How Gang Violence Relates To Family Life
Whether you are in a gang, know somebody in a gang, or being bullied by a gang, you know that no matter what your connection is, you are not the only one being affected. Gangs effect everybody, whether by fearing others with the “strength in numbers” policy, or how they use extreme violence to negotiate. Gangs are a part of nearly every community.
I have a friend who considers himself a gang leader during his childhood. He often recounts how many times he’s nearly been killed, and how all but two members (one being himself) of his gang has either been killed or been locked up in jail. He holds a tremendous guilt in his heart for getting anybody involved in that gang. He realizes now that no life is worth any car, drugs, or alcohol.
He has told me a story where one of his friends (not a member of his gang) was shot while sleeping inside of his house. The shooter was caught. He plead guilty in court, and when questioned why he did it, he admitted that he shot the wrong person and he did not even know the person he killed.
He often tells me how disappointed his mother and grandmother were while he participated in these activities, and tried to stop him. He didn’t stop because being in a gang was “cool”. Is being in a gang “cool”? Is it “cool” to kill innocent people, affecting the hundreds of people that knew him or her, and striking fear into thousands in a community? Is it “cool” for a mother to weep over her son or daughter’s potentially dangerous life choices? Not in my book. Think before you act, don’t be my friend. He still regrets his choice to form a gang to this very day.