GANG RESOURCE INTERVENTION TEAM (GRIT)

Multnomah County takes the supervision of adults and youth involved in gang related crimes very seriously. Our goal is to reduce the incidence of gang violence, thereby making Multnomah County a safer place to live and work. Those convicted of gang related crimes will eventually be returned to the community. Our specialized team of gang probation and parole officers are trained to identify and deal with gang members.

Adult Related Services

Juvenile Related Services

What is a GANG?

Street gangs can be described as a group of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and engage in violent, unlawful or criminal activity. they often claim control over certain territory in the community.

How is a GANG Structured?
Leadership roles in street gangs are usually not formally recognized positions. They are assumed by a member who demonstrates dominant control at a given time. Gangs are usually comprised of males ranging from 13 to 28 years of age. Members represent all racial and ethnic groups and from all economic income levels.

Why do young people join GANGS?
There are a variety of reasons, including the excitement of gang activity, peer pressure, attention, media interest, financial benefit and lack of realization of the hazards involved. In many cases, young people are not actively discouraged from gang involvement by their parents. Often, parents do not realize that their children are engaged in gang activity.

What do GANGS do?
It is not practical to examine everything a gang does. But when a gang is involved, there is  violence and criminal activity.  Gang members seek confrontations with rivals. Sometimes the incident boils over in shopping malls, schools, entertainment or other public areas. While violence often makes headlines, it creates even more damage to families, local property and businesses. Vandalism often furthers the gangs reputation.

How are GANGS identified?
Most gang members are proud of their gang and many times freely admit their membership. Many openly display tattoos and dress in a style identifying their gang. Their personal belongings are frequently covered with the gang's name. Many "shoot signs" or make gestures with their hands which identify their gang. Members often adopt nicknames when recruited into the gang that become their new identity or "moniker".

How do GANGS dress?
In the past, gang members dressed in basic style or colors chosen by the gang. As pressure from police, school officials and parents increases, they change their outward appearance to become less noticeable. Today, many gangs wear professional sports team jackets, caps and shirts, so identifying them is more difficult. Law enforcement officials depend on criteria other than clothing to identify gang members.

Why is GRAFFITI used?
Graffiti is the first sign of gang activity in a neighborhood and is the underground newspaper of gangs. Graffiti is used to mark territory, claim responsibility for violent acts and for individual gang members to show association and allegiance. Without question, graffiti is a problem. The property values of residential neighborhoods as well as industrial and commercial areas have been negatively influenced by this vandalism.

Addressing GANG problems.
It is imperative that agencies share information and collaborate in order to combat gang problems. Information from the public is also necessary to achieve our goals of developing a strategy that balances prevention, intervention and suppression.

GANG Prevention
Prevention strategies will be designed to educate, inform and assist in recognizing the hazards involved with gang activity. As increased peer and financial pressure occur, today's youth are being forced to make adult decisions with adult consequences before they have the skills to make meaningful life choices.

GANG Intervention
As soon as a youth exhibits any gang behavior, parents must take steps to prevent further association with gangs. Once warning signs become evident, immediate intervention and counseling become necessary to prevent further participation. Effective programs must be available regardless of income and social stature. The single most import step in intervention is prohibiting a youth's continued contact with negative influence.

GANG Suppression
Suppression activity is an on-going process. Any success in prevention and intervention strategies will not diminish efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute gang members. Law enforcement agencies are developed a Parental Notification Letter to inform parents when youth have met criteria to be identified as a gang member. Extra attention will be given to maximize incarceration of gang members once convicted.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Gangs attempt to instill fear. They intimidate rival gangs and citizens alike. Their power grows through fear and intimidation. Direct confrontation with violent gang members is best left to police and other law enforcement agencies. However, everyone has the responsibility to work toward a solution. Here are a few ways you can participate.

Attend Police Community Relations and Neighborhood Meetings
These meetings provide information about neighborhood activities and offer ways to get involved to help improve your neighborhood. As we develop strategies and solutions to gang issues, it is even more important to continue the communication and education process. Contact your police or neighborhood organization for details.

Discuss GANGS with Your Children
Many parents are unaware that their children are involved in gang activity. It is your role to help them understand the realities of a criminal record. They need to know the finality of death, which so often is the result of gang violence. Parents should encourage children to identify and report other youth who are pressuring them to use or deal drugs or participate in gang activity. Intimidation and fear can preoccupy and destroy a child's ability to concentrate on schooling and pursue a meaningful life.

Look for Warning Signs in Your Child
Parents should look for changes in their child's behavior. Truancy, declining grades, changes of friends, late hours, isolation from family activities, use of a new nickname, graffiti or tattoos, sagging pants or other new clothing styles are all indicators of possible gang association. If any of these signs are observed, do not ignore them.

Develop a Neighborhood Watch Program
Neighborhoods that show no resistance to gang presence become targets for advanced criminal activity. The Neighborhood Watch program provides guidance to citizens desiring a more secure neighborhood. You will probably find others who share your concerns and are willing to address these issues together.

Encourage Immediate Graffiti Removal
Because graffiti is the most visible sign of gang presence, it's imperative that graffiti be removed immediately. If you see gang graffiti on private property, encourage the owners to remove it immediately. Many neighborhoods will provide paint to cover graffiti.

What are the myths?

Gang Myths

We all must strive to accurately and honestly identify the gang influence in our community. Many people still hang on to the traditional signs of gang involvement to gauge the youth gang influence in their community. We must be careful to not overlook subtle signs of a youth gang problem in the community. Here are some of the myths that we hear about:

1. Gangs are not in my community, they are a big city problem.

• Actually, gangs and the gang culture are far reaching in today’s world. Their influence is felt in every city and town in the nation.

2. He’s just a "wanna-be", not a real gang member.

• "Wanna-be’s" are gonna-be’s. A child who thinks, acts and looks like a gangster, runs the risk of being recruited by a gang. If your child acts like he wants to be a gang member, gang members will recruit him or mistaken him for a rival gang member.

3. My children are good kids, they aren’t in a gang.

• Like it or not, gangs do effect your children. If not through direct gang involvement, then through their acceptance of the gang mindset. Emulating gang dress, attitude and life-style can have detrimental effects on your child.

4. There are no gang members living in my neighborhood.

• Gang members can live in any neighborhood, regardless of the social status of the area. Gangs are highly mobile and can move in and out of any neighborhood.

5. Gangs only hang around in their own neighborhood.

• Actually, gangs are mobile and are not often associated with a particular neighborhood.

6. Gangsters wear baggy clothing and athletic team baseball hats.

• Gang style, baggy clothing has become the widely accepted "cool" way to dress among youth and no longer a definite sign of gang membership.

7. I know a gang member when I see one, and I don’t see any hanging around my neighborhood.

• Gang members are harder than ever to identify in today’s society. Contemporary gangs are dressing more mainstream to be less obvious to police, teachers and parents. Behavior is a better indicator of gang involvement than physical appearance.

8. There is nothing I can do about gangs in my community.

• Yes there is something you can do. The most important thing you can do is to send the right message to your children and your community. The message is: Gangs are not welcome here!

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Gang intervention and prevention begins in the home. As a parent, you need to discourage your children from gang involvement and explain the dangers to them. Here are a few ideas you might consider:

DEVELOP GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

Good communication is open, frequent, and it takes on a positive tone. It allows your children to come to you to discuss any topic or problem. It does not condemn or put down. Ask your child questions about gangs. Questions like, Are you in a gang? Do you know any gang members? Are there gangs at your school? Have you ever been asked to join a gang? Are you afraid of gangs at your school? If you have concerns, contact your neighborhood association, the police, your child’s school administration, or the Juvenile Court.

KNOW WHO YOUR CHILD’S FRIENDS ARE.

Meet your children’s friends. Find out who they are, what influence they have over your children and how they spend their free time.

OCCUPY YOUR CHILD’S FREE TIME.

Give them responsibilities at home. Get them involved in after school, sports, city recreation or church activities.

LEARN ABOUT GANG AND DRUG ACTIVITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Learn how gang members dress, how they speak, their behavior and their activities. Attend informational meetings, police community presentations, and read current articles relating to gang activity. Become an informed parent!

PARTICIPATE IN THE EDUCATION OF YOUR CHILDREN.

Take an interest in your children’s education. Visit your children’s school, meet their teachers, and attend parent/school meetings.

PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY.

Know your neighbors. Organize or join neighborhood watch groups. Discourage gangs from hanging around your neighborhood. Report suspicious groups to the police department. Immediately report graffiti to the graffiti hotline. Graffiti left up sends the wrong message about your neighborhood.

BE A GOOD EXAMPLE. BECOME AN ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE PARENT.

Do’s and Don’ts

• DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO WRITE OR PRACTICE WRITING GANG NAMES OR GRAFFITI on their books, papers, walls, clothes or any other place. Teach respect for other’s property.

• DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO STAY OUT LATE and spend a lot of unsupervised time "hanging out" with friends. Remember, curfew is 10 PM for children under 16 and Midnight for children under 18 on the weekends.

• DO NOT permit children to attend and/or host unsupervised parties.

• DO NOT overlook the potential for females to be involved with gangs. They may support male gang members as a related subgroup or form a gang of their own.

• DO notify schools, as well as police, of gang-related incidents. It is especially important to notify schools early in the morning on Mondays if there were any neighborhood weekend gang problems which may spill over into the schools.

• DO escort students to and from school when they identify a fear of being assaulted, threatened, harassed, etc. This may prevent them from ganging up for defensive purposes, which sometimes leads to further gang and criminal activity.

• DO control the exposure of your children to negative activities, friends, music, etc. Although we cannot shelter children from all the "evils" of society, we can monitor their activities, associates and discuss the negatives and pitfalls of their relationships.

• DO work with community groups to remove graffiti from garages, houses and property in your immediate community. Be persistent! Graffiti has a way of reappearing.

• DO lobby public officials and support their efforts to establish prevention programs and other efforts to address gang activities.
   

There are positive things that parents can do to prevent gang involvement by their children:

1. Don't say it can't happen here.
2. Demand accountability for time spent
3. Demand that your children remain in school
4. Demand accountability for money and clothes
5. Meet and greet your children's friends
6. Introduce yourself to parents of friends
7. Be observant of dress patterns and jewelry.
8. Require positive activities for your children
9. Talk about the dangers and impress upon them the reality of gangs
10. Ask questions whenever you're suspicious.