by Latanya Bagley and Ivette Lucero
Today’s typical gang can be defined as a group of three or more people who share a unique name, have identifiable marks, signs or symbols, congregate on a regular basis, baselessly claiming territory, and always working towards unlawful antisocial ends. The definition given to the audience by Sergeant George Norris of the Prince George’s County Police was very similar at a gang seminar sponsored by Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) Administration of Justice Collegian Center. The seminar was held in Marlboro Hall on November 12, 2009.
There are several major gangs in the United States with approximately 900,000 members. The recruiting age averages between 12 and 13 years of age, and even younger, if raised in a gang home. “In Prince George’s County, we have a number of gangs that commit violent crimes and corrupt our youth,” said Norris, who heads a regional gang task force. “The common misconception is that we don’t have real gangs,” he explained. People often assume that some gang members are “wannabees,” “but little do they know that most of the time, the “wannabees” are the most dangerous because they have something to prove,” Norris said.
Norris also explained that some gangs, such as Bloods, Crips, and MS‑13, are just a few of the gangs that surround the Washington metropolitan area. People who “rep” their “hood” including Kentland, Cheverly Terrace, and Hill Road, see it as “repping” their territory, but the gang definition suits them, he said. Repping means representing in the form of tattoos, graffiti, colors, and signs, such as hand signals.
Norris listed the reasons why people join gangs: lack of identity, discipline, and need for recognition, love, belonging, respect, money, fear, and protection. It is ultimately up to parent to stop children from joining gangs.
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