Problem of youth in gangs in the prairies
A Rebutle of ignorant responses posted on a winipeg newspaper.
The problem of gang activity is a complex issue. Anyone who thinks it is a simple problem and will be solved simply is, most likely, not thinking very hard about the issue, or is more preocupied with his/her own chosen ideology, not on finding solutions that work.
In order to find solutions that work we must open our eyes to what is happening in our own neighourhood to examine what initiatives are working here and now, and what initiatives have worked other places; and we must start the hard work of doing something. We need to figure out were the issue starts, what is perpetuating it, what obstacles there may be to addressing it. What we really need are people commited to taking the issue seriously!
A common respons to the frustration of dealing with gang activity is to argument that money being spent on social programs is not what is needed but rather harsh penalties to deter people from engaging in criminal behaviour. If we followed this logic we would be cutting the few programs that work to set positive examples for youth, we would spend more public money on security, policing, prosecuting criminals, and incarcerating people in jails.
Consequently, if we accept this argument, who will help young people trying to exit gangs and live normal lives? Who will be an example for young people to follow? Who will protect children who are born, to no fault of their own, into poverty and violence? Children are made vulnerable by the poverty and social problems they are born into. Gang's profit by exploiting the needs of our youth to be part of a community, to find purpose in life, and are co-opted to enter into a life of crime.
We need to find out how to make healthy people who are able to contribute to society in a meaningful way and are accepted and expected to succeed, not just deal with the ill. Who will provide the community for the at risk youth, that they so desperately need. Probably all of us reading this will have been so fortunate as to have had this support all our lives? Clearly less help and more deterant is not the solution. It has been shown repeatedly in case studies throughout the US that harsher penalties alone for gang activity do not lower crime rates if anything crime increases, since mild offenders end up going to jail with major offenders and learning to be an even greater menace to society than before. Having fewer programs with less resources will undoubtedly amplify the alienation of troubled youth.
With that said, conventional wisdom tells us that continuously treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause is recepie for frustration and failure. We need good enitiatives that takle the root causes of gang culture, violence, and poverty and most importantly we need to support these initiatives, with our money and our time and our resolve, if we are at all serious about succeeding.
The idea that youth find ganges in order to fullfull their need for family or community is common knowledge and only confirms that the one key in addressing the issue comes at the level of the family. We need to focus on supporting families to be better parents, to be commited to being an example for parents and to help parents who are struggling. If the problem is asian gangs we need to be talking to the assian community, if its native gangs we need to be talking to the native community, if its white biker gangs we need to work with the disenfranchised people of mainstreem white society to address the issues of violence, poverty and gang culture that are allowing gang activity to persist.
Either way, it is not a particular group of people who are criminals just because one group of people are over represented in gangs. It becomes clear once we take an honest look at the issue of criminal gangs world wide. When a people group is as over represented as aboriginal Canadians in our prison systems it is a warning sign that as a society we are not preventing native people in general from being an equal part of our society. This does not negate personal responsibility it simply means that we must do our side and meet those who are marginalized somewhere in the middle.
Now, we must examine our own lives and think about when the last time we made the effort to be the difference that we desire. What policy did you support that will give poor people hope, or aid in raising their children, or the option to access help when they are desperate for help and in danger. Most importantly, we must ask ourselves when we will go shoulder to shoulder with mothers who are looking for help, or children who are looking for direction, or families who are looking for encouragement and opportunity.
We can all look around at the people we see every day. We can start by asking what it is that I can do, that YOU can do that will make healthy children. We can fight gangs and WE CAN SUCCEED! It won't be easy, it won't be fast, it won't be cheep, it won't be perfect, but we can make a real difference if we can get serious and get comitted to doing some real mental work. We can stop the blaming and start the healing if we choose to do so. In fact we owe it to our children so they won't have to live with the consequences of our complacency.
The problem of gang activity is a complex issue. Anyone who thinks it is a simple problem and will be solved simply is, most likely, not thinking very hard about the issue, or is more preocupied with his/her own chosen ideology, not on finding solutions that work.
In order to find solutions that work we must open our eyes to what is happening in our own neighourhood to examine what initiatives are working here and now, and what initiatives have worked other places; and we must start the hard work of doing something. We need to figure out were the issue starts, what is perpetuating it, what obstacles there may be to addressing it. What we really need are people commited to taking the issue seriously!
A common respons to the frustration of dealing with gang activity is to argument that money being spent on social programs is not what is needed but rather harsh penalties to deter people from engaging in criminal behaviour. If we followed this logic we would be cutting the few programs that work to set positive examples for youth, we would spend more public money on security, policing, prosecuting criminals, and incarcerating people in jails.
Consequently, if we accept this argument, who will help young people trying to exit gangs and live normal lives? Who will be an example for young people to follow? Who will protect children who are born, to no fault of their own, into poverty and violence? Children are made vulnerable by the poverty and social problems they are born into. Gang's profit by exploiting the needs of our youth to be part of a community, to find purpose in life, and are co-opted to enter into a life of crime.
We need to find out how to make healthy people who are able to contribute to society in a meaningful way and are accepted and expected to succeed, not just deal with the ill. Who will provide the community for the at risk youth, that they so desperately need. Probably all of us reading this will have been so fortunate as to have had this support all our lives? Clearly less help and more deterant is not the solution. It has been shown repeatedly in case studies throughout the US that harsher penalties alone for gang activity do not lower crime rates if anything crime increases, since mild offenders end up going to jail with major offenders and learning to be an even greater menace to society than before. Having fewer programs with less resources will undoubtedly amplify the alienation of troubled youth.
With that said, conventional wisdom tells us that continuously treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause is recepie for frustration and failure. We need good enitiatives that takle the root causes of gang culture, violence, and poverty and most importantly we need to support these initiatives, with our money and our time and our resolve, if we are at all serious about succeeding.
The idea that youth find ganges in order to fullfull their need for family or community is common knowledge and only confirms that the one key in addressing the issue comes at the level of the family. We need to focus on supporting families to be better parents, to be commited to being an example for parents and to help parents who are struggling. If the problem is asian gangs we need to be talking to the assian community, if its native gangs we need to be talking to the native community, if its white biker gangs we need to work with the disenfranchised people of mainstreem white society to address the issues of violence, poverty and gang culture that are allowing gang activity to persist.
Either way, it is not a particular group of people who are criminals just because one group of people are over represented in gangs. It becomes clear once we take an honest look at the issue of criminal gangs world wide. When a people group is as over represented as aboriginal Canadians in our prison systems it is a warning sign that as a society we are not preventing native people in general from being an equal part of our society. This does not negate personal responsibility it simply means that we must do our side and meet those who are marginalized somewhere in the middle.
Now, we must examine our own lives and think about when the last time we made the effort to be the difference that we desire. What policy did you support that will give poor people hope, or aid in raising their children, or the option to access help when they are desperate for help and in danger. Most importantly, we must ask ourselves when we will go shoulder to shoulder with mothers who are looking for help, or children who are looking for direction, or families who are looking for encouragement and opportunity.
We can all look around at the people we see every day. We can start by asking what it is that I can do, that YOU can do that will make healthy children. We can fight gangs and WE CAN SUCCEED! It won't be easy, it won't be fast, it won't be cheep, it won't be perfect, but we can make a real difference if we can get serious and get comitted to doing some real mental work. We can stop the blaming and start the healing if we choose to do so. In fact we owe it to our children so they won't have to live with the consequences of our complacency.
posted by Michael at 9:23 am
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