Let’s Recap! 5/3/24 [Editorial Note by Dirk L. Hudson: Shortly after I reported on Father Boyle’s address to Arcadia Rotary, chance led me to become a Facebook friend of Edgar Rivas, a person who had once himself been part of the gang culture in Boyle Heights. After finding his way out of this culture, Mr. Rivas has gone on to hold management jobs and own real estate while finishing college. As Treasurer of “Ready for Change,” a nonprofit organization, Mr. Rivas is now trying to help other gang members do likewise, e.g., in teaching them how to build affordable homes for the poor. Whereas Father Boyle stated that kids join gangs because they are fleeing from something that deprives them of hope. Mr. Rivas has written an article explaining further what that something is. What follows, with Mr. Rivas’ permission, are excerpts from that article, which appears at full length at the website shown below.]
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Edgar Rivas: Child Neglect, the Seed that Grows into Crime
By HHR | April 10th, 2010 |
Child neglect breeds crime, crime that has made many that live in the inner City of Long Beach into victims. The City of Long Beach, California, website reports that there were 28,086 “reported” crimes in 2009. There were 40 cases of Murder or Manslaughter, 131 forcible rapes, 1,382 Robberies, 4,415 Larceny or Theft cases, 2,358 Auto thefts, and 90 Arson cases. According to Gang Free Kids.org, studies of large urban samples show that gang members are responsible for about 70 percent of violent offenses. Here in Long Beach, Police say that more than half the city’s homicides were gang-related, statistic that are reflected in urban areas throughout Los Angeles County.
As the statement above states: More than half the city’s homicides were gang-related. Who are the gang members? Gang members are usually the neglected children of irresponsible parents and the crimes committed by them are the result of that neglect. Because of the neglect, irresponsible parents, quite often, are not aware that their children are involved with gangs. Some parents are in denial, while others do not take the problem very seriously. The bottom line is that ignoring the problem of gangs does not make the problem go away.
A head of school security at Franklin Junior High School here in Long Beach, said, in an interview with the Press Telegram (in 2004), she had three recent meetings with groups of pupils and their parents to discuss their involvement with gangs. Most of the parents were surprised when she showed them their kids’ backpacks, which were covered in gang names and graffiti. Poverty and lack of supervision remain major problems for the school’s pupils said Parasima Shahidi the assistant school principal at Franklin.
The same occurs with parents who are in denial about their children’s troubles. Many of the kids are cared for by overwhelmed grandparents because the parents are drug users, or are in prison. Other parents, many single working mothers, pay attention to their kids but are at lost at what to do.
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Those that live a life of crime were usually victims of abuse and neglect during their childhood. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2003, approximately 906,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect and of those 906,000 children- 1,500 died as a result. More than half (60 percent) of victims experienced neglect, meaning a parent or caretaker failed to provide for the child’s basic needs. Some of that basic need was in regards to simply forming an emotional bond with the children, and keeping them from straying else where into harms way (e.g., The street).
Children are often put in harms way when they are told to “GO PLAY OUTSIDE!” When they go outside unsupervised in a bad neighborhood, they often become subject to negative influences; for example, gangs. How a parent can do something so stupid, I don’t understand. The only thing that comes to mind is that the parents who do this really don’t love their children. The fact is that when children grow up in a home where the parents neglect them, do not love them, or, do not make the time to show them love, the children will often look for love and respect among the kids they play with in the street, OTHER neglected children. These children will often become part of a gang, a gang that takes the place of a parent, and becomes the main guide of their lives; gangs that can do nothing else but give the wrong advice when dealing with some of life’s toughest challenges.
According to Gang Free Kids.org, “For some youth that lack support at home, or the family structure, the loyalty and unity that a gang offers can become quite powerful. The praise, friendship, attention, the structure that is similar to a family, often entices them to get involved with a gang”. Ron Bergmann, Deputy Chief of the LA County Sheriffs, San Fernando Valley’s command, said in an interview (In 2004) with the Press Telegram “The gang replaces the family. If there’s not a cohesive family, they turn to the gangs. It becomes their home.” When the structure of the gang becomes the home of a juvenile, they often commit crimes to fit in or to gain respect from their peers. As a result, they will find themselves in trouble with the law for a variety of reasons, for example violence, stealing, alcohol, and/or drugs, and vandalism. Much of this criminal behavior is done in groups. Where a youth would seldom do this alone, the support of a group is encouraging.
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[Note: The rest of this article appears at http://hiphoprepublican.com/general/2010/04/10/edgar-rivas-child-neglect-the-seed-that-grows-into-crime/ ]