PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
OUTLINE - LECTURE MANUSCRIPT
SECTION ONE: (20 MINUTES)
INTRODUCTION
A. PURPOSE
B. GOALS
SECTION TWO: (25 MINUTES)
DISPELLING THE MYTHS ABOUT GANGS AND �TANGOS�
A. FINANCIAL STABILITY
B. LOYALTY
C. POWER
D. LOVE
E. PROTECTION
THE TRUTH ABOUT GANGS AND �TANGOS�
A. MANIPULATION
B. CONSEQUENCES
C. DESTRUCTION
SECTION THREE: (25 MINUTES)
AWARENESS
A. HOW TO IDENTIFY GANG OR �TANGOS� MEMBERS
B. RECRUITING PROCEDURES
GUEST SPEAKER (GANG OFFICER)
A. VISUAL AID (GANG TAPES)
SECTION FOUR: (15 MINUTES)
A. HOW TO GET OUT OF A GANG OR �TANGO�
B. NOTIFY GANG OFFICER
ALTERNATIVES
A. EDUCATION
B. SPIRIT RENEWAL
C. POSITIVE ASSOCIATION
CLOSING: (20 MINUTES)
A. BRIEF RECAP
B. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
FINAL NOTE: THIS IS A STANDARD FORMAT CREATED FOR GANG PREVENTION / GANG INTERVENTION LECTURES. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF PROJECT P.E.A.C.E. IS TO REACH FIRST TIME OFFENDERS, THOSE WANTING TO GET OUT OF GANGS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS COMBATING GANGS ON THE FRONT-LINE.
�DEDICATED TO SAVING LIVES�
You will hear the word, �Tango� parallel to the word, gang throughout the duration of this interview. Take not that, �Tangos� are prison bred criminal organizations. These security threat groups are made up of individuals from the same demographic regions. Prison inmates began to band together in the early 1990�s here in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Creating what is known today as, �Puro Tango Blast�. This action was taken in defense towards the already existent and structured security threat groups in T.D.C.J. that preyed on non-active gang m embers. Since then �Tangos� have taken on the multifaceted covering of hardcore gang members. Today, their criminal activities are synonymous with the same gangs they claim to defend themselves from.
Despite a series of sweeping zero tolerance policies towards gang activity, gangs of all types have grown to epidemic proportions. Young men and women alike from every economical, ethnic, and social background have been initiated into gangs worldwide. Most without fully understanding the severe and deadly consequences associated with gang activity. Those blinded by the facade of false love, artificial loyalty and so-called power, usually find the truth behind their gang lifestyle the hard way. Gang soldiers young and old are scattered throughout countless grave yards and penal institutions.
In recent years, gangs have taken mainstream America by storm. Suddenly, kids everywhere want to adopt the gang persona. It�s a must they have the walk, the talk and the dress code. Gang banging is not Hollywood theatrics, a fashion show or a fad. The bullets, shanks, beatings, riots, rapes, extortion, kidnappings and murder are all too real.
Statistics tell us gang membership and violent gang activity continue to rise. Nationwide gang-related homicides spiked 50% from 1999-2002 based on a report by �Fight Crime: Invest In Kids�, a group of metropolitan police chiefs. A National Gang Survey made by the Justice Department in 2002 reported gang activity was �getting worse�. they were absolutely correct! Like cancer, gangs only infect, destroy and eventually lead to death, if allowed to exist.
This dark labyrinth known to many as, �The Criminal Underworld�, is where gangs flourish. One enters at his own risk! City to city, state to state, country to country, this is a cold place to live and die. Sounds of gunfire break the silence of day and night. While steady screams of panic from those stabbed and beaten are quailed by chemical agents, during prison riots. Hope is literally non-existent. Gang members from all spectrums will tell you, �they live day by day, in search of revenge or the ultimate come up.�
Why would anyone enter such a threatening abyss? Today, I will add clarity to that question. In hopes that lives will be saved. After more than 13 years in prison and a former gang leader of the notorious Los Angeles Crip Movement, I speak from firsthand experience.
Dispelling the myths about gangs and �Tangos�. Some gang members are very charismatic, cunning and pervasive. They are top grade actors and superb salesmen. They are able to paint perfect pictures of financial stability, loyalty, power, love and protection, to those who are scouted to join these death traps. Gangs on all levels have mastered these tricks of their trade perfectly.
To attract potential gang members these criminal organizations use a false sense of financial security, as one of their main lures. Newcomers tend to think when they join a gang, they have entered into the big leagues, it is all about big business. The illusion of being showered with money, the best cars, the best women and the best material possessions, this deceit is set from the very start. That is not the case for those of us who know the truth behind the lies.
Criminal street gangs, usually enjoy a significant amount of monetary gain. this will make most criminal street gang members feel as though they have reached a point of financial security. When in fact, gang members do not know the definition of the word moderation. Everything gang members do must be in excess amounts. Rest assure if any significant amount of monetary gain is flowing someone is taking detailed notice. No party last forever. Sooner or later, gang rivals, �jackers� or law enforcement officials are coming! Once arrested, the very few gang members who may have acquired a small portion of financial stability are subjected to forfeit and seizure claims by various governmental agencies. What little finances may remain, they are forced to use in order to pay mounting legal fees. These so-called, �Ballers� enter prison broke and destitute. The only thing they carry into this journey through un-chartered land is shattered fictious dreams of gangsterism, old memories, a few photographs and a lot of time.
Here in prison security threat groups exploit this vulnerability. Just as starving predators, that so easily devour a dead carcass. They lurk day in and day out in search of the new arrivals of psychologically and spiritually dead men walking into prison. They use commissary items, that are relatively inexpensive to apply a false sense of self-worth. Life has more value than a twenty five cent soup or a one dollar and fifty cent bag of coffee.
The loyalty factor is truly artificial. Everyone who joins a gang is filled with selfish ambitions, self-centered aspirations, to one day be the dominant figure, the one in the spotlight, the leader. And will execute them in full capacity to reach the top. Nothing or no one will stand in their way. Everyone and everything is a stepping stone. this creates an atmosphere of hidden deep hatred. One day all inter-scores will be settled. Bad blood flows freely within gang and �Tango� circles. That is why there are so many different offshoot factions of almost every gang that exist.
Individuals have preconceived thoughts, when they join a gang, they will automatically be given the official capacity to exercise control or have authority over others and illegal activities. This is an incorrect pretense. To be correct the notion is vice-versa. Others will have power over them. There is a common cliche amongst the gang or �Tango� hierarchy, �it�s not about what we can do for them, but what they can do for us.� Gang members are psychologically beaten down, have what little self-confidence they have left stripped away. The gang rank and file tear the self-esteem, livelihood, morals, and manhood from their gang brothers. Gang members are tortured souls. Several active gang members I have spoken to tell me, �if they knew in the beginning what they know now, they would have never joined a gang.� Believe me when I say, �gang members are filled with regrets.�
The oldest, common and most potent lure, that draws individuals into the gang life, is the sense of true love. The majority of gang members come from single parent and abusive households. A place where love is minimally exhibited. Little do most gang members know true love has no attachments. In a gang nothing is unconditional. Even to the point of sacrificing one�s life.
I will use two categories, adolescence and prison life, when discussing the protection factor of the gang life. These two periods in a person�s life offers new pressures, new challenges and accompany new fears. This is when individuals are most susceptible to join a gang. Alone it is difficult to face these uncertainties. Protection is a very temporal thin barrier and in most cases non-existent. Everyone in a gang is a potential target, whether it be from rival gang members or law enforcement officials.
The truth about gangs and �Tangos� have a broad range of sensitive topics. There are three general areas that are key. Manipulation is one of the strategies of choice, that have people joining gangs in mass numbers. It is a sinister device used to brainwash the total gang structure. Take the gang members who claim, �to be true to it,� They constantly scream out, �it�s do or die,� followed by, �it�s whatever, whenever, with whoever.� This is the outcome of the twisted gang ideology used to indoctrinate the minds of gang members. There is no such thing as a free thinking, free willed, �banger�. Gang members follow all orders given to them and oaths taken. Anything outside of those boundaries will lead to serious physical abuse. People for the most part join gangs blindly, not fully grasping the extreme harsh consequences of the gang life.
The probability rate of gang members and their immediate family members being victimized by violent crime is very high. Even though violent crime is down across the board. Violent gang related crime is constantly rising. Gang members and their loved ones get kidnapped, tortured, beaten, killed, etc. everyday. The overall consequences are beyond measure. Being an active gang member in prison also carries severe consequences. Gang members in prison can not rest. The Texas prison system has a zero tolerance policy aimed directly at gang activity. Meaning if you are an active gang member you will be subjected to intense monitoring. Eventually active gang members are placed in administrative segregation. There gang members spend twenty three hours a day isolated in a prison cell, with virtually no contact with other human beings. Hardcore gang members at the highest levels have come to grips under these circumstances, they are on the loosing end of a life or death battle. Gang warfare in prison can erupt at any time. Victory is measured in dead bodies. Thee is no safe haven for gangs or �Tangos� anywhere, in prison or the streets!
The path of destruction laid by gang activity is catastrophic. Assault rifles are the weapons of choice. Communities are flooded with drugs. Innocent children are killed in drive-by shootings. Gang members do not have the right to unleash such deadly turmoil. Gangs are the greatest threat facing low income communities all across the United States. Every vile and detestable criminal element is attached to gang activity.
Neighborhoods that once flowed with life, have become cesspools filled gang activity. Gang members want to leave a legacy, so they commit the most heinous crimes to make the headlines or evening news. When one joins a gang they are not just destroying their own life.
While the gang member is wasting his life in prison or rotting away in a casket, six feet below the earth, family and friends are left behind to suffer. Immediate family members would not have to scrape up money for prison visits and funerals. Children of gang members should not have to grow up filled with loneliness, without their parents to raise them.
Gang and �Tango� members are everywhere. To avoid these sinister characters one must be able to identify them. Several of these criminal groups use common identification and communication techniques, hand signals, handshakes, color coordination, and tattoos. Since local, state and federal law enforcement officials have stepped up surveillance and prosecution of criminal street gangs and their prison bred counterparts, the more sophisticated and organized gangs have adopted more covert and clandestine measures to dodge detection. One of the new slogans commonly used in the gang circles today is, �move like the wind, be invisible, but felt when you hit.� At some point violence will erupt, thus exposing most, if not all gang members functioning out of the public eye.
Thee is not one set standard for recruiting gang members. Methods of approach consist mainly of lies, women, drugs, threats and countless other manipulative tactics to get people to join a gang. In layman terms when you join a gang you are basically a �flunky�. There are very few leaders in these groups. Making the vast majority mere followers. Those who get their first real taste of the gang life, in a matter of seconds, clouds of doubt begin to fill their minds. From which point they are actual slave to the gang leaders. Gang leaders play on an individuals emotions and weaknesses. Therefore creating an atmosphere of fictitious concern. Everyone is a potential target for recruitment. All gangs care about are numbers.
Gangs will make every attempt to instill fear in it�s members. So gang members will never attempt to leave. �Blood in blood out�, �kill to get in, die to get out�, are some of the threats made to those they claim to love. Regardless of how much you sacrifice for a gang or �Tango�, they do not want you to lay your �flag� down to live a righteous life. You can be sitting on death row for your gang, you may want to raise your children, get an education, etc. and they will still make every attempt to keep you in the gang. The reason being once out the of the gang, one is aware of all the lies. Yes, there is a way out of the gang. It�s really simple, �stop claiming�, denounce your membership!
Thee are dedicated gang officers in every law enforcement division. They are willing to help those who want to help themselves. Gang officers in prison are readily available to help active gang members make the necessary transition to non-active status. Many gang members perceive gang officers as an enemy. That is not the case. Gang officers are there to help. Honesty is the best policy when dealing with them.
There are several alternatives to the gang life. Gang members usually suffer from tunnel vision or have a narrow outlook on life. these individuals follow their constitutional beliefs and their practices with religious fervor. To break the psychological shackles, these misguided individuals must be taught and shown by example, there is more to living than chasing death.
Education is a major gateway to opportunity. Gang members usually drop out of school to join a gang. When one begins to learn about other places and cultures, something inside of them begins to stir. They come to the realization that life exists beyond the prison walls or the block. We must get gang members to see the endless opportunities that accompany an education. Instead of going to the grave yards, or prison, they need to drop their �flags�, graduate from high school, go on to college and assimilate into society. This is the only way to live a meaningful life.
Spiritual renewal is also a positive avenue and deterrent to the gang life. this aspect of the gang members life is regularly neglected. This causes gang members to look deeply at the afterlife. And the eternal consequences of their actions. Gang members have a mind set they are invincible and bullet proof. Embracing spirituality will allow them to make an introspective assessment about life as a whole. Coming to the conclusion life on earth is temporal. In return, they will begin to embrace life, instead of death. In John Delulia�s renowned article, �The Coming Of The Super Predator�s�, he wrote, �we need to build more churches, not prisons�. There is so much validity behind that statement. I�m sure many people over looked it.
Positive association can also be attributed to a promising future. We have all heard the old sayings, �you are who you hang with�, or �birds of a feather, flock together�. Gang members lack any desire to contribute in a positive or productive manner to humanity. Gangs are criminal organizations. There is nothing positive about joining a gang. We have to show gang members there are people who have got out of gangs, who live law-abiding lives. That surround themselves with positive people, with stable households, and bright futures.
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FINAL NOTE: Texas law enforcement officials face an unprecedented battle with gangs and �Tangos�. Texas has one, if not the most lax gun laws in the nation. This allows gang members to possess the highest grade weaponry on the market. Most gangs in Texas are equipped to out gun your average police officer working the beat. Prison sentences have become so lengthy, that gang members would rather, �hold court in the streets�. Also the State of Texas is flooded with large quantities of drugs. Most gangs and �Tangos� are getting involved deeply in the distribution of large quantities of drugs. Texas is known as, �the wholesale state�. Large quantities of drugs and access to high power weaponry, make for a deadly mixture. This battle against the rise of gang activity will be one that no other state will experience. Right now gang activity on a grand scale in Texas is in it�s formative stages. No time must be wasted in combating these dark forces. Texas does not need a gang problem like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. Gang violence is escalating throughout the United States, if ignored in Texas this plague will become uncontrollable.
In closing, gang members do have a human side. Deep inside they are affectionate, patient, kind and caring. It is our obligation as a whole to try to tap into these lifelines. Show them they are human, that they are able to love and truly be loved and accepted by society. It�s a difficult task, but one filled with possibilities.
To say all aspects of the gang culture can be eliminated would be ludicrous. Those gang members willing to help themselves hold part of the solution in their actions and words to denounce gangs and gang activity as a whole. Cooperation between ex-gang members, community leaders, prison officials and law enforcement officials also play a vital role in minimizing the gang activity on the streets and prisons.
Author: Samuel Jurado
DEDICATED TO SAVING LIVES!!!
SAMUEL JURADO #725642
ALFRED D. HUGHES UNIT
RT. 2, BOX 4400
GATESVILLE, TEXAS USA
76597-0001
