Young People Ask . . .
Should I Join a Gang?
“As I sat in the locker room at school, these guys came up to me and began to bother me. One of them punched me in the chest. At that point one of the guys I knew from the gang in my neighborhood came over and took up for me. I thought to myself, ‘If I join the gang, maybe I can have protection like this.’”—Greg.
GANGS are a growing presence in many schools and neighborhoods. In 1989 police estimated that in Los Angeles County, U.S.A., alone there were 600 gangs, with some 70,000 members. Gangs are not limited to the United States, however. For example, Maclean’s magazine reported that in the city of Vancouver, Canada, some 13 gangs exist, with over 600 members.
Like Greg, many join gangs to gain protection from school violence, and in these violent times, it is not difficult to understand why some youths may feel such a need. We are witnessing a worldwide “increasing of lawlessness.” (Matthew 24:12) However, there are yet other reasons why street gangs hold such a powerful attraction for some youths.
Support and Friendship
“I really wanted to have friends, a sense of belonging to somebody or to a group, somebody you could care for,” explains Bernard, a former gang member. Marianne, who joined a girls’ gang, admits that she did so “out of [her] need to control something,” as well as for the “family atmosphere” it offered.
While it is true that some youths join gangs to help deal with boredom or for the excitement they might offer, it appears that far more join to have a sense of belonging, to receive emotional support, to get friends with whom they share things in common. Often this is done to replace an undesirable family situation.
Bernard says of himself and fellow gang members: “Most of us came from broken homes. Many were being raised by a single parent, usually a mother, in large families. So there was no one to take time to talk to them. Many came from homes where they were physically and verbally abused and where no one cared whether they had feelings or not. So they felt good, as I did, about being able to talk to someone and be heard.”
This point is also made by Canadian youth counselor Lew Golding. He stated: “Kids having problems at home latch on to a gang for emotional nurturing.”
In the United States, many gangs are formed along ethnic or cultural lines. Gangs in that land, therefore, offer the additional appeal of association with those who share feelings regarding food, music, language, and a host of other things. For youths and adults alike, the desire to feel needed and accepted is normal. But can these feelings and needs truly be satisfied by joining a gang?
Proverbs 17:17 says: “A true companion is loving all the time.” Do gang members really experience such loyalty and true friendship? On the contrary, disagreements and even fights among fellow gang members are all too common. Indeed, in the high-pressure environment in which gangs operate, grudges easily develop. Differences of opinion can be interpreted as disloyalty. Bernard relates: “If we had an argument, I had to be on the alert because all of a sudden, a knife or a gun could come out. And these were supposed to be my friends! Gang life left me disappointed because I had no real friends.”
As one 18-year-old gang member adds: ‘You don’t have any friends, not even in your own gang. You are by yourself.’
Do Not ‘Follow the Crowd’
“You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends.” (Exodus 23:2) This was said to God’s people in ancient times, and in principle it applies well to any youth contemplating joining a gang. You might think of a gang as a means of self-protection or a source of friendship. In reality, though, a gang member is inevitably forced to pursue “evil ends.”
The Globe and Mail states regarding this: ‘The gang becomes the family. That also means that the gang determines what is acceptable behavior. In the world of unsupervised teenagers, robberies, beatings, and sexual assaults can be “the” things to do.’
In 1989 alone, gangs in Los Angeles County were involved in some 570 homicides. And virtually everywhere that gangs exist, there is violence. Any attempt to resist involvement is sure to be viewed as lack of support for the gang or, worse yet, as cowardice. In either event, you could easily find yourself the object of attack. As one gang member said: “You can’t say no to your [gang].” Is a sense of belonging or protection worth this kind of pressure?
The writer of Proverbs 1:10-15 answers: “My son, if sinners try to seduce you, do not consent. If they keep saying: ‘Do go with us. Do let us lie in ambush for blood. Do let us lie in concealment for the innocent men without any cause. . . . Your lot you ought to cast in among us. . . . ’ My son, do not go in the way with them.”
Living by the Sword
Think, too, about the possible consequences to your health and well-being. One gang member said that ‘you must be willing to die for fellow gang members.’ And it often turns out that way.
In contrast, consider the lesson that Jesus taught his disciples on the night of his arrest. Jesus was unarmed and faced with a violent mob. Did Jesus want his disciples to band together and violently defend him? Peter thought so. He removed his sword and attacked one of the men in the mob, cutting off his ear. Jesus’ response, though, must have stunned Peter. Jesus miraculously healed the man’s ear and said to Peter: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword.”—Matthew 26:52.
The lesson? Arming oneself for defense is not only unscriptural but also foolish, impractical. A proverb puts it this way: “As for the one searching for bad, it will come upon him.”—Proverbs 11:27.
Finding a Real Sense of Belonging
Some 50 years ago, a study was made that outlined various factors contributing to the formation of gangs. Among the problems listed were inadequate family life, poverty, deteriorating neighborhoods, and poor education. Gang activity has not helped this situation at all, nor has it really helped lonely youths to find genuine friendships. The Christian congregation, however, offers you association with people who have your best interests at heart. Why not cultivate friendships there?
How, though, can you protect yourself if you live in an area where gangs are prevalent? A future article will discuss this.
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‘I Joined a Street Gang’
“I was 17 years old. My friends and I were sick of seeing people shot, mugged, and raped in our neighborhood. We figured that if we started a gang of our own, maybe we could stop it. At the same time, I wanted to have that sense of belonging to a group. So we formed a gang.
“We started patrolling the neighborhood, and soon other gangs tested us out. Two of our members were jumped by a rival gang. One was hit in the face with a baseball bat; the other was stabbed. We avenged the injustice and soon became the most feared gang around.
“However, I found that gang members are not real friends. You couldn’t trust everybody. Some wouldn’t back you up if you were in trouble. And some didn’t share my ideals—they began to mug and even kill people for no reason. So I began to hate my lot in life. I felt that God existed but wondered why he allowed so many injustices. I also learned in school that the church had been responsible for Inquisitions and for destroying whole civilizations in the name of God. I believed that religions were a front for moneymaking.
“One day I prayed to God to help me find the organization he was using. I flipped through a Bible an uncle had given me and read Acts 20:20. It talked about going from house to house. The only ones I knew who did that were Jehovah’s Witnesses. So I found out where the local Kingdom Hall was and went the next morning. With tears in my eyes, I approached one of the Witnesses and whispered, ‘I want to learn.’ I had found God’s people. My days as a gang member were over.”—The writer, who chooses to be anonymous, now serves as the presiding overseer of a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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Why not cultivate friendships with people who really have your interests at heart?