous to hang out with. And the only friends you may have will be some of the kids who are in your own gang. You will have lots of enemies - all the members of rival gangs.

4) You have to join a gang for protection.

Wrong. Being in a gang increases your chances of being injured or killed. For example, last year in Los Angeles, 70 percent of the teens who were shot were gang members.

When you join a gang:

1) You commit to a life of crime and violence.

2) You gain instant enemies -- the members of rival gangs .

3) You won’t do well in school -- which means you will not be able to find a good job as an adult.

4) You will receive a final reward -- an early death.

Take the quiz below to find out how much you know about gangs.

T F 1) gangs are only located in large cities.

T F 2) to prove themselves, new members often must beat an innocent person, rob a store, or shoot someone.

T F 3) most gang members plan their funerals in advance.

T F 4) today, most teens belong to gangs.

T F 5) gang members treat each other like “family”.

T F 6) most teen gang members have been forced to join.