Urban Peacemakers

Lead: Urban violence prevention program takes unique approach to stopping the cross-fire: look in, then out.

As a society, we are often reactive, rather than proactive, in the fight against gang violence. Urban Peacemakers is a community based violence prevention program that asks youths to look inward and identify their own needs and emotions before they "act out." Students of Urban Peacemakers are taught to work with others to communicate their needs and to solve conflicts through negotiation and mediation strategies, rather than through gang violence.

Steve Nawojczyk
P.O. Box 1932
North Little Rock, AR 72115
(501) 753-6270
Fax : (501) 753-5296
E-mail: steve@gangwar.com.
Relevant area : renowned gang researcher and educator

Background

The National Youth Gang Center estimates that there are over 25,000 gangs nationwide. (National Youth Gang Center. Institute for Intergovernmental Research. Post Office Box 12729. Tallahassee, FL 32317. (850) 385-0600. FAX: (850) 386-5356. E-Mail: nygc@iir.com. website: http://www.iir.com/nygc/)

Organized youth gangs are not limited to large, inner-city areas as it is commonly believed, and membership crosses all racial and ethnic boundaries. (The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2111 Wilson Blvd. Suite 300. ,VA 22201. (703)276-2880. Fax: (703)276-2889. http://www.nvc.org)

Of the 600,000 to 950,000 gang members in the U.S., female gangs make up between 10% and 15%. (National Youth Gang Center. Institute for Intergovernmental Research. Post Office Box 12729. Tallahassee, FL 32317. (850) 385-0600. FAX: (850) 386-5356. E-Mail: nygc@iir.com. website: http://www.iir.com/nygc/)

13.8% of American high school students joined a gang during the 1993-1994 school year. (The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2111 Wilson Blvd. Suite 300. ,VA 22201. (703)276-2880. Fax: (703)276-2889. http://www.nvc.org)

The following are findings from the 1996 National Youth Gang Survey, performed by the U.S. Department of Justice. (National Youth Gang Survey (1996). Shay Bilchik, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. U.S. Department of Justice. 810 Seventh Street, NW. Washington, DC 2053.http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org.

• The youth gang problem in this country is substantial and affects communities of all sizes. Almost three-fourths of surveyed cities with populations greater than 25,000 (large cities) reported youth gangs in 1996. A majority of suburban counties had gangs, as did a significant percentage of small cities and rural counties. The western region of the United States had the highest percentage (75 percent) of jurisdictions reporting gangs in 1996, while the northeastern region had the lowest percentage (35 percent).

• An estimated 4,824 jurisdictions had active youth gangs in the United States in 1996. In addition, approximately 31,000 gangs and 846,000 gang members were active in these jurisdictions.

• The majority of gang members (71 percent) were reported to be between the ages of 15 and 24.

• The average proportion of adult gang members increased as the level of gang member involvement in drug sales and the degree of gang control of drug distribution increased.

• Females were reported to be substantially less involved in gangs than males in 1996.

• An estimated 2,364 homicides that occurred in large cities and 561 homicides that occurred in suburban counties involved gang members. The larger the population of a jurisdiction, the higher the number of homicides involving gang members.

• Respondents indicated that youth gang members were, relatively, more involved in larceny/theft, followed fairly closely, in the order of degree of involvement, by aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. The number of jurisdictions that reported a high degree of involvement in aggravated assault, robbery, and motor vehicle theft increased as the population of jurisdictions increased.

• On average, respondents estimated that 43 percent of the drug sales in their jurisdictions

Cohen, Adam. "A Curse of Cliques." Time Magazine. May 3, 1999. Vol 153. No 17.

Hiscock, John. "Pupils massacred by high school gang members." Electronic Telegraph. April 21, 1999.

McLaughlin, Stephanie. "Ex-coroner aims to build awareness of gangs." The Boston Globe. March 12, 1995.

Stephens, Ronald D. "Gangs, Guns, and School Violence." USA Today. Jan 1994 v122, p 29.

Vigue, Doreen Iudica. "Spotting troubled child takes resolve by adults." The Boston Globe. April 22, 1999.

Compiled by Liz Curtis