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Forum in Caroline aims to sway youth away from violence Date published: 9/26/2009
BY PORTSIA SMITH What was Phyllis Wilson to do? The Caroline County mother saw the red bandanas that crowded her 12-year-old son's room. She saw the hand gestures and gang references on his MySpace page. She heard him say that he wanted to be a gang member. And worst of all, she saw the influence his behavior was having on his 9-year-old brother. "It was really scary," Wilson said. "I didn't know what to do." Then, she heard about the "Strengthening Our Communities" forum hosted by the Caroline County school system. The goal of the forum was to end the feuds between groups within the county, and to show students the realities of gangs and violence and help them make the right decisions. More than 100 students, parents and community members attended the event last week, including Wilson and her two sons. "The choices we make in life determine the type of suits we wear," Assistant Superintendent Eric Cunningham said as he pointed at the orange, blue and striped jail suits displayed across the high school stage. "If you take the wrong path, you will end up wearing one of these." Sheriff Tony Lippa showed a graphic video titled "The Wrong Family" that told real-life gang stories from Virginia. One of the gang members in the 26-minute video said, "If you don't raise your kids, there's guys in the streets who will and you ain't gonna like how they turn out." Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer talked about how decisions have consequences and discussed cases he has prosecuted in the county. The sheriff and prosecutor say they don't think the county has any real gangs, but they have seen "gang-like" activity in Caroline. Supervisor Floyd Thomas pulled $50 out of his pocket to add to the prizes being given away that night. He challenged all of the students to appreciate life. He talked about how precious life is to him after overcoming cancer two years ago. "To see kids fight over something that doesn't matter, it just hurts me," he said. Cunningham, who emceed the forum, gave away many gift certificates, iPods and laptop computers. Mothers from the community spoke about how violence had affected their lives.
Gangs are everywhere, including small towns, as they aim to broaden their criminal interprise. You don't have to be in a big city to have gangs in your area as gangs are transient.
Re: the comment made by Jaes, You really do not know anything about gangs, it seems, other than what you've seen in the movies. Gangs are everywhere, including small towns like yours as they aim to broaden their criminal interprise. You don't have to be in a big city to have gangs in your area. Gangs are also transient and hello, you're right off of 95, near Richmond and an hour from NoVA.
they consider the 4-h a gang now?!?!?!?!? Seriously if you want to join a gang in Caroline, there's a few things you have to do.. the first one being move to a populated area.
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