Announcements
Gang Membership Indicators
When a child decides to get involved in a gang, his/her behavior will change. Parents and other adults will notice these changes. Particular things to look for include:
- Clothing: all one color, altered in some way with writing or stitching, dramatic changes in style
- Tattoos or Graffiti: on school notebooks and assignments, on a child's hands and arms and clothes, in a child's room. Tattoos may be temporary (pen) or permanent, and will usually contain information about the gang
- Hand signs/Posturing: obvious contortions of the hands (NOT American Sign Language!), stance may become aggressive or defensive
- Changes in attitude: new aggressiveness and defiance, especially towards any adult in a position of authority
- Drop in school performance or attendance: grades may drop, student may start sluffing classes or entire days of school
- Unexplained amounts of money: may be coming from illegal activities
- Evidence of drug/alcohol abuse
- Decrease in family involvement: child will prefer to spend time with his/her gang friends
- Contact with Law Enforcement: officers will often know the child by name, and may begin to contact parents or school concerning the child's gang involvement
