Gangs

What's the big attraction?

Young people get involved with gangs for a variety of reasons. Things like peer pressure, low self-esteem, excitement, status, attention, brotherhood and even intimidation by gang members all play a role in gang involvement. In addition, the economic profits from gang activities like drug trafficking, thefts and robberies also seem quite attractive to youths.

What is a gang?

A group of people who form an alliance for a common purpose and engage in violent or criminal activity. Defined in the Texas Penal Code: Section 71.01 - Three or more people engaging in criminal activity.

How do gangs work?

Gang members display recurring interaction. They hang out together. They then seek to engage in, and encourage, a growing cycle of criminal activity. Then, through names, symbols and leadership, they claim a specific territory or turf. Frequently, gang members seek confrontations with rivals. These confrontations can occur most anywhere - shopping malls, schools, entertainment facilities and other areas. And while violence is mostly what we hear about, property damage and vandalism to local property and businesses is also frequent.

How do gang members dress?

Gang members wear specific apparel to show gang affiliation or "colors". They dress in a basic style or color chosen by gang leaders. However, as pressure from police, school officials and parents increases, gang members may change their appearance to become less noticeable. Today, many members wear professional sports team jackets, caps and shirts, so identifying them is more difficult. Law enforcement officials now depend on other criteria and intelligence rather than clothing to identify gang members. In other words, don't let appearances fool you. Clothes may make the man (or woman) but they don't necessarily identify who is in a gang and who isn't.

Gang graffiti - What does it mean?

Almost always, the first sign of gang activity is graffiti. In essence, it's the underground newspaper of gangs and it serves several basic purposes. It identifies the gang and their territory, graffiti serves as a warning and challenge to rival gangs. It glorifies the gang in general. Graffiti can also point out which gangs are fighting with each other. It immortalizes deceased gang members and epitomizes leaders within each gang. Of course, all of this occurs at the cost of property values in both residential and business areas.

Question: I think my son or daughter is in a gang. How can I be sure?

Answer: Ask them. Your son or daughter may come right out and admit to being in a gang. If not, look for a number of identifiers that you can use to determine possible gang involvement. A few identifiers include:

Too much secrecy, or your child refusing to tell you where they are going or with whom.
Your son or daughter not wanting you to meet their "new friends."
Your son or daughter having large amounts of unexplained cash.
Gang graffiti written on books, clothing, even inside the brim of a baseball cap.
A sudden drop in school performance

Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School

Parents/Students

CIS Coordinator

Parent and Family Engagement Liaison

Gang Awareness