[911Rob]

Originally Posted by DavidI

I believe the main reason for the existence of gangs is the lack of an active father. I am referring to the type of man who abandons his children. As the child grows up, he (usually referring to boys) seeks acceptance from male role models. The only available role models are the local thugs. It is a sad, desperate repeating cycle.

There are success stories though. When I was working an antigang unit, I got called to a school regarding a gangster thug who got into a fight with another kid. I immediately recognized that the kid was a recently "jumped in" local gangster, of which he admitted. He told me that he like to fight. Being a MMA fighter, we got to talking and he seemed genuinely interested.

I took him to his home and saw that his room was covered in gang graffitti. He wore baggy "Dickie" pants, white T-shirts, and "Nike" athletic shoes. This is basically the "gang uniform" for Surenos. I told him that I would help him get out of the gang life if he was truly serious. He told me that he was. I told him to get a pair of scissors and cut up his gangster clothes. As his eyes filled with tears, he cut everything up. Several of us cops donated some money to buy this kid (8th grade) a complete wardrobe from a clothing store.

This kid had no father and a mother who was in denial about her son's activities. I took him to events throughout SoCal and his entire outlook on life and his opportunities opened up. In fact, I took a few kids from rival gangs to a boxing event and a tour of a military base. I made it very clear that I was not going to tolerate an BS from any of them. There were absolutely no problems from any of them.

The high school that this kid was supposed to transfer to was dominated by the gang that he had left. If he went to this school, he was in danger.

I spoke to the principal of the high school where he was supposed to go and requested that he be allowed to go to another school. After submitting a request through the district, the transfer was granted on a probationary basis, provided that his behavior was acceptable.

This kid went on to play football, earn a "B" grade point average, and graduated from high school. It was a true success story because this kid was serious about changing his future.

It is something that I am very proud of having been a small part of. The kid just needed a little push in the right direction.

David

Nomination for "WINNER" post of the year!!!!

My respects