300 Seventh-Graders Take Pledge to Stay Out of Gangs
Nearly 300 seventh-graders at Peary Middle School in Gardena graduated from a gang prevention program Friday and made a pledge to say no to gangs.
The students have spent the last nine weeks participating in the Gang Resistance Education and Training program sponsored by the Gardena Police Department. Authorities visit the school once a week to talk about victims’ rights, conflict resolution and the differences among various cultures.
At the end of each lesson, students do an assignment in a gang prevention workbook so the lessons will sink in.
“The program has been absolutely successful,” said Principal Louvona Hall. “The students have formed a positive line of communication with the police and it helps to keep them away from gangs.”
The program was started in Phoenix in 1991 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The Gardena program, also conducted at three other private schools in the city, is funded by a $113,000 annual grant from the bureau.
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