The Tattooed Teacher

Gang activity in the South is surprisingly high. Crips, Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Brown Pride, Sur 13, on and on the list could go, subsets upon subsets of each one abound. If you know what you’re looking for you’ll see it everywhere. From cryptic graffiti messages, numerical codes, hand signs, handshakes, color-coded outfits, shoelaces, bandanas, etc., etc…

Each gang has their own way of doing things. This goes beyond what is typically thought of about gangs – violence, drugs, prisons, guns, protection. It is about identity, survival, family, and even education. The founders and the “O.G.s” (original gangsters) pride themselves on having a unique way to define and carry out these goals called knowledge. Knowledge is everything, and is kept very secret. It often what establishes rank or hierarchy among gang members – the more you know, the more powerful you become – knowledge is power.

The South is open territory. There is no true established hierarchy or organization among these gangs, as opposed to the East Coast and West Coast and North where areas and “knowledge” are established. Gang members who move here with their families or the countless wannabes start up more loosely established groups claiming to be one of the above mentioned groups. The interesting thing is that most of these people do not know very much or do not have much knowledge, so what they do and stand for often just comes down to violence, drugs and guns. They really don’t know what they’re doing or what they stand for.

Well if the gangs in the South are not largely organized, that sounds like a good thing, right? Not exactly. With no hierarchy and no established order comes and need by gang members or wannabes to become established. This often means they will do whatever they can to prove themselves.

In my experience the wannabes are more dangerous than the gang members. The wannabes are constantly looking at the gang members for approval. If the wannabe can prove himself, he’ll get in. This could include hitting a teacher or administrator, fighting with a rival gang member, shooting, robbing or killing someone, holding drugs, etc. And if the person is Special Ed., they are much more susceptible to being taken advantage of because might not be mentally equipped to know exactly what they are doing, what they were asked to carry, or what they were told to do and the consequences for doing such things. A person who is Special Ed. has been rejected so much, they will do anything to be accepted, even if it means degrading themselves, getting into trouble, or worse.

All my students are in Special Ed. Most are from the inner city. Some are gang members, many are wannabes. I deal with this everyday. Many people would never give them a thought. They would say something like “weren’t those kids raised right? Where were their parents?” Good question. Divorced, dead, in prison, on drugs, in prostitution, bringing home different partners every night, being physically, verbally and sexually abusive. And in poverty, always in poverty. If any of you get the chance, you should drive through “the hood.” It can be very enlightening.

If you’ve ever been in the hood, or talked to someone who has, they’ll say that there are some people who reside there that are not so nice. They are always looking for prey, an easy target. Who is an easy target? Someone by themselves, a kid, someone who is Special Ed. If you don’t want to be a victim, you join the pack.

I’m going to pick this up again later….