Gangs and Grafitti

I figured I'd do a series on graffiti and gangs. It should be about three posts long. This one will be a primer on grafitti, the next on will be about the folk nation, and the last about the people nation; and how to talk to them if you need to.

At lease 400,000 youths are currently in gangs
nationwide. (FBI)
Violent street gangs are active in 94 percent of all medium and large sized cities in America.
(Journal of American Medical Association)
Many of these cities have up to 40 different gangs.
(The American Street Gang)

One of the first indications that gangs are being formed in your
community is the appearance of graffiti!

To most people, graffiti represents thoughtless vandalism and childish pranks. To gang members, graffiti is a marking of territorial boundaries and serves as a warning or challenge to a rival gang. Graffiti is the underground newspaper of gangs. It can point out which gangs are fighting with each other, immortalize deceased gang members and honor leaders within each gang.

Graffiti is typically found on the rear of buildings and gradually moves toward the front as gang activity increases. It is imperative that graffiti be reported to your local law enforcement agency and removed immediately.

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HOW TO READ GANG GRAFFITI
Names: Gang names are usually abbreviated to two or three letters, but may include the affiliation of the gang written out (Crip, Blood, Surenos/SUR, Folk, etc.), as well as slogans, such as "Brown Pride."

Nicknames: The nicknames of gang members are frequently included within the graffiti, often in a roll-call list or placa. These names may be simple, and typically are descriptions of the appearance or personality of individual gang members: Green Eyes, Casper, Smiley,
Goofy, or other similar names.

Territory: The area claimed by the gang, including directional locators (east side), street names, city names, and telephone area codes.

Threats and Challenges: Often graffiti threatens or challenges rival gangs. A gang may "X" out or cross out the graffiti of a rival gang or gang member, or write "187" (homicide) next to it.
A gang member may also write "killer" in conjunction with a rival gang's name or abbreviate it with the initial of the gang and the letter K (i.e., B/K).

Numbers: Gangs often use numbers as part of their name (18th Street), or area codes to identify where the gang is located. The numbers 13 and 14 are very common in Hispanic gang graffiti, and the letters 5 or 6 may be found in Chicago-style graffiti.

Symbols: Some gangs use a common symbol to identify their affiliation. Examples of this includes 5-pointed stars (People Nation), 6-pointed stars (Folks Nation), and others.

Gang Related Websites:
Gangs Or Us
Street Gang Dynamics
Parents guide to gangs



REMEMBER THE 4 R'S OF GRAFFITI
1-Read – Read the graffiti to determine the gang(s) involved. If you are unable to interpret what is observed, find someone who can. Frequently, a great deal of intelligence can be gathered, such as the nicknames or monikers of gang members, warnings, threats to other gangs, availability of drugs, pending gang wars, and more.

2-Report -Educators, parents and other concerned citizens should report found graffiti to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Law enforcement or corrections personnel should report the existence of graffiti to the departments gang intelligence unit.

3-Record – Use a still or video camera to record the graffiti for possible later use. If graffiti continues to appear after removal, the photographic record may serve as a history of the efforts made to combat the problem.

4-Remove – Remove ALL graffiti as soon as possible after it is discovered. When removing graffiti, paint the entire wall, post, sign, etc. on which the graffiti is found. Studies have shown that "spot" painting to blot out the graffiti is not as effective for the permanent discouragement of graffiti as is covering the entire subject area.