Local Resources

Mayor's Anti-Gang Office
Patricia Harrington Director of the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office
P.O. Box 1562, Houston, TX 77251
Phone: (713) 247-1576
FAX: (713) 247-1340
*Provides information and training on gangs, warning signs, and intervention.

Understanding Gang Involvement (From the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office)

Gang members are all ethnicities, both male and female, and of all socio-economic backgrounds. Many come from homes with little or no supervision or parental involvement. They are often low academic performers, truants, and cause disciplinary issues at home and school. They tend to have low self-esteem, and are usually indifferent, aggressive, angry, and apathetic because they feel hopeless.

Reasons Youth Join Gangs:

• Lack of parental involvement. They seek a sense of family structure, belonging, and discipline provided by the gang.
• Lack of positive role models.
• Family history of gang involvement.
• Peer pressure/coercion.
• Protection from rival gangs or other persons or groups who threaten or bully them.
• Respect and recognition from peers.
• Pride for their neighborhood.
• Revenge
• Boredom

Warning Signs of Gang Involvement:

• Tattoos depicting numbers, street names, geographic areas, three and five point stars, pitchforks, three dots, crowns.
• Graffiti depicting numbers, street names, geographic areas, three and five point stars, pitchforks, three dots, crowns. Can be found on items such as clothing, shoes, backpacks, notebooks, and furniture.
• Wearing clothing of all one color.
• Wearing and/or displaying bandannas.
• Use of an unfamiliar nickname.
• Signs of drug/alcohol use.
• Sings of physical abuse.
• Group photos where youth are displaying hand signs.
• Truancy and/or poor grades at school.
• Discipline problems at home and/or school.

Tips To Deter Youth From Becoming Gang Involved:

• Establish open communication.
• Talk to them, not at them, and be an active listener.
• Establish rules, stay consistent, and follow through with discipline.
• Respond, don't react to negative behavior.
• Praise and encourage positive behavior.
• Spend time with them doing family activities.
• Encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities. Attend them.
• Be a positive role model.
• Limit their time alone or unsupervised.
• Know their friends and their families.

What Can Parents Do If They Suspect Gang Involvement?

• Educate yourself on the gang culture. The Mayor's Anti-Gang Office can assist with awareness information and training.
• Contact local law enforcement and school administrators to learn about the levels of gang related crime and activity in your neighborhood and at your child's school.
• Contact youth service organizations and/or school counselors for referrals to organizations that have experience in dealing with youth delinquency issues.
• Talk to your youth and discuss the attractions, dangers, and consequences of being in a gang with your son or daughter.
• Don't allow gang related behavior or displays of gang affiliation.
• Assure your youth that you care, and that you are there to help and protect them.

Youth Gangs and Violence

From SafeYouth.org

Although once thought to be an inner-city problem, gang violence has spread to communities throughout the United States. At last count, there were more than 24,500 different youth gangs around the country, and more than 772,500 teens and young adults were members of gangs.

Teens join gangs for a variety of reasons. Some are seeking excitement; others are looking for prestige, protection, a chance to make money, or a sense of belonging. Few teens are forced to join gangs; in most cases, teens can refuse to join without fear of retaliation.

[Read more]

Teaching Kids Not To Bully

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/no_bullying.html

This article from KidsHealth.org gives parents some strategies to help kids stop bullying. It also describes some common causes of bullying behavior.

Helping Kids Deal with Bullies

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/bullies.html

This article, also published by KidsHealth.org, provides an overview of bullying and discusses common signs of bullying and ways to help your child deal with bullies they encounter. In addition, the article provides some helpful advice for kids.

Warning Signs that a Child is Being Bullied

(download as PDF document)

What is Bullying?

Bullying among children is aggressive behavior
that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength.Typically, it is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as: hitting and/or punching (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying); intimidation through gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying); and sending insulting messages by phone or computer email (cyber bullying).* Many children, particularly boys and older children, do not tell their parents or adults at school about being bullied. It is important that adults are vigilant to possible signs of bullying.

Warning Signs

Possible warning signs that a child is being bullied:

• Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings
• Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches
• Has few, if any friends, with whom he or she spends time
• Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers (such as clubs)
• Takes a long, “illogical” route when walking to or from school
• Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school
• Appears sad,moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home
• Complains frequently of headaches, stomach aches, or other physical ailments
• Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
• Experiences a loss of appetite
• Appears anxious and/or suffers from low self-esteem

What to Do If You Suspect That Your Child Is Being Bullied?

If your child shows any of these signs, this does not necessarily mean that he or she is being bullied, but it is a possibility worth exploring.What should you do? Talk with your child and talk with staff at school to learn more.

1. Talk with your child. Tell your child that you are concerned about him or her and that you’d like to help. Here are some questions that can get the discussion going: Some direct questions:

• “I’m worried about you. Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you or bullying you?”
• “Are there any kids at school who tease you in a mean way?”
• “Are there any kids at school who leave you out or exclude you on purpose?” Some more subtle questions:
• “Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?”
• “Who do you sit with at lunch/on the bus?”
• “Are there any kids at school who you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?”

2. Talk with staff at your child’s school. Call or set up an appointment to talk with your child’s teacher. He or she will probably be in the best position to understand the relationships between your child and other peers at school. Share your concerns about your child and ask the teacher such questions as:

• “How does my child get along with other students in his/her class?”
• "With whom does he/she spend free time?”
• “Have you noticed or have you ever suspected that my child is bullied by other students?” Give examples of some ways that children can be bullied to be sure that the teacher is not focusing only on one kind of bullying (such as physical bullying).

Ask the teacher to talk with other adults who interact with your child at school (such as the music teacher, physical education teacher or bus driver) to see if they have observed students bullying your child. If you are not comfortable talking with your child’s teacher, or if you are not satisfied with the conversation, make an appointment to meet with your child’s guidance counselor and/or principal to discuss your concerns.

If you obtain information from your child or from staff at your child’s school that lead you to believe that he or she is being bullied, take quick action. Bullying can have serious effects on children. If, after talking with your child and staff at his or her school, you don’t suspect that your child is being bullied, stay vigilant to other possible problems that your child may be having. A number of the warning signs above (e.g., depression, social isolation, loss of interest in school) may be signs of other serious problems. Share your concerns with a counselor at your child’s school.

References Olweus,D. (1993). Bullying at school: what we know and what we can do.NY: Blackwell. Olweus,D., Limber, S., & Mihalic, S. (1999). The Bullying Prevention Program: Blueprints for Violence Prevention. Boulder, CO: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

Delete Cyberbullying

From the National Crime Prevention Council

If you’re like most teenagers, you spend a lot of time on a cell phone or instant messenger chatting with friends and uploading photos, videos, and music to websites. You may have online friends whom you’ve never met in person, with whom you play games and exchange messages. Teens’ lives exist in a variety of places such as school hallways, part-time jobs, and friends’ houses. Now many teens also have lives on the Internet. And bullying has followed teens online.

Online bullying, called cyberbullying, happens when teens use the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. Cyberbullying is a problem affecting almost half of all American teens. Whether you’ve been a victim of cyberbullying, know someone who has been cyberbullied, or have even cyberbullied yourself, there are steps you and your friends can take to stop cyberbullying and stay cyber-safe.

[read more]

Dating Violence: Warning Signs

From SafeYouth.org

Teenagers generally do not tell people when they are involved in a violent relationship, so it is important for adults to be alert for signs that a teen may be involved in relationship that is, or has the potential to become, abusive. Some of the following signs are just part of being a teenager. But, when these changes happen suddenly, or without an explanation, there may be cause for concern.

• Does the individual have unexplained bruises, scratches, or injuries?
• Do you see signs that the individual is afraid of his/her boyfriend or girlfriend?
• Does the boyfriend or girlfriend seem to try to control the individual's behavior, making all of the decisions, checking up on his/her behavior, demanding to know who the individual has been with, and acting jealous and possessive?
• Does the boyfriend or girlfriend lash out, criticize, or insult the individual?
• Does the individual apologize for the boyfriend or girlfriend's behavior to you and others? Has the individual casually mentioned the boyfriend or girlfriend's temper or violent behavior, but then laughed it off as a joke?
• Have you seen the boyfriend or girlfriend be abusive towards other people or things?
• Does the individual seem to have lost interest or to be giving up things that were once important? Has he/she lost interest in school or other activities?
• Has the individual's appearance or behavior suddenly changed?
• Has the individual stopped spending time with friends and family?
• Have you seen sudden changes in the individual's mood or personality. Is the individual becoming anxious or depressed, acting out, or being secretive? Is the individual avoiding eye contact, having 'crying jags' or getting 'hysterical?'
• Has the individual recently started using alcohol or drugs?