[img]583|left|||no_popup[/img]For several decades the Black community has allowed the government, state and local officials, and police departments to dictate how we combat gangbanging in our neighborhood.
We have taken our concerns to politicians, administrators and community activists, and all we have accomplished, on their directive, is to pass unjust laws designed to lock up Black men and throw away the key.
At one time we sought to find answers in our churches and mosques. It was a valiant effort, but that, too, was unsuccessful. What we haven’t done is engage in a meaningful dialogue with former gang members and associates, who have a wealth of knowledge in gang-related matters. They have an immediate and intimate insight that you cannot gain by sitting up in a university classroom.
Former gang members are no longer just street punks, thugs and drug dealers. Many of us have evolved over time. We have the potential to play key roles in society. In addition, we are the only true experts in the area of gang intervention.
One would be hard pressed to find a Black family without a parent, sibling or close relative who hasn’t belonged to, or associated with, a gang. But we now blend into the social makeup of every community. Many of us hold fulltime jobs, have college degrees, pay taxes, raise children, even promote higher education.
Thus, a valuable resource in terms of knowledge and expertise is being underutilized, allowed to lie fallow in our society.
The primary reason we are such a valuable asset is that we were once a part of the problem. We can go into gang-infested areas, speak their language, and command the respect necessary to address the issue in a meaningful way. We know who to talk to, how to talk to them, and what to talk to them about.
Friendships
Gang members establish relationships with each other that are no less than blood brothers. It is not uncommon to see gang members walk away from the life yet maintain close relationships within the gang. In some cases even former rivals establish close relationships because they formerly shared a common way of life.
This allows us to build upon an established trust. Many of us are the parents or siblings of active gang members. We have a vested interest in resolving gang conflicts.
Gangbangers were nothing but average neighborhood kids with dreams and aspirations just like any other kids. The problem was the environment they grew up in lacked the tools, support system, positive role models and opportunity for them to realize their dreams. So they tried to establish their identity in the only way they could. We can change that. Here in prison, Crips and Bloods operate as a collective unit under the most severe and violent conditions. This is not by accident.
The model was designed by former gang members and associates to curb violence and preserve life. This structured way of life has been tested, and due to this system of cooperation and mutual respect, violence in prison is nowhere close to what it is on the street.
If this system can work in the prisons, where rival gang members are in close personal contact on a daily basis, and under the most stressful circumstances, it can work on the street. The system is simple. The city should establish a board of former gang members to form a think tank that works directly with city officials to resolve the problems in the community.
As for Therapy
One of the important aspects of the change, rehabilitation and therapy, is to guide the individual in exploring the reasons for his dysfunctional behavior on his own. This allows the young man to take ownership of his change and rehabilitation.
Aspirations and needs of gangbangers are as pronounced and valid as anyone else’s. The only difference is, they lack the instruction and direction in how to obtain their aspirations in a constructive manner. The aforementioned board can act as their voice and open a dialogue to address the mal-adaptive issues leading to violence in the community.
The program will pay for itself by relieving the taxpayer of the burden of having to support a broken down prison system.
Byron L. Wattree, a writer, scholar, and the son of columnist Eric L.Wattree, currently is serving life in prison under the three strikes law. In prison for 12 years, he hasn’t wasted his time. In prison, he has earned six degrees in various disciplines including psychology, business administration, and mathematics. He’s also a certified counselor in six areas, including drug counseling. His father Eric only learned of Byron’s existence a year ago. His son contacted him after a fellow inmate showed him one of Mr. Wattree’s columns in the Los Angeles Sentinel. Eric Wattree also has two other children, Kaiumeka Wattree-Jackson, a human resources specialist for Citrus College, and Eric L. Wattree Jr., a special agent with the DEA.
Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet and musician, born in Los Angeles. A columnist for the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Black Star News, a staff writer for Veterans Today, he is a contributing writer to Your Black World, the Huffington Post, ePluribus Media and other online sites and publications. He also is the author of “A Message From the Hood.”
Mr. Wattree may be contacted at wattree.blogspot.com or Ewattree@Gmail.com
Religious bigotry: It’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me – it’s just that God does.
