So let's talk about drug education and gangs

[Dobela]

Since we decided I would stay home to educate our children, we are just barely living above poverty level on my dh's income. We have everything we need and I am content. Well, I love being home with my children so I don't see it as a sacrifice to have fewer "things".

 

However I do have one very serious concern. The only house we can afford is the one we are living in currently. The area is low income, many rental properties and just poor conditions. I know gangs are in the area. In fact on the next street over are some young kids I have heard recently joined a gang. Graffitti and theft are common here. I also know drugs are being sold on our own street just 3 doors down. (Yes, I have notified police several times but since he isn't the big fish they really want, they are just leaving him alone for now).

 

So, now my son is 9 and I know I need to be more active in teaching him about drugs mostly. He is not allowed off our property without us and must remain in the backyard away from the street, the children that come to play with him must abide with our rules and are always supervised. Some are nearing 12 and I know of one that has a brother using drugs. So far that child I don't think has (he practically lives with us to be away from it) but I can't say for sure. Some have parents that are never home or involved with the kids - they literally just roam the streets looking for someone to do something with because they are locked out of the house again. Which is why they sometimes end up at our house - they know we are home and that I will feed them at meal times.

 

How do I teach my child about staying away from all this-especially drugs? How do I teach him to recognize it and possible codes and methods like the sugar cube someone talked about in another thread? I don't even know what they all are now. We cannot afford to move (believe me we have tried and continue to look). I want to make it look as terrible as it is without making him too curious or make it look interesting while letting him know just how to identify it and avoid it.

 

I spend all the extra money I have involving my son is extracurricular activities away from the neighborhood and we are very active in our church so that he is not one to just hang out at home waiting for the other kids to come by. But I know that sometimes the *best* kids at church and such may be the worst influence.

 

How have you handled it when the real thing is easily available in your neighborhood? Have you used any particular curriculums?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

[mommaduck]

I'm going to come back to this later. Might even pm you ;)

[mazakaal]

Can you contact your local school for an educational video? Or the police? I remember when I was in school they had the drunk-driving videos to scare us away from it. I'm sure they have similar things for drug education now.

 

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Hope you can get some good advice here.

[amy g.]

I could be wrong, but I believe that children/people with an emotional black hole are more susceptible to using drugs and alcohol, developing eating disorders and other self-destructive habits, becoming obsessed with the occult or religious cults...basicly any activity that fills the emptiness.

 

The focus of our family is to help our children become and remain very emotionally healthy, and loved. I think this will help to protect them from so many pit falls.

 

We also talk openly about dangerous behavior, but I think that all of the talking in the world wouldn't help if they were very emotionally needy.

[elegantlion]

Here's a link for FREE drug education information. We have used the Brain power program and found it well presented.

 

http://www.nida.nih.gov/Parent-Teacher.html

[dragons in the flower bed]

Hi Dobela.

 

I could have written your description about my neighborhood, except that we are fortunate to have a bunch of immigrant families from Thailand on the next block over. They're always gentle, pretty involved as local parents go, and they're smart and educated (although they don't generally speak English).

 

I agree with the PP. If your family is emotionally healthy and functional, if you have conversations with your kids and you generally like each other, your kids are pretty unlikely to do drugs. They're seeing the problems that drugs are causing in the lives of the neighborhood kids. Don't be shy about letting them know that those kids' moms are like that because they're on drugs and want more.

[Harriet Vane]

Welcome to my neighborhood!

 

Although in our case we have chosen to live here specifically. We came originally to be a part of a church whose mission is urban renewal and racial reconciliation. We are no longer with that church, but we have lived here on this block for twelve years. We are very, very fortunate to know several families who raised children here before us, when the neighborhood was even worse than it is now. I have appreciated their wisdom a great deal.

 

While our neighborhood is primarily working class (blue collar) there is a large percentage here who are not employed or who are involved in illegal activities. When we first moved onto this block there was a major hot spot right across the street with a pimp, drug operation, and round-the-clock basketball party in the street. Thankfully God broke that hot spot down--over time it dwindled and the building went into foreclosure. Eventually the prayers of many neighbors were answered and a Christian missionary doctor bought the building, rehabbed it, and now his mother lives there! Change CAN occur--it is often slow, with small incremental changes along the way, but it does happen. Keep on praying for your neighborhood.

 

You are doing many of the right things, keeping your children active, restricting their boundaries, and supervising.

 

We have many of the same issues you are facing, with children running wild all. the. time. In warm weather they are out often till midnight or so. There are other issues here as well.

 

Like your children, my kids are not allowed out in front or anywhere on the block unless they are under my direct supervision. Sometimes in warm weather we go in the front and play with the neighborhood kids, but that is absolutely ALWAYS only under my direct supervision. I am cheerful about it and bring some handiwork to pass the time. Often the neighbor kids will come sit with me or stand around me chatting. I feel good about this because I know the kids, they know me, and I have a good handle on who I can trust and who I cannot.

 

My kids do play in the backyard unsupervised, but I still obsessively check them a lot. In warm weather I try to stay within earshot at least. Our backyard has a high wooden fence with points on top, and is padlocked, so it is pretty safe.

 

As for the drugs, talk frankly about it but don't obsess. It's more important to be the kind of family that talks openly, honestly, lovingly with each other. Foster a close relationship together so that you can answer questions or recognize if there is something wrong. Your choices to saturate them with good friends and good activities is healthy also--make sure that is balanced with plenty of down time together just as family.

 

I think the drug issue is easier for me in some ways. I have family who have struggled with addictions. We talk openly about it with the kids. My children are very close to dh, so they were totally horrified when they understood that my father died of the effects of long-term serious alcoholism.

 

Also, in some ways the neighborhood itself helps the kids see the effects of the drugs. On the one hand, they see young adults drinking and partying and looking cool but my kids don't like it much because it these young adults are often loud and leave a mess behind. On the other hand they see people here who have been on drugs a loooooong time--my children know that these people smell, are very poor, and they can see clearly that these people's minds do not work well. It's not a pretty picture. I speak honestly but with compassion when asked what's wrong with so-and so. "It's sad, honey, but so-and-so has been taking drugs for so many years that his brain doesn't work right." And then we talk. The talk always ends with a reminder to both stay AWAY from so-and-so and to pray for so-and-so. At this point my children see absolutely nothing attractive about drugs.

 

When I am feeling low about the environment here, I call to mind the families who settled here before me and have successfully raised children. There are several whose children are now adults. I have spoken with those kids over the years and find their perspective and their stories tremendously encouraging. One common theme among them was how much of a difference there was to be in a happy family. Some of these kids were oblivious to the dangers of the neighborhood because of how rich their family life was.

 

I know how discouraging this environment can be (believe me, I know!!). Please feel free to pm me and keep in touch--it always helps to have a friend who knows what it's like.

[Peek a Boo]

I could be wrong, but I believe that children/people with an emotional black hole are more susceptible to using drugs and alcohol, developing eating disorders and other self-destructive habits, becoming obsessed with the occult or religious cults...basicly any activity that fills the emptiness.

 

The focus of our family is to help our children become and remain very emotionally healthy, and loved. I think this will help to protect them from so many pit falls.

 

We also talk openly about dangerous behavior, but I think that all of the talking in the world wouldn't help if they were very emotionally needy.

 

:iagree:

 

i would also contact the police about resources. if your own police department isn't very helpful, find one that IS.

[dragons in the flower bed]

if your own police department isn't very helpful, find one that IS.

 

In my experience, the other police departments are unlikely to help. Here are a few options when you have a specific issue and they repeatedly fail to respond.

 

First, if you don't look Hispanic or African-American, go to the police department in person. If you are Hispanic or African-American, go with a lawyer and/or some people who won't play into the cops' prejudices. When we had issues, we gathered as many people as we could and went in all together. It's easy to disrespect one person on the phone, or even a couple in person. Hardly any cop will be able to disregard ten people crowded around his desk, especially if they promise to come back.

 

Secondly, get the name of the person who answered your call at the department (or the 911 operator if it was an emergency). If there's no response, call your local legal aid. In fact, you might call legal aid, anyway. They're more likely to know of other similar cases in your neighborhood. Even if they can't help directly (or you don't want them to), they may be able to put you in touch with other people having problems in your neighborhood. Leave them your name & number and ask them to give it to people who have issues in your neighborhood.

 

Third, find the big mommas. In generational poverty, moms have a lot of power to shame even grown men. They, moreso than the police, can enforce limits. If you can get to know the older women in your neighborhood, make friends with them, they'll shoo their boys away from your property and your kids. (I know that sounds crazy, but that's just because our value system is different. Think of it anthropologically.)

 

And, finally, contact your local junior high school! I guarantee you the guidance office there will be desperate for involved parent volunteers. Ours had a schedule of community meetings that we didn't even know were going on, including presentations by the police on gang activity in our area.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Don't feel bad about where you live. People do plenty of drugs in the good neighborhoods too. In fact, they are the ones who can afford them.

 

You do rock, WendyK.

 

On one of the occasions when I brought my partner, who grew up in a poor neighborhood, to the neighborhood of my childhood, an upper middle class suburb, a woman was getting out of a very nice car and walking up to a neighbor's house carrying her purse and some kind of pastry. My partner caught my heavy sigh and asked who she was.

 

"That's [neighbor]'s drug dealer," I said.

 

His jaw dropped. "She's bringing pastries!"

 

"That's how they do it in the middle class. They'll sit in her dinette, have coffee, exchange cash and pills, chat about this and that."

 

He was so shocked that there were drugs "in my neighborhood." My family still laughs about it.

[Jenny in Atl]

:iagree:

 

http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp

 

This website might be a good place to start.

 

Don't feel bad about where you live. People do plenty of drugs in the good neighborhoods too. In fact, they are the ones who can afford them. Growing up my Dad worked with a guy who was determined to live in a certain affluent area. He and his wife both worked several jobs to rent a home there so they could send their children to school there. Well, let me just tell you what their family looks like today. Mom and dad are divorced. Second child is dead due to a heroin overdose. The son is a drug addict, and has lived on and off on the street. The first daughter ran away and nobody has seen her in years.

 

Maybe you can't give your child the best neighborhood, but you are giving him your time and your attention. That is worth far more. I would say just keep the lines of communication open. Be there for your child. Know where he is and what he is doing. Let him know he can come to you. Those things will matter more than any nice neighborhood ever will.

 

:grouphug:

 

Some of the worst drug abusers I have known came from wealthy families and so-called good neighborhoods. Stay involved, connected, and centered as a family. Honestly the gang issue is more troubling to me than the drugs. :grouphug: No easy answers there...

[Laurie4b]

I want to make it look as terrible as it is without making him too curious or make it look interesting while letting him know just how to identify it and avoid it.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

 

One thing that I think is important in education about drugs is to acknowledge that there actually is something that appears "good." Getting high initially feels "good." The negative side effects do not appear instantaneously in most cases. Kids who have been told "drugs are bad, bad, bad" and who then get in a situation where it looks like they are just a bit of forbidden fun are vulnerable, imo.

 

I think it's safest to say that drugs are deceptive. They appear all fun and nice at the beginning--like the bait in a trap looks good to an unwary animal. By the time they are in the trap, it can be too late. They may even pretend that they are not in the trap, to the glee of the "hunters." (Drug sellers). Or maybe use the analogy of ant traps--the first ants who find it go back and communicate to the colony that they have fun yummy food, not even knowing that they are now poisoning the whole colony. More ants go, and then more ants. They are being tricked--by "ants" who are their "friends" because those "friend ants" don't even realize it.

 

Imo, making the point that there is pleasure, but it is deceptive, and many decent kids can get fooled is, imo, a better way to approach it than to just teach that drugs are "terrible." It sort of vaccinates a kid against some of the things that can suck him in, while giving a competitive motivation to "outsmart" the system.

 

As a Christian, I teach that this is always the way the enemy works. Few people would take straight poison (metaphorically speaking) but if it is sugar-coated initially, they will soon take it straight.

[Kathy in MD]

The neighborhood I live in sounds much better than yours, in fact if I didn't have a teenage boy, I'd think it was a pretty good neighborhood. But ds, dh and I've discovered the hard way that there are major problems here as well. At your ds's age, I could give ds more freedom from direct supervision, though he had only a small area to roam in, with adults keeping a loose eye on things.

 

But as he became a teen, things changed. Partly it's because I refuse to keep a teen locked up permanently. (though I have grounded for ages at times :tongue_smilie:) Partly because of cronic illness which keeps socializing at our house down. And partly because ds, recently turned 15, is very social, a follower, not a leader, very compassionate and very, very stubborn. A very social child who is a follower is more likely to be led astray if his friends are inclined to go the wrong way. Personality can play a large role in how influential peers can be. We've been lucky in that ds has had several friends refuse the pleas of aquantances to get them out of trouble. He's had good examples there.

 

But there are times that the teen con artists have gotten to ds. The first pleas delt with "the MS 13 is going to kill me if I don't come up with $X00." Or some other sob story. After a year, ds was getting wise to them, but it was a very rough year. At times, they have convinced ds to give them all of his money, anything he had that they could hock, and have even asked him to steal for him. They taught ds to fear going to the police. But after a while ds saw them refuse cash from my dh because dh would give it only if the police were called. Or that the stories might change, the con artists never offered to work to get the money. Or the constant begging, especially since some had more "things" than ds. It was a very rough year and even now they catch up with ds to try to con him or get him to do their dirty work. You might prepare you dc to deal with the "beggers" who play on sympathy and compassion.

 

Keeping good connections with your dc, being open in your communications and supervising are all important. But I've found that just because I homeschool an only child, it doesn't mean that I've always kept up good communications. Set aside alone time for each of your children where you do what THEY want to do. Encourage your children to be friends with adults you consider good role models. Another trusted adult will often hear confidences that your child doesn't want you to hear, and they will be in a position to give mature advice. Listen and compromise where you can - that means though I hate some of ds's clothes, I let him have some that are decent and let him blend in with his neighborhood friends. I don't force him into a tie at church because no one else wears one.

 

Though you might want to isolate your dc totally from the others in the neighborhood, don't. There are undoubtably good kids there, make sure your dc make connections with them. On occasion, my ds faces with a small group of kids wanting to tangle with an unknown or when one of ds's football teammates or a group of his friends showed up.

 

At times it will be rough, and at times you might ground your dc just to keep them away from the neighborhood. But keep working at it, giving more protection to your dc when they are more vunerable. chances are they'll be ok.

[Dobela]

Thanks for the replies. First, we work very hard to make certain the emotional needs of our children are met. I know that is a huge responsibility. Especially since all the kids I have known in gangs went for social and emotional needs - that sense of belonging and then secondary a sense of power. (I taught in poor city schools for a time before marrying and having children). I feel that the gang issue isn't as much a concern (other than being the victim of random violence and theft) as the illegal drugs. For one reason, the kids that joined the gang have stopped coming by. They know that my son doesn't leave my sight and they also don't want to follow the rules I enforce.

 

The police in the area are working hard at eliminating drugs. But again, the dealer on our street is not the big fish and they don't have enough officers to go around. We have personal friends on the force and they can't do anything about it. There have been some big raids with in a mile circle of us recently, but not our block. One drug enforcement officer actually said, "We can spend all our time catching guppies and accomplish nothing. But guppies are a dime a dozen, easy to replace. We can't slow anything down unless we catch the one feeding the guppies." So here we are.

 

We know most of our neighbors very well and that helps. Our block works closely together to watch and care for each other. Except the one. And a regular passerby wouldn't know he was the one because he has the best landscaping and such.

 

Thanks for the recommendation of BrainPower. I have seen that but not ordered it because I did not know what to expect. I will be looking for some of the other things as well.

[Dobela]

removed, accidently posted the same things twice

[Dobela]

The neighborhood I live in sounds much better than yours, in fact if I didn't have a teenage boy, I'd think it was a pretty good neighborhood. But ds, dh and I've discovered the hard way that there are major problems here as well. At your ds's age, I could give ds more freedom from direct supervision, though he had only a small area to roam in, with adults keeping a loose eye on things.

 

But as he became a teen, things changed. Partly it's because I refuse to keep a teen locked up permanently. (though I have grounded for ages at times :tongue_smilie:) Partly because of cronic illness which keeps socializing at our house down. And partly because ds, recently turned 15, is very social, a follower, not a leader, very compassionate and very, very stubborn. A very social child who is a follower is more likely to be led astray if his friends are inclined to go the wrong way. Personality can play a large role in how influential peers can be. We've been lucky in that ds has had several friends refuse the pleas of aquantances to get them out of trouble. He's had good examples there.

 

But there are times that the teen con artists have gotten to ds. The first pleas delt with "the MS 13 is going to kill me if I don't come up with $X00." Or some other sob story. After a year, ds was getting wise to them, but it was a very rough year. At times, they have convinced ds to give them all of his money, anything he had that they could hock, and have even asked him to steal for him. They taught ds to fear going to the police. But after a while ds saw them refuse cash from my dh because dh would give it only if the police were called. Or that the stories might change, the con artists never offered to work to get the money. Or the constant begging, especially since some had more "things" than ds. It was a very rough year and even now they catch up with ds to try to con him or get him to do their dirty work. You might prepare you dc to deal with the "beggers" who play on sympathy and compassion.

 

Keeping good connections with your dc, being open in your communications and supervising are all important. But I've found that just because I homeschool an only child, it doesn't mean that I've always kept up good communications. Set aside alone time for each of your children where you do what THEY want to do. Encourage your children to be friends with adults you consider good role models. Another trusted adult will often hear confidences that your child doesn't want you to hear, and they will be in a position to give mature advice. Listen and compromise where you can - that means though I hate some of ds's clothes, I let him have some that are decent and let him blend in with his neighborhood friends. I don't force him into a tie at church because no one else wears one.

 

Though you might want to isolate your dc totally from the others in the neighborhood, don't. There are undoubtably good kids there, make sure your dc make connections with them. On occasion, my ds faces with a small group of kids wanting to tangle with an unknown or when one of ds's football teammates or a group of his friends showed up.

 

At times it will be rough, and at times you might ground your dc just to keep them away from the neighborhood. But keep working at it, giving more protection to your dc when they are more vunerable. chances are they'll be ok.

We must have been posting at the same time :) Thanks so much for sharing. The teen years are coming up rapidly and are on my mind often. I also don't want to completely shelter him.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

One thing that I think is important in education about drugs is to acknowledge that there actually is something that appears "good." Getting high initially feels "good." The negative side effects do not appear instantaneously in most cases. Kids who have been told "drugs are bad, bad, bad" and who then get in a situation where it looks like they are just a bit of forbidden fun are vulnerable, imo.

 

I think it's safest to say that drugs are deceptive. They appear all fun and nice at the beginning--like the bait in a trap looks good to an unwary animal. By the time they are in the trap, it can be too late. They may even pretend that they are not in the trap, to the glee of the "hunters." (Drug sellers). Or maybe use the analogy of ant traps--the first ants who find it go back and communicate to the colony that they have fun yummy food, not even knowing that they are now poisoning the whole colony. More ants go, and then more ants. They are being tricked--by "ants" who are their "friends" because those "friend ants" don't even realize it.

 

Imo, making the point that there is pleasure, but it is deceptive, and many decent kids can get fooled is, imo, a better way to approach it than to just teach that drugs are "terrible." It sort of vaccinates a kid against some of the things that can suck him in, while giving a competitive motivation to "outsmart" the system.

 

:iagree: Bravo. :hurray:

 

We took our dd to the police station. They not only talked to her about drugs, they showed her actual drugs and paraphernalia so she would know what they look like. This is what was missing from the printed materials I had - the hands on part of the education that I can not provide at home (lol).

[Sharon H in IL]

I third Amy G.'s post.

 

Get the book "Hold On To Your Kids" by Gordon Neufeld. It is about how the emotional attachment that kids need will either be met by parents or by other kids.

[Peek a Boo]

In my experience, the other police departments are unlikely to help.

 

outside PDs around us have been very helpful. as was mentioned, some simply don't have the proper resources. i would call around and ask as a school project, not an individual.

 

:iagree: Bravo. :hurray:

 

We took our dd to the police station. They not only talked to her about drugs, they showed her actual drugs and paraphernalia so she would know what they look like. This is what was missing from the printed materials I had - the hands on part of the education that I can not provide at home (lol).

 

I'll ditto the :iagree: and add that the hands on component is VERY important.

[Carol in Cal.]

Get them fixated on a goal. And let them know both that the highs can feel good at first and that drugs put you on a path with no future at all. Let them read some of those older books about this, like "The Cross and the Switchblade" or "Run, Baby, Run". They tend to be less s*xually explicit than the newer ones, and the descriptions of specific additions are accurate (although you should definately add some updates about meph, etc.)

 

I grew up around a LOT of drug abuse. The kids I knew who used mostly didn't have supervision at parties, AND ALSO didn't have a driving goal. They also saw drugs around a lot, and had not observed the long term bad effects yet much in their circles. The kids I knew who didn't use, and I was/am definitely in that category, had longterm goals and the knowledge that drugs would derail them from those. And in my case, as a Christian, I took "Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit" as referring to all highs of any kind, and felt specifically enjoined from any use of any substance with the intent of changing my mind or mood.

[Ohdanigirl]

I think I can help you with the gang thing. My husband grew up in South East San Diego where there are lots of gangs especially in the early 90's when we were youn teens. Most people join gangs for a few basic reasons.

 

1. Be part of a family

2. Fit in

3. protection from other gangs

 

The Irony is that in the end you won't have any of these things. As a family, yeah "the homies" will stick up for you and be with you all the time, but they will also throw you overboard any time you get in their way. You may fit in at first, but there will come a time when it won't be at all cool any more. If you aren't dead or in jail you will have a very hard time relating to other non-gang types. Even the language that you will have learned in a gang will shut doors for you when you are older. And protection, yeah right. When the bullets start flying it's everyone for himself. You need to drive this home to your child.

 

Keeping him busy is a great start. Also, set rules (chores, curfews, etc)and enforce them. They may one day hate you for it, but in the end it could save their lives. My dad was strict and expected school work to be done before all else. I had a curfew, and did not stay at friends houses unless he spoke to the parents and got an idea of what we would be up to. I also learned to call him with any change of plans, no matter how small. It might seem like overkill but when I was in jr highschool and highscool gangs were wide spread. I was asked as a kid to join a couple gangs, but I never did. I knew them all but just never wanted to cross that line. In the end I think it was the fact that I cared about the adults around me and didn't want to disappoint them and I feared breaking the rules. Maybe because I knew that there were cosequences.

 

So keep your eyes open, watch your child and his friends. Don't assume because they are at a friends house with and adult its ok. Some gang members parents (that I knew) knew they were in gangs and allowed their garages to be used as a hang out and jumping in place. Talk to you kids on a regular basis about everything not just gangs and drugs. Also if the area you live in is as you say there will e an outreach available. Check around, but sometimes older gang members do reach out and try to teach kids by telling their story. It can really scare a kid straight.

 

Also tell your dc that no matter how happy and carefree these kids say they are it is not true. In school I was pretty popular and everyone called me the school girl becauese I was always reading and and not so rough around the edges. The guys in the gangs always tried to ask me out, I always said no, but they still were always nice to me and even defended me from female gang members. One of them told me it was because they saw something good that they wished they could have, almost like being friends with me made them think there was a chance. I didn't really get it, but I realize he wasn't happy with his life. He wished he wasn't in a gang, had another life, could be someone. Once you are in a gang though, you are stuck. I'm not sure if I explained that right but pm me if you'd like to ask me anything at all.

[Carol in Cal.]

Tell them about BAD SECRETS.

 

I use this for s*xual abuse protection as well, but I think that it applies to drugs and gangs.

 

BAD SECRETS are secrets that must stay hidden because they are so awful, or illegal. The thing kids need to know about bad secrets is that those are the most crucial ones to tell their moms about. They must believe that their mom will know what to do, will not embarrass them, and will keep them safe.

 

And, they need to know that others will threaten them or their families or their friends with great harm to make you commit to keeping those bad secrets, and that the right thing to do is to lie and say that you will keep that bad secret, but then go and tell your mom as soon as possible. That is the only lie that is OK in life, and it is a crucial one to keep you safe.

 

I also have thrown in anecdotes over the years, like the time that DH and I saw a 14 year old's heart stop beating twice at the County Fair, and how when the ambulance guys were working on her the driver was begging her friends to just TELL HIM WHAT SHE TOOK so they could help her better. But they wouldn't. Some friends. I never heard whether she died or not--they took her away in an ambulance. I hope she made it.

 

Or the kid who ran into traffic all the sudden, and was hit by a car, downtown, and it was because a rival gang member had stabbed him as he walked down the sidewalk, in the early evening, when it was still light.

 

Or the 14 year old who a car full of gang members beat to death, 4 blocks from our house, when my DD was 4, in broad daylight. He wasn't even in a gang himself--just didn't answer one of their questions right, so they suspected that he was in a rival gang.

 

These incidents were not in slums or ghettos or even particularly bad sections of town. Well, maybe the fairgrounds, but not the other two. They are just plain bad news no matter what.

[Closeacademy]

There are several good shows on TV that show what happens to people who get involved in drugs and gangs. Some are very raw and harsh and real and you will want to watch it before hand and wait until your child is older. But when they are ready:

 

Dog the Bounty Hunter regularly arrests and helps people who have drug addiction problems. This one is not too bad for children who are younger than 12.

 

Gangland is gory, horrific, nightmare inducing but it really shows what gangs are all about and what they do.

 

Lockup which is on CNBC takes you inside prison and where drugs and gangs will lead you.

 

Intervention is one that I haven't seen but has to do with helping people see the light so that they can get off of drugs.

 

These are very real, very harsh, but if you ever really need to get the point across about what is really going on with all this stuff and where it leads these are probably a good source.

 

Just wanted to add this for any one who may need to use these methods.:001_smile: