Gang Violence
HELP OUR YOUTH FROM THIS GROWING PROBLEM
Why are gangs appealing to young people?
A gang is a group of recurrently associating individuals or close friends with identifiable leadership and internal organization, identifying with or claiming control over territory in a community, and engaging either individually or collectively in violent or other forms of illegal behavior. (Wikipedia, 2013)
- Many youths do not have a father in the home, so they may turn to gangs for this support.
- The money that can be made is very tempting when the economy is poor.
"According to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report, gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions, and up to 90 percent in others." (FBI, 2013)
How bad is the gang situation in Athens?
Athens Area
Help?
Many programs for getting free of gangs is to find mentors who were in gangs before. "Homeboy Industries serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates seven social enterprises that serve as job-training sites." (Homeboy Industries, 2013)