Dealing With L.A. Gangs
In my job as a dean at a high school in south Los Angeles, I deal with gang members every day. What is it like for these kids in gangs? Put yourself in the shoes of a typical 17-year-old gang-banger.
You know that education is important, but you have gone to school for 11 years and you still don’t know how to read. You know that rock cocaine will destroy you, but you can’t stop using it. You know that the police will keep arresting you, but you have already been to jail and it’s “no big thing.”
Why did you get to be a gang-banger? Because you fell through the cracks. You fell through the cracks when you didn’t get proper guidance from your parents. You fell through the cracks when you never learned how to read in school. You fell through the cracks when you went to jail and became more hardened.
We must eliminate these cracks that have destroyed the lives of our youngsters. Our schools must assume the lead. We can no longer afford to let any of our youngsters slip through school without learning. We must never forget that the non-learner of today is the gang-banger of tomorrow.
RUSS THOMPSON
Long Beach
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