Gang Violence is on the rise again in America.
The persons who join are usually between the ages of six and sixty.
Many parents do not know their younger family members have joined a gang until they receive a call from a morgue or the local police.
To ignore the problem will not cause it to go away.
What do I need to look for signs in my child? One is the wearing of the same colors.
Gangster music and empty paint cans show up.
I always wondered why American citizens would kill other American persons.
To be accepted by a gang, sometimes murder of innocent persons are required or other criminal activity such as robbery or stealing a car.
This does just not make sense.
Usually, with gangs drugs and or alcohol are involved.
There are free support groups like A.
A.
to help.
There are many reasons youth join gangs.
Many have no direction in life and do not know what a mentor is.
A mentor is an adult who guides and directs a young person to use discover and use their talents for something good.
Many young persons are talented in sports, music,math or art.
Our teachers blame the parents and vice versa.
This accomplishes nothing.
To murder someone is wrong.
It is costly in terms of funeral expenses and heart break.
Who can replace a child or loved one? Property can be replaced.
There are two types of persons on this earth.
Those who build and those who destroy.
What kind are you? Ask yourself if you would enjoy spending the rest of your life in a small bathroom, for this is what prison cells are like.
A cell is a small room with no privacy.
It has bars open for all to see you looking like a monkey.
Even when you go to the bathroom inside the cell.
The food is not very good most of the time, and you have no choices or freedoms.
Here in Texas, I worked as a jail Nurse.
Many times, people had to have medical interventions in order not to die from drug withdrawal.
Today's drugs, and I am referring to street drugs, are much more powerful than in the 1960's.
Death is final.
Many of the drugs today affect the judgment centers of the brain and leave a young person's brain looking like a sixty year old's brain inside.
The pleasure centers are so stimulated with these drugs that if the person manages to get off of them, they have permanent damage along with severe depression.
I worked as a prison officer.
One inmate told me he had been an officer but brought in drugs and received 15 years in prison and how their action caused shame for himself and his family.
What a waste of time to sit for hours with nothing to do or think about.
The prisoners spend most of their time alone or with a cell mate.
It is costly to house and feed them.
Some of them never realize the problems were their own fault.
Who did they hurt besides themselves? Selfishness is one one mankind's worst problems.
Introspection is hard when to blame others is so much easier.
Mothers risk their lives to have children.
They deserve respect.
Policemen carry guns and have the right to kill.
This is explained in the Bible in Romans 13.
They have the power of life and death and are to be honored and respected.
After 911, law enforcement focused on terrorism.
Now they are finding the gang problem has grown.
Get the facts and start a Mothers against gang violence group in your city.
Many times churches will allow you to meet and learn prevention.
Know where your children are at all times.
Know who they are with and where they live.
Do not wait until it is too late and you receive a call from the police or the morgue.
Ignoring or pretending there is no problem will not make it go away.
Action will.
Hard work will.
Let them know you love them.