Parents' support enlisted in battle against gangs
State police representative provides info in Jackson
BY CHRISTINE GRIMALDI
Correspondent

With 140 distinct criminal street gangs statewide and hundreds more subgroups, Jackson parents gathered last week to learn more about how gangs are encroaching on New Jersey children and communities.

Points outlined at the meeting touched upon why some youths join gangs, how parents can recognize gang actions and indicators, and the influence and use of the media and Internet.

Held Jan. 9 at Jackson Memorial High School, the informational session featured presenter Ron Hampton of the New Jersey State Police Street Gangs Unit.

This topic is the latest in a series of informational sessions called SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone), run by the Jackson Police Department. Jackson Officer John Pejoski, the resource officer at the McAuliffe Middle School who helped organize the presentation, was on hand to answer parents' questions afterward.

Gangs are often formed along ethnic and racial lines, but Hampton noted that people of every ethnicity and race, economic level and family status are susceptible to gang involvement.

Gangs share a common name, flag colors and other identifiers, Hampton said. Involve-ment indicators include negative contact with school and law enforcement officials and phone calls from unidentified people - particularly if nicknames are used.

And while there is a slap on the wrist penalty for recruiting new members to criminal street gangs, it is not illegal to actually be a gang member, Hampton said.

In fact, recruitment is "the only gang-specific crime in New Jersey," he told those in attendance.

The gang problem cropped up in New Jersey in the late 1990s, and there are already third-generation members of gangs in the state, according to the information presented.

Most alarming is the burgeoning fad of copycat behavior, Hampton said. He cited "wangsters," suburban youths emulating the distinct hand signs and dances of gangs. Other times, these youths will dress in gang flag colors and post pictures of themselves on Internet Web sites like MySpace and YouTube.

Such displays have led to retaliatory attacks by offended gang members, Hampton said.

Parents can research flag colors and other gang-specific markers online through Web sites like streetgangs.com, gangwar.com and gangstyle.com. Hampton advised parents to conduct more sensitive online research at a public library rather than at home since gang members are looking at who logs onto certain Web sites.

Mayor Mark Seda, who attended and spoke briefly before the meeting, said that awareness is the only way to change gang-related behavior.

"We have to be aware of what's happening around us," the mayor said. "In this state, it's a growing issue."