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Sch ool Gangs
Com m on Questions Abou t Gangs in Schools
Alth ough you th gangs h ave e xiste d in th e cities of th e
Unite d State s alm ost as lon g as th e n ation itself, tren ds
du rin g th e last two decades h ave alarm ed sch ool and
com m u n ity officials. Gangs, n ow m ore violen t th an e ver,
are spre adin g to n ew location s. Warn s Clare n ce
Te rh un e , director of th e California You th Au th ority, "th e
proble m can eru pt an ywh e re at alm ost any tim e" (Kay
McKin ne y 1988).
• Wh at is a gang?
• Wh y do gan gs form ?
• Wh ere are gangs a proble m and h ow do th ey
spread?
• How can school officals figh t gang activity?
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2. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 2 of 8
• How can schools an d com m u n ites jointly figh t
gan gs?
WHAT IS A GANG?
Gan gs vary trem e ndou sly in com position an d activities.
Irvin g Spe rge l (1989) su gge sts th e followin g workin g
defin ition : "ju ven ile an d you ng adu lts associating
togeth er for seriou s, e specially violen t, crim inal
be havior with spe cial concern s for 'tu rf'." Tu rf can
sign ify the con trol of a ph ysical territory, a crim in al
en terprise, or both.
Defen se of turf can lead to e xtrem e violen ce. As Captain
Raym ond Gott of th e Los Ange les Sh eriff's Office says,
sim ply "we arin g th e wron g color in a certain
n eighborh ood can ge t you kille d" (McKinn e y). Tu rf line s
are n orm ally drawn in the n eigh borh oods, bu t gan g
rivalrie s also h ave a devastatin g im pact on sch ools.
Ofte n, e ven non -gan g m e m bers begin bringin g we apons
to sch ool for "prote ction " from robberies an d gang
viole n ce (Cindy Tu rsm an 1989).
Asian , black, Hispan ic, wh ite an d in te rracial gan gs e xist,
ran gin g in size from a fe w m em be rs to th ousands. Age s
ran ge from pre te en to adu lt, bu t th e average age is
droppin g--from 15 in 1984, to 13 1/2 in 1987
(McKin ne y). Th e vast m ajority of gang m em be rs are m ale
(Spergel).
Most gan g m e m bers advertise th eir m em be rship by
distinctive dress an d beh aviors, in cludin g h an dke rch iefs
an d sh oe laces of spe cific colors, je welry, tattoos,
jargon , an d h an d ge stu res. Th e y m ark th e ir territory an d
challe nge oth er gangs with spray-pain te d graffiti or gan g
sym bols. Th e Nation al Sch ool Safe ty Cen te r (NSSC 1988)
provide s an e xcel-len t sum m ary of th e ch aracte ristics of
diffe re n t types of gangs.
WHY DO GANGS FORM?
Accordin g to Larry Rawle s, de pu ty director of
Ph ilade lph ia's Crisis Interven tion Ne twork, gang
m em bersh ip offers kids statu s, acceptan ce , and se lf-
estee m th e y h ave n 't fou n d e lse wh ere (De l Stove r 1986).
In poore r com m u n ities, a breakdown of fam ily and
com m u n ity stru ctu re s m ay le ave kids m ore receptive to
gan g recru itm en t. Howeve r, gan gs can also form in
afflu en t are as am ong kids wh o fee l alien ated from
frien ds an d fam ilie s (Stove r).
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3. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 3 of 8
Fin ancial gain is a powe rfu l m otive for gan g in volvem e nt,
especially for im pove rish e d you th s with poor e du cation
an d lack of access to de ce n t jobs (McKinn ey). Th e vast
su m s of m on e y available th rou gh th e dru g trade h ave
increase d th e size of gan gs, both by re cru itm en t an d by
lon ger rete n tion of m em be rs. Usu ally on ly a fe w adult
gan g m e m bers m ake large su m s of m one y. Aware th at
cou rts tre at ju ven iles far m ore len ie n tly th an adults,
th e y sh ie ld th e m selves by u sing ju ve n ile gang m em bers
as e ve ryth ing from lookou ts to gang h itm en (NSSC). Dru g
traffickin g m akes tradition al tu rf battle s bloodie r by
providing th e m on e y for soph isticated we apon ry, and it
cre ate s ne w sources of con flict as rival gangs fight ove r
lu crative dru g te rritorie s (McKin ne y).
WHERE ARE GANGS A PROBLEM AND HOW DO THEY
SPREAD?
Gan gs con tinu e to be active in large citie s wh ere th ey
h ave be en lon g e stablish e d, and th ey are spre ading to
su bu rbs and sm aller citie s. Pressure by police an d rivals
an d th e lure of h igh er dru g profits pu sh gan gs to see k
n ew te rritories (Dan Bryan t 1989). Me an wh ile, in m an y
m idsize com m u nities factory closings an d busin ess
failu res create u ne m ploym e n t an d pove rty, "con dition s
con du cive to gan g activity" (Tu rsm an ).
In som e cities, like Ch icago an d Ph ilade lph ia, gan g
activity is actu ally stabilizin g or de clin in g as th e ir gangs
m ove in to oth e r cities like De troit an d Milwaukee
(Tu rsm an ). Gan gs flou rish in Los An ge le s, th e curren t
"gan g capital of the U.S.," in spite of in cre ased
com m u n ity an d police e fforts, an d h ave spread like
cancer to su rrou n din g com m u nitie s (Stover). The Dru g
En force m en t Agen cy h as con firm e d th e pre sen ce of
m em bers of Los An gele s gan gs in forty-n in e oth e r cities
across th e n ation. Chris Baca, director of Albu qu erqu e 's
You th De ve lopm e nt, Inc., warns oth e r m idsize citie s to
react qu ickly; by the tim e Albuque rqu e ackn owledged it
h ad a problem , gan gs with Los An ge le s origin s were
firm ly e stablish e d (McKin n ey).
Sch ool officials in Eu gen e, Oregon , aware of th e
dram atic in cre ase in gan g activity in n earby Portlan d,
recen tly m ade a u n ique attem pt to block its spre ad to
th e ir own com m u nity. On October 2, 1989, eigh tee n -
ye ar-old Robbie Robinson , accom pan ie d by two frie n ds
we arin g gan g colors, en rolle d at Sou th Eu gen e High
Sch ool. Adm in istrators con tacted J efferson High Sch ool
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4. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 4 of 8
in Portlan d, Robin son 's previou s h igh sch ool, and le arn ed
h e h ad an exte n sive re cord of gan g activity an d h ad bee n
barred from finish ing h igh school the re. On Robin son's
first day of atten dan ce, a grou p of seve n additional
te en s dresse d in gan g fash ion en te re d an d walke d
th rou gh the h alls. On e of th e m an nou n ce d th at h e, too,
plann e d to e n roll.
Prin cipal Don J ackson su spe nde d Robin son . A we ek
later, in th e first su ch action in the n ation , th e sch ool
board sou gh t an in ju n ction in Lane Cou nty Circu it Cou rt
to bar th e stu den t pe rm ane n tly from th e city's sch ools,
n ot on th e basis of any specific action s, but becau se "h is
m ere prese nce at th e sch ool in clothin g associate d with
gan g m e m bersh ip con stitu te s a dange r to th e h ealth an d
safety of stu den ts" (J e ff Wrigh t 1989). On Nove m ber 8,
th e in ju nction was gran te d.
Som e citizen s expresse d con ce rn abou t th e
con stitution ality of th e rulin g, bu t m em be rs of th e local
chapte r of th e NA ACP and of th e Com m u nity Coalition
for th e Preven tion of Gangs applau de d th e action . Said
J ackson , "You don 't u n-gan g a com m u n ity. We m ay not
be able to kee p it ou t, bu t at least we h ave to
try" (pe rsonal in te rview, May 7, 1990).
HOW CAN SCHOOL OFFICIALS FIGHT GANG ACTIVITY?
Experts agre e th e sch ools m u st be e stablish e d as n eu tral
grou n d. An yth ing relate d to gan g m em be rsh ip sh ou ld be
ban n ed: weapons, violen ce , ille gal activity, gan g-
iden tified cloth in g, in signia, an d ge stu res. Staff can
expe ct to be te ste d con stan tly by th e su btle an d
changing form s of gang sym bols.
Adm inistrators m u st com m u nicate cle ar, consisten t
standards of disciplin e an d en force th em . In a stu dy of
Oh io gang activity, Dr. Ron ald Hu ff fou n d th at teach ers
wh o backed down in confron tation s we re m ore likely to
be assau lte d th an teach e rs wh o were fair bu t firm
(Bryan t). Th e NSSC details a n um be r of specific conflict
preve ntion strategie s.
Graffiti sh ou ld be pain te d over im m ediate ly. Not on ly
does this sign al th at sch ool prope rty is not th e gang's, it
also discou rages rival gan gs from re spon din g with m ore
graffiti, or worse, de facin g th eir rival's sym bols, wh ich
can lead to retaliation an d viole n ce .
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5. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 5 of 8
An ti-gan g policie s of th e Portlan d sch ool su perinten den t
inclu ded se arch ing stude nts an d locke rs if th ere we re
indication s of drugs or weapon s, an d e xpelling an d
referrin g to juve nile cou rt an y stu den t fou n d to possess
we apons (McKin n ey).
Som e districts split u p gan gs by transferrin g disru ptive
stu de nts. Th is m ay redu ce friction, bu t Spergel warns
n ew proble m s som e tim es re su lt; a gan g m e m ber m ay be
picked out if h e is tran sferred to a school dom inated by
an oth er gan g (Stover). Sch ools m ay also offe r alte rnative
edu cational program s for gang m em be rs (Rich ard Arth u r
1989).
Districts u n used to gang activity m ay be reluctant to
ackn owledge its appearan ce. Robe rto Rive ra, director of
th e Ch icago Interven tion Ne twork, u rge s sch ool boards
to en courage adm in istrators to be alert for sign s of gang
activity and assu re th em th at re porting proble m s won 't
reflect adverse ly on th em (Stover).
Pre ve n tive efforts are also im portan t. Ch icago schools
offe r re cre ation al alte rnative s to gang activity by stayin g
open for even ing extracu rricular activitie s (Stove r). Th e
City of Param oun t, Californ ia, h as de ve lope d an an ti-
gan g curricu lu m en titled "Altern atives to Gang
Mem be rsh ip" (Tu rsm an). Expe rts stress th e im portan ce
of startin g preven tion program s in th e e arly e le m en tary
grades in order to circu m ven t gan g in flu e nce (Bryant).
Spergel su ggests specifically targetin g "you th wh o give
clear indication of gan g involve m en t" as opposed to
th ose ide ntifie d as ge ne rally "at-risk." Som e warnin g
sign s inclu de e vide nce of child abu se , beh avior an d
pe rson ality ch an ges, gan g-iden tifie d dre ss, su dde n
u ne xplain ed wealth , an d in cre ase d su bstan ce abuse
(NSSC).
HOW CAN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES J OINTLY FIGHT
GA N GS ?
In form ation sh aring is vital. Milwau kee Sch ool Secu rity
chie f J erry Mourn ing u rge s sch ools to ke ep abre ast of
gan g rivalrie s: "You ne ed to know wh at's h appen ing in
th e com m u nity. Wh at h appe ns over th e we eken d, we
h an dle on Monday m orn in gs" (Stove r). In Ch icago, th e
sch ool board receive s m onth ly reports on stu den t
assau lts from each sch ool to give the m an ove rview of
citywide tren ds (Stove r).
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6. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 6 of 8
Police expe rtise can be ne fit sch ools. In Ch icago, police
h ave train ed 6,000 teach ers to iden tify gan g be h aviors.
Milwau ke e sch ool adm in istrators an d police m e et
pe riodically to exch ange in form ation on gan g activities.
Police can also train school staff to h an dle arm ed or
viole n t you th s (Stove r).
In m any com m u nities, sch ools h ave join e d law
en forcem e nt, judicial, and civil au th oritie s to create
coordin ated an ti-gan g program s, such as th e Ph iladelph ia
Crisis In terven tion Ne twork an d th e Ch icago In te rve ntion
Network. School boards in Pasaden a an d Com pton ,
Californ ia, h ave in vited th e Los An geles Com m u n ity
You th Gang Se rvice s "to con du ct we ekly se m in ars for
fou rth , fifth , an d sixth graders on th e dan gers of
be com in g in volved with a stre et gan g" (Stover). Th e
NSSC lists a n u m ber of su ccessful sch ool an d com m u nity
program s, som e pre ven tive in n atu re .
Som e tim es an ti-gan g e fforts go beyon d th e com m un ity.
In 1985, Illin ois passed le gislation increasin g pen altie s
for distribu tion or sale of weapon s an d dru gs with in
1,000 fee t of sch ool property. Ne w J erse y recen tly
establish e d sim ilar safe -sch ool zone s (Tu rsm an ). Even
com pre h en sive efforts m ay be u n able to e lim in ate gan gs.
Bu t sch ool officials can take steps to control gan g
activity within th eir sph ere , and th e y can m ake valu able
con tribu tion s to redu cin g th e proble m in th eir
com m u n itie s.
RESOURCES
Arth u r, Rich ard F. "How to Help Gangs Win th e Se lf-
Este em Battle." SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR 46,5 (May
1989):18-20. EJ 388 730.
Bryan t, Dan . "Com m u n itywide Re sponse s Cru cial for
Dealin g With You th Gan gs." J UVENILE J USTICE BULLETIN
(Septe m ber 1989): 1-6. (U.S. De partm e nt of J u stice).
McKin ne y, Kay C. "J u ven ile Gan gs: Crim e and Drug
Traffickin g." J UVENILE J USTICE BULLETIN (Se pte m ber
1988): 1-8. (U.S. Departm en t of J u stice).
National Sch ool Safe ty Cen te r. "Gangs in Sch ools:
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." Malibu , Californ ia: Nation al
Sch ool Safety Cen te r, Pe pperdine Un ive rsity, 1988. 49
pages. ED 312 171.
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7. School Gangs - Common Questions About Gangs in Schools Page 7 of 8
Spergel, Irvin g A. You th Gan gs: Proble m and Re spon se, A
Re vie w of th e Literature . Exe cu tive Sum m ary. Draft.
Ch icago: Sch ool of Social Service Adm in istration ,
University of Ch icago, J an u ary 1989. 24 pages.
Stove r, De l. "A New Bre ed of You th Gan g Is on th e Prowl
an d a Bigger Th re at Th an Ever." AMERICAN SCHOOL
BOARD J OURNA L 173,8 (Augu st 1986):19-24,35. EJ 338
808.
Tu rn er, Bren da. "A Groun dswe ll Respon se to Recen t
Crim e Wave." SCHOOL SAFETY (Spring 1989):15-17. EJ
398 973.
Tu rsm an , Cin dy. "Safegu ardin g Sch ools Against Gan g
Warfare ." SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR 46,5 (May 1989):8-
9,13-15. EJ 388 729.
Wrigh t, J e ff, "Court Ban of Stu den t Re qu ested." THE
REGISTER-GUARD, Nove m ber 4, 1989, Eu gen e , Oregon .
Th is pu blication was prepare d with fun ding from th e
Office of Edu cational Re search an d Im prove m en t, U.S.
Departm en t of Edu cation , u nde r con tract No. OERI
RI88062004. The ide as an d opin ion s expressed in this
Dige st do not n e ce ssarily reflect th e position s or policies
of OERI, ED, or th e Cle arin gh ouse . Th is Digest is in th e
pu blic dom ain an d m ay be free ly reprodu ce d.
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