Newspaper Page Text
6A
♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2006
Task force seminar gives community ttys on speUfcc gang activity
By RAYUGHTSFR
Journal Staff Writ*
It’s good when a commu
nity comen together
Jerome Stephens, coordi
nator got an "amen" to that
statement and many others
from the community that
came together Thursday
night for the ninth annual
Houston County Gang Task
Fbrce seminar. "Clang leaders
and drug dealers are looking
for someone weak minded."
Stephens said. "We have
these seminars to educate
us parents to keep our kids
out of gangs Prevention and
education are the best ways
to keep them out of gangs
and off drugs."
Det. Karen Stokes, gang
task force officer from
the Warner Robins Police
Department echoed that
“We have a tough job as par
ents to raise and protect our
kids,” Stokes said. “Drugs
and guns are running ram
pant in our streets. The best
way to arm ourselves, to
protect our children is edu
cation."
It has worked, Stephens
and District Attorney Kelly
Burke each noted, pointing
to a reduction in gang activ
ity over the past nine years.
“Nine years ago there
were 23 organized gangs."
Stephens said. “Now there
are none organized, but
there is some activity."
He encouraged people to
call the gang hotline. 218-
GANG (4264).
Burke said back in 1997
“we got real active” against
gangs. “Gang activity has
vastly diminished” from
then. He said gang activity
is second only to meth when
it comes the biggest prob
lem in the middle Georgia
courts.
Burke said the activity
now is mostly “wanna-be’s.”
He quoted Perry Police
Chief George Potter, say
ing “if they’re a wanna-be,
they’re gonna be if we don’t
do something.”
Potter came to Perry from
Columbus, which had a large
gang problem at the time.
Guest speaker Det. Choice
Barnes of the Valdosta Police
Department said, “there’s no
such thing as a wanna-be.
What’s going on in your
town is no different than in
the big cities, there’s just
fewer people.”
Barnes said, “the gangs
might not be organized but
you’re right close to Macon
and Milledgeville - some of
the worst gang areas in the
state.”
He ran off a list of the
gangs in Valdosta, whose
membership is black, white
and Hispanic. Gangs there
include MSI3, SIR 13, Black
Gangster Disciples, multiple
groups of Folk, Bloods and
Crips, as well as biker gangs
Hammer Skins and Black
Pistols.
He said tattoos are the
strongest evidence of gang
affiliation.
Clothing is also an indica
tor, but alone does not indi
cate gang involvement since
current styles imitate gang
styles of all one color - red,
blue, black - bandanas and
baggy and sagging pants, as
well as white T-shirts. Barnes
said white is a neutral color
to gangs, and the popularity
may have to do more with a
rap song entitled “My White
T-shirt.”
He went over other indi
cators like being disrespect
ful to teachers and parents,
drops in grades, refusing to
follow house rules, changes
in friends, extreme loyalty
to them and being secretive
about activities with them.
“Parents have to get con
trol of the home,” Barnes
said. “The kids don’t run the
show.”
Other indicators include
drawing numbers or sym
bols on themselves, unusual
writing on books or clothing,
pictures of them throwing
gang hand signals, as well
as having unaccounted for
money and jewelry like stars.
“Sammy Davis Jr. is the only
brother I know who claimed
to be Jewish,” Barnes, said,
referring to the star of David
some of the gangsters wear.
Signs of being in a fight
and substance abuse are
another indicator as is secre
cy about how the injuries
| f
JNT jSS
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Concerned parents end r hitdfen che, k nut s*m Pt Hw M f**A‘N*
at ninth annual NOIMtI " * '
gang insignias (five at si* point shun) xtmwd on mtehooks **'
some of the fewelry, el cetera couffsx -*tod a * *>-“sOtWl lA*s - o 1,1 1 >'
name on ft.
happened. Gangs sometime*
beat in new members a a
form of initiation Girls join
ing gangs may be beat in or
sexed in - forced to have
with one or more memhp'
of the gang
Some of the signs for git Is
in gangs include dark lines
around their lip. streaks
of color in their hair and
colored fingernails Barnes
said the' females Usnallx
carry the packages idrugs
and guns), sometime in their
hairpieces.
Gangs are everywhere."
Barnes said. “If it looks like
a duck, walks like a duck,
quacks like a duck Call it
what it is. It’s a duck
How can it be prevented”
Barnes encouraged par
ents to get invok'd in tlicit
child’s activities Get them
involved in church mentor
ing groups or sports. “Get
involved in their lives keep
up on 'em."
Sometimes getting them
away from the gang works
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J«tM* itnl M -tv I Iplt*in i
District Attorney Kelly Burke presents a plague in umg
seminar guest speaker Det. Choice Barnes of lire Vahtosla
Police Department.
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SoiUettmes tt dot-U t Ihr
mother nl a 13 \s-nr old said
she mop'd Bom Voldo-tt
to get bet rhdd aw at Bom
the gitngs “He Won't go to
ehtlh'b because ot the anti
gang prugrttm* Now hr n tu
leadership heir
Barnes said I hex hove
to want to get out -tad is
not always the best 010
(ion. Burke said Burnett tut
alternative sentencing c
needed Von know who Is
in the jail''" Burke asked
other ganpstefs t'hev learti
in jail,
Barnes said it s also a
badge ot boom 110 them to
go to jail Thev'te held in
higher legat'd hi the gang
Barnes and Burke also
encouraged people to report
suspected gang activity B
anvone pressures vott Into a
gang, let a teacher, parent ot
police know. Barnes aid
While it s not illegal to hi
in aging until there s erltut
nal activity," he said, 'll 1°
illegal for them to presstll'
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