A Portland man named John Canda is helping to keep kids safe and gangs off the streets by urging parents and the community to start paying attention! Being in a gang leads to nothing but bad things - like getting arrested, getting hooked on drugs or even getting killed.
Portland gang outreach worker urges parents, community leaders to stop gang violence
According to The Oregonian article linked above, "Gang violence response team officers have been called to crime scenes 27 times this year, compared to 20 by the end of April 2010. Last year, the team had 93 call outs for gang-related violence, up from 68 in 2009."
These numbers are really sad. This is why Kids on the Block is teaming up with Marysville Elementary School to educate students about bullying and gangs, and how to stay away from them. With our Prevention Program, we are helping kids become strong leaders instead of future gang members. Did you know that by age 8, bullies are six times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 24*? By tackling these problems now with the right tools, we're helping to prevent violent and illegal behavior down the road.
Do you know what to do if someone recruits you into a gang? Read this flyer and share it with your parents to find out more:
http://www.co.washington.or.us/Juvenile/Gangs/upload/ParentsGuide-EN-2.pdf
*Kaiser Family Foundation
