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The local churches and other youth organizations need to step up to the plate and provide alternatives and programs for kids. Also, parents need to be much more aware of who their kids are spending time with, where they are, and what they are doing. A strong family unit with involved parents can go a long way in safeguarding kids from the problems and dangers that children and teenagers face.

However, the legislation that is being discussed should focus on punishment for those involved in gang activity. I'm tired of hearing legislators and others make excuses for those who choose to break the law. As I see it, gang members are home-grown terrorists. They have no respect for the the law and the rights of others. They do not value the American way of life. All they want to do is satisfy their own needs and advance their own agenda through intimidation and violence. They are a plague on society.

And, what most of the public doesn't realize is that gangs have infected Guilford County Schools, which refuses to do anything about the problem. Like other elected officials, most on the school board and in higher level administration simply want to make excuses for the abhorrent behavior and coddle these offenders who are constantly getting in trouble both in and out of school.

I don't think we need another reason to put people in our prisons. We, the United States, have the most prisoners per 100 people in the world. Certainly whatever we are doing is not working. I agree with Miller, we need to invest in our community, and to invest in at risk kids. The majority of these boys in gangs have never known a father, or have a tainted view of what a father is. I look at programs like Big Brother Big Sister and Cosby Kids as steps in the right direction.

We are reaping what the 1960s and 70s sowed.

We need fathers, not longer prison sentences. As much as I wish that we would change, it won't be this issue with gangs that gets our attention, it will have to be something bigger unfortunately.

The most effective way to decrease the power of gangs is to decrease membership. How do you decrease membership? The experts tell us that young people join gangs to feel involved and supported; young people want something to belong too. If they feel like they are not wanted at school, church, or home, then they look outside of those settings for companionship. It's as simple as that. If you are afraid to walk down the street of your neighborhood, dad's not around to protect you, mom's drunk on the couch or working, and you have little success at school, then you will end up with an inclination to join a gang. That's the reality. I know very few true, hard-core gang members who come from loving, supportive families where mom AND dad provide emotional and educational support. Schools, churches, and communities need to reach out to ALL young people and provide warmth and companionship. That sense of belonging is the greatest weapon against gangs.

Kids join gangs because of broken down social structure. Gangs are surrogate families that essentailly step in when, for whatever reason, a normal family structure is minimal or absent. The Mayor is right that a purely punitive approach without attacking the cause will not work.

The trick is to find an alternative social structure that can in-turn supplant the gang, whether it is churches, mentoring programs, education, sports programs job programs etc. If they can even turn around ten or twenty percent of these kids these programs are worth it.

Obviously, effort must be made to keep real families intact starting with not having children when one shouldn't. With the morning after pill also known as Plan B (available to all women over eighteen-over the counter, without perscription, and in NC- less than eighteen with perscription), which is effective for up to three days after unprotected sex, there should be almost no more unplanned births.

"We are reaping what the 1960s and 70s sowed."

What is that supposed to mean? Gangs are the result of the counterculture generation?

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but how many times do we need to hear:
*The local churches and other youth organizations need to step up to the plate and provide alternatives and programs for kids,
*the majority of these boys in gangs have never known a father,
*dad's not around to protect you,
*A strong family unit with involved parents can go a long way,
We've been hearing these things for ump-teen years and the problem has only gotten worst. You can't MAKE these kids go to church programs (and there are churches on every corner who would love to minister to them), You can't make them join a Boys or Girls Club (there are enough YMCAs, boy clubs, girls clubs, sports leagues, etc for every boy or girl to be evolved now), You can't make their parents go to parenting classes. You can't make these kids and parents do what they should, but you CAN make them go to prison if they don't do what they should. But society has to stop making victims out of criminals. I am all for prevention and there are plenty of programs available now. But you can't make these people go to or join in with any of these programs. The ONLY alternative is prison.

You're preaching to the choir, folks. Their dads need to spend more time with them and their moms are home drunk on the couch or at work? And we need to change that? Tell me......how many of those moms and dads are reading this on-line newspaper right now? Boy! I'll bet that after they get through reading this, they'll REALLY straighten up.

It's a good idea to start gang prevention now when the young are in the lower grades, then
Big Brother-Big Sister programs is an excellent idea. Active, hard punishment is indicated now for gang members when they are caught. No one is above the law. Some of these gang members are already hardened criminals. For every action there is always a reaction. This is a growing cancer that cannot be ignored.

Stormy said:
"We are reaping what the 1960s and 70s sowed."

What is that supposed to mean? Gangs are the result of the counterculture generation?

The 60's were the time when values were thrown out the door because we became so "enlightened". Whatever feels good to you, whatever is works for you. There is no obligation to anyone anymore expect yourself. A mother is also no longer obligated to protect the life of a conceived child. We are all about what works for you us as an individual. It doesn't matter who we hurt/kill doing it.

We have to love how our governement works...The gang issue is front page news so everyone is all about either stricter enforcement, or stronger prevention...What we will get is a watered down bill that that does neither...The truth as must of us know, is that one does not work without the other...We must find ways to offer alternatives to these young people joining cahnges and turning to crime in general...The problem is much larger than a law enforcement issue, but that is where it will end up...If those alternatives are in place and one decides to live the "gansta" lifestyle the punishment must be real and severe...The thought of going to prison should terrify a young person but as of right now, it is only training ground to make you a better criminal...The problem, like most, is so large that no one will have the guts to put forth a comprehensive plan that will actually be effective...

Gangs are a symptom of general social decay, so there is no single answer. But the country's lack of strong democratic institutions are part of the problem.

Most of our institutions -- especially Congress -- are now infested with corrupt leaders who have learned how to game the system to make a tiny elite very, very wealthy.

These leaders spend a lot of money to fund Fox News and other fake news outlets that work overtime to convince gullible voters that all the investments in human capital that make a society strong are somehow examples of intrusive government. That way, they can continue cutting taxes on the wealthy. Reagan said he wanted to get government off our backs -- but government never was on our backs until conservatives took over Washington. What Reagan really meant was that he wanted banks and corporations to be allowed to pollute, exploit workers and consumers, and sell unsafe products without government interference.

America is rotting from within -- and will continue going downhill, as long as gullible voters keep voting against their own interests.

I hear in some countries they just shoot gang delinquents after curfew . . .

. . . but there are still gangs member filling in the dead one's places.

My family is my gang . . . and my gang is my Family . . .

Practice Family Values

Laura J., There are planes leaving the country every day. If it's so bad, leave....I'll chip in for the ticket.

Laura J. said
Reagan said he wanted to get government off our backs -- but government never was on our backs until conservatives took over Washington

Sorry to burst your bubble Laura, but there hasn't been a conservative in office since Reagan. You obviously want to rewrite history. Reagan had to work with a Democrat lead Congress. Clinton and his wife are the next thing to socialist. All respectable economist say he left us in a recession. G.W. Bush is really not a conservative. He has been as big of a spender as the democrats. So you really can't blame the mess we are in on "conservatives". By the way, what has the democrat lead congress done? They made HUGH promises but they have done NOTHING. The only thing they have done is stopped oil from going into our statigic reserves. That was nothing but a political stunt to try to make it look like they have done something. IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AT THE PUMP. What will make a difference is to open up more refineries (which we can't do, thanks to the democrats in congress who bow to the enviromentalist feet.) What will make a difference is to open up more drilling in Alaska and off our own coast (thanks again to the democrats and their enviromentalist friends we can't do that either.) So go ahead keep blaming the conservatives for everything. If there is a democrat president elected in November (and that is a big "if") and we have a democrat lead congress, who will you blame then? Democrats have done NOTHING to insure our security or our economy.

Ms. Johnson needs to either step it up or step down. Crime rates are out of control, passing a bill isn't enough. The local community and government needs to ban together and start identifying its' community members. Putting someone away for 6-10 years isn't going to solve crimes or future crimes. We need a special unit to start investigating, indentify, and convict. Split them up and get them out of our city. If it means spending extra money and bringing in experienced officers from elsewhere to get it done, think about it. Think about where your tax dollars are going and what is being done in this (Small) city of Greensboro.

Ms. Johnson needs to either step it up or step down. Crime rates are out of control, passing a bill isn't enough. The local community and government needs to ban together and start identifying its' community members. Putting someone away for 6-10 years isn't going to solve crimes or future crimes. We need a special unit to start investigating, indentify, and convict. Split them up and get them out of our city. If it means spending extra money and bringing in experienced officers from elsewhere to get it done, think about it. Think about where your tax dollars are going and what is being done in this (Small) city of Greensboro.

Gang violence, and overall ILLEGAL behavior got worse when schools stopped using corporal punishment and the press and parents started making excuses that were/are accepted as reasonable reasons to justify misbehavior.

Solution: deter these youngsters with stiffer and more immediate punishment. I know when I was in school for example, or in the neighborhood, if I did something I wasn't supposed to and got punished at school, my dad reinforced the schools decision to punish me, he did not call or go to the school to explain why I was justified. Kids today know there is no such thing as ramifications for your actions, just a visit to the counselor, and a "now don't do that again".

"Should the emphasis be on prevention or enforcement?"

It's not either/or. Do both. Prevention for youth who aren't yet involved in gang activity and enforcement for those who commit crimes. Duh.

I could not agree with Cara Michele more. Try to prevent but if the parents are not doing their job, that is going to be hard to do. If you have a problem with gang activity, enforce.
A recent article in the GNR about gang activity in the Triad mentioned a spate of activity in the Montagnard community. The police spokesman said it was difficult to work with the families since many of the parents did not speak English. I find that puzzling since I know these people get a lot of settlement support and I presume that means language lessons. If that is indeed the case, these kids are living in two worlds and probably not feeling 100% at ease in either. Being a member of a gang would give them a sense of belonging and an identity, even if it's negative.

I could not agree with Cara Michele more. Try to prevent but if the parents are not doing their job, that is going to be hard to do. If you have a problem with gang activity, enforce.
A recent article in the GNR about gang activity in the Triad mentioned a spate of activity in the Montagnard community. The police spokesman said it was difficult to work with the families since many of the parents did not speak English. I find that puzzling since I know these people get a lot of settlement support and I presume that means language lessons. If that is indeed the case, these kids are living in two worlds and probably not feeling 100% at ease in either. Being a member of a gang would give them a sense of belonging and an identity, even if it's negative.

Good points all. The intervention has to be before that assault with a deadly weapon happens. Gangbangers are not going to prison anyway for committing petty thefts or lesser crimes. They are going for felonious assaults usually w weapons.

At the moment in time a criminal is thinking about commiting a crime, one would think that him thinking about doing hard time would be of more detterent value than thinking about getting sentenced to one of Yvonne's diversionary programs, but I don't know. Yvonne could probably be pretty tough.

Belonging to a gang is in a gang member's perceived best interest...and sometimes in his actual best interest. Under certain circumstances, choosing to belong to a gang is not necessarily an irrational decision. If I were in some of these young people's shoes, perhaps I might choose to belong to a gang. Just for starters, by belonging to a gang I would always have someone I trust covering my back.

Are we asking young people to make an irrational decision when we ask them NOT to join a gang?

Just a thought....

After working in the law enforcement, armed
security, and investigative field for 30 years I
simply say to the "GANGBANGERS", leave
Greensboro, N.C. and move to LA, OR NY. !

ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE 100 PERCENT
FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ASPECT. !

Thanks, Ben B.