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By Cynthia Asick |
You're leaving school, books in your knapsack, and it's raining. As you head for the street, you sense company. A fast look behind and your mouth gets dry...it's them, that gang. And they're following you. And you're alone. And because it's raining, nobody's walking anywhere, so you're really alone.
Gangs seem to be in every school, in every town in Canada these days. While most media would have us believe they're a new phenomenon; they're not, really.
Some gangs are territorial, protecting boundaries of their neighborhood; others are cultural; others because of a common goal. Nearly every gang has the almost instant ability to make us afraid.
Cynthia Assick is a student at Harbord C.I., an inner-city high school in downtown Toronto. She's interviewed several people affected by gangs, and while maintaining anonymity for those interviewed, she brings us this story.
Denny beats people up.
It doesn't take a lot of provocation for him to get out his fists, his blade, his anger. At the end of school last spring, Denny heard about a guy in his school who was thinking about turning him in to the principal for breaking into lockers. Whether or not this was true didn't really matter. Denny decided to get even with the 'snitch' and beat him up. "I wanted to hurt him, and I did," says Denny with satisfaction.
Throughout the beating, Denny remembers thinking only of how his victim tried to get him in trouble, and how much he deserved what he was getting.
"If you're always worrying about the consequences, then don't bother doing it 'cause you're not going to enjoy it!" he says.
Denny says he doesn't beat up on just anyone. They have to do something. It can be an attitude (superiority, negativity, fear), it can be an actual action or it can be something they might have said. Denny says his gang doesn't beat up on just anyone. "It's not right. "I still know right from wrong!"
Denny emphasizes that "gangs aren't just a group of people who cause trouble. Sometimes they get carried away and start trouble, but it's not always intentional. People look for it sometimes!"
Denny says lot of people think there are pressures when you hang out with a gang. "There isn't any pressure to agree with anyone. I can say what I want whenever I want. Nobody really cares."
'Not so.'
The gang James belongs to doesn't enjoy individual freedom. "There is always the fear of being the cause of trouble. There are things you do and things you don't; even getting close to other members can be a challenge. You have to prove you can't be trusted, and you don't always need someone else there to save your ass. Once you're in you never rat on them to the cops; they're your family and you never try to screw them around where girls or money is concerned cause you're begging for trouble if you do.
"You stick with them during everything cause if you don't, they'll think you're turning on them. After that, even if they don't turn on you, you make so many enemies in the gang that you're even scared of your friends. If you're alone, the last thing you want is to run into a couple of guys in the gangs. They'll beat the crap out of you."
I'm no security guard...'
When a classroom is disrupted by angry gang members, the biggest challenge is with the teacher. Mark is a 26 year old teacher in an urban school rife with gangs. Gang members wheedle not only their weapons and their bodies in the classroom, but they disrupt learning by creating disturbances.
For a teacher, toughing it out in the classroom can be grueling. Yet, a teacher is there to share information and it's frustrating when the attitudes of some get in the way of true learning for other students. Mark's big complaint is the many laws which protect young people from any discipline in the classroom.
"You can't treat members of a gang differently than other students. They aren't different. They are students, like everyone else in the school."
There are a lot of 'nevers' for a teacher. Never be overly aggressive; never shy away or back down from gang members. Never strike out. Never lose your cool. With all these nevers, you have to wonder how teachers keep their concentration on teaching.
"The power is starting to swing to the student," says Mark. "With the Young Offenders Act the majority of the student population is now subject to more lenient penalties. See this isn't okay to any student who might be prone to violent behavior.
"My job is not a security guard, but I do need some power to do my job effectively. The laws and student awareness of them make it harder for teachers and administration deal with students."
Mark complains that teachers are caught in the middle, blamed by the public for literacy and high drop out rates, and handicapped by the Young Offenders Act which hampers applying discipline and therefore learning in school. Overall cost is cynical teachers who become less effective than they want to be.
"We're not passing the buck; it's just that the current situation makes us all question the extent of our role as disciplinarians."
Mark points out that the very personalities that join gangs are often the risk takers in learning. "Being in a gang doesn't always mean they're prone to violence or that they're stupid. It can mean they need more attention so they have a feeling of belonging in school."
Brian operates on a system of mutual respect and says it's important never to back down when students are aggressive at the expense of a classroom.
Avoiding Trouble
Know the type of people you want to be associated with and stay with them. Stay clear of where you know there's a problem. If you decide you want to risk getting exposed to danger, be sure you can handle it.
Phil remembers the day a gang member approached him, threatening to take his money. Phil happens to be a karate expert, and officially is prohibited from using these skills except in self defense.
"I warned the guy four times; I warned him to leave me alone, to back off or I would hurt him really bad. He didn't listen.
"When he came at me, I broke his shins, his knees, and his hips.
"I'm not proud of it, but I warned him and he didn't listen."
James recommends either fighting back if you're being threatened by one person or staying really cool and walking away. Gang attacks should be reported to the police, though Denny's victim says the court process is slow and while waiting for a trial date, his very life is in danger.
If there are more than two members of a gang on the attack, you should run to a place where you feel safe or to a group of your friends, and make a lot of noise. These guys want a fight and even if you co-operate with them, they'll still beat you up.
GANGS
Are you inside? Outside?
They're affecting you.
We'd like to hear from you. About your experiences with gangs. About how your school deals with them. About the best way to protect yourself if you're feeling threatened.
Can you identify the gangs in your school?
What's the common denominator in each gang?
Are there ways to create a feeling of belonging in your school so gang members don't need to act violently towards others?
Please share your ideas
tgmag@tgmag.ca