Be A Gang Buster

The No. 7 Flushing line subway has been dubbed “The Orient Express,” because it rolls through the most ethnically diverse borough in the city - Queens. Along with the influx of immigrants came the growth of street gangs as young aliens banded together to claim a turf to call their own and for respect.
Gangs are on the rise in Queens and so is the crime they spawn. They have names like the Latin Kings, Crips, Bloods, A.K.B. (Against the Kings), The Patolocos, the Mexican Boys and MS 13. They use unique hand signals, tattoos and symbols while wearing special gang colors and styles of dress to announce to all - “Don’t mess with me!”
The MS 13, a.k.a. Mara Salvatrucha 13, are one of the most organized and violently dangerous gangs in the United States. Known in recent years for gun running, people smuggling, hits for hire, home invasion robberies, drug dealing, arson, strong arm tactics, machete attacks and decapitations of their enemies, MS 13 is the focus of a nationwide crackdown by FBI and federal immigration agents.
In order to join MS 13 you must first commit a violent act against someone else - a beating, a rape or a murder. Like the mafia of the movies, once a member is brought into the gang, they are in for life. They cannot act without the boss’s consent - they cannot kill without a reason, cannot talk to the police or leave the gang.
All the gangs in the borough prey on their own countrymen, many of whom are undocumented aliens and unlikely to report the crimes to the authorities. City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, a former city cop, has said that gang activity has become more virulent. He doubts that just adding more police alone will be the solution.
A balance of prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies will be a more effective solution in the long run. Prevention: Like NYPD’s G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance, Education And Training) program where cops visit schools and instruct students how to say no to joining gangs. Intervention: Like the National Youth Gang Center which works with active gang members. Suppression: Like Mayor Bloomberg’s Operation Impact I and II strategies that put extra cops into the most dangerous precincts.
Kids join gangs because they want to be around friends and family in the gang and for the presumed safety the group provides. It is up to all of us to talk to our children, build up their self-esteem, respect for their feelings and watch for negative influences by meeting their friends. But most importantly watch for the danger signs of gang influence: Changes in clothing, tattoos, unexplained cash and jewelry, nicknames, drug or alcohol use, a decline in school grades or an increase of truancy.
Take back your children. Be a gang buster!