Gang Violence & You!

Gang Violence and You

Written by: Deneale K. Williams

      You may not see them, you may not know about them, but gangs are real, and they are everywhere. And maybe you do know about them, and just pretend not to. Whatever the case may be, today is the day you will learn more about them, and become further educated so that you can know what it is you are seeing, and how to cope, deal, and even avoid, and many more things, that will help you.

     Cocoa, Florida is one of the most dangerous regions in the United States. Chances of becoming a victim of any type of crime in the city of Cocoa are one in eight, however the average crime rate of this city has been decreasing each year. 

     Allow me to list a few gangs here that I know exist: East coast crips, Blood Line, (this is a prison gang), Black P. Stones AKA the Jungle stones or JS, which is a blood gang; also, Clanton 14, which is a Hispanic gang. Then there are: the gangster crips, Blue notes (another prison gang), Westmont which is unincorporated and is a south Los Angeles Hispanic gang. This is a small list of gangs, just to open your eyes, and these are the bigger and well-known ones. Usually the smaller and more secretive ones that are in your local towns, and yes, in your schools are kept on the ‘DL’ which is down low. 

     As you read this, you are wondering what makes a person become a gang member? Sometimes it is just plain and simple being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and other times, it is just low self-esteem, and even depression. Other times, it may even be simply desire, and then maybe even to see.

     However, studies have shown that the lower income families, and those that have lack of education, and funding for improvement in these low-income areas have often proven to be disastrous. Especially when further problems occur in these areas, such as disaster, shootings, lack of police, etc. With these type of problems, gangs will and do develop. Poverty has control of the situation, and with violence increasing, the pressure is there to follow, especially if ‘someone’ wants to play it safe. 

       The characteristics of gang members are simple. Some of them were once simple people, but once they have been incarcerated, the system taught them gangs, and now they feel safer that way. Some have had violence in their life at all times, and feel that violence is the only answer, the only way of life, and the only way they know. Some who are in gangs, have never had an education, never had family, never had anything but the gang life. This is all they know, and that is the way they feel safe. The gang is the surrogate family for the members, and for them, this is safety, not just that, there are safety in numbers as well. 

     As a parent of a child, encourage your child or children that being in a gang is not the answer. Communicate with your children, teach them that if they feel the need to join a group, that there are other resources such as: Church youth groups, extra-curricular activities within the school system, (usually), and maybe even you as the parent could come up with something to do with your child together. Perhaps a dance class, karate, go walk the park, something that your child will want to do, even if it is different each time. You as the parent need to be versatile as well. Even if it means involving another family relative, who the youth likes being with. Encouragement is a key factor too, as well as communication. 

      Supply your child with the truth, the guidance and understanding that he or she needs, and teach him or her that the gangs are there, and just how dangerous they are. Explain everything. The truth is always the best option. 

      The School system should also be preparing and education the children on gangs, and showing them things that they can do, and how to avoid them. Posters, counselors, and meetings in the auditoriums from time to time to reassure and explain. 

      There could be a time when a youth may realize they actually want out of the gang. This is a good thing. The best thing you can do is support their decision, and not act surprised or worried. The next thing you need to do, is listen to the youth’s story as to how they became involved in their gang, this way you know if it is wise to contact the parents. If it is not, then you know you will need to contact the authorities, which you quite possibly need to contact anyway, depending on how serious the gang is in the first place. 

      If this is just a small secretive little school gang that truly is just made to bully other students, then it should be able to be controlled within house of the school system, providing the youth gives you all of the names of the others. If not, there may be further problems with bullying of this youth. 

      If it is a serious gang, as stated, authorities will need involved, and perhaps even the parents. If the parents are not qualified, maybe the grandparents, least wise social services, will need to be contacted as the child’s advocate. This is to protect the rights of the youth. With everyone involved, including law enforcement, the youth should be able to regain his right place of freedom, if worse comes to worse, he will and could be relocated for safety. 

       Did you know that there are signs that you can look for to tell if your child may be in a gang? Like these: One pant leg rolled up, gang names tattooed on body, especially knuckles, doing poorly in school, dropping out, always wearing the same color combinations, acquiring new possessions 

without having any money, disrespecting many around them, talking differently, just to list a few. 

      The white house fact sheet blames single mother households, without fathers in their lives for teens joining gangs. Teens feel that joining gangs gives them the sense of having the protection of a father like figure. This gives the teen a sense of worth, and discipline, something the teen feels they are not getting at home. If this seems like something that could be happening in your home, now is the time to address this issue. 

      Encourage your child to think independently and get involved in their life. The White house states that parents are less involved in their children lives due to the economy, and working more. Unfortunately, the white house doesn’t see this as a sign to fix the economy, just as something to point out as a flaw, with parenting issues. Therefore, it is up to the parents to make the change, and fix the problems, not the government. 

      Just because the white house fact sheet finds single mothers as the most common flaws for teens joining gangs, does not mean that all systems have found the same results. There are all sorts of tables, and graphs who conduct research and many fingers will point and lay blame. Therefore, no matter who you are, don’t let the finger pointing get you down. The system is never one hundred percent.

      A child’s own curiosity can be the result of joining a gang, rebellion, simple boredom. There are many causes and actions, it just all depends.

     

      Here are some very informative things we found worthy of sharing with you:

http://graspyouth.org/ Gang Rescue And Support Project

http://www.gangprevention.ca/partners/get-help Gang Prevention - get help!

http://www.helpyourteens.com/teen-gangs-and-cults/ Help your teen with gangs & cults!

https://youthservicesslc.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/why-teens-join-gangs/ Why teens join gangs & how to help get them out! Article

https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/  The National Gang Center Government Site

http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-and-Gangs-098.aspx   Facts for families regarding gangs

https://middleearthnj.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/8-ways-to-keep-your-teen-out-of-gangs-and-yes-they-do-exist-in-your-community/   Ways to keep your children out of gangs (Clarifying, yes they do exist!)

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/02/08/joining_a_gang_how_to_help_kids_prevent_it_how_to_tell_if_theyve_joined_one_how_to_help_them_out.htm  How to prevent kids from joining gangs & how to help them get out of them

https://nij.gov/journals/273/Pages/preventing-gang-membership.aspx National Institute of Justice - Preventing Gang Membership

http://www.streetgangs.com/ details about street gangs

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/talking-about-trauma/201308/poverty-broken-homes-violence-the-making-gang-member#_=_ What makes a gang member – something you might want to read and know

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/gangs The FBI’s site on Gangs

http://people.howstuffworks.com/street-gang.htm simply explained about street gangs

https://youtu.be/vG0kSuYfDWA ten most dangerous gangs on Earth - @Youtube

http://www.livefromlockdown.com/WHY-DID-I-JOIN-A-GANG/ truth be told

https://www.ojjdp.gov/jjbulletin/9808/why.html Why do youth join gangs – an article

http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/CommunityPolicing/OrganizedCrime/Gangs/GettingOutOfAGang.aspx  Important- getting out of the gang!

     If you worse come to worse, go to your local police department for help, they will help and guide you. That is what they are there for. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, do it, before it’s too late.

A Different Look at the Cycle of Life with Mankind

A Different Look at the Cycle of Life with Mankind

     Consider the meaning of the term “ecology.” The word ecology is from the Greeks in the late nineteenth century (originally oecology) from Greek oikos house plus ology.

    The word ecology is derived from the branch of biology which deals with organisms and their physical surroundings. The political movement of ecology seeks to protect the environment especially from pollution. The word ecology in scrabble, will give you fourteen points, unless otherwise on special squares. 

     How do the ideas of energy and chemical cycles, community structure, biodiversity and succession fit together to form the basis of the way the natural world works? Biodiversity happens to be the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. 

    The energy that all ecosystems are dependent upon is that of the sun, which is known as radiant energy. Mankind is causing a disorder in the effects of natural radiant energy, which is known referenced to as disorder in the universe is increasing which we known the scientific term for this is entropy. Thermodynamics says that it cannot be created or destroyed, just changed, which again, this is where mankind comes in. 

     The four chemical cycles are: Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Water (which takes care of hydrogen and oxygen). Today there is the same amount of water on the Earth as there were millions of years before. You may be more familiar with carbon as its other name known as CO2, which it is being released into our air by way of fossil fuels known as gas, oil and coal. The atmosphere is a major source of CO2. Biomass is the amount of organic material in the ecosystem. Nitrogen is found in all living organisms as an element in amino acids and other essential molecules. But although almost 80 percent of Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen gas (N2). Because of it we have DNA, and RNA. Phosphorus (ATP) is only found in certain soils or rocks which the soil created. The process known as weathering releases it into our atmosphere which puts it into the biological realm by the detritivores. The water cycle is very important and often referred to as the hydrologic cycle. Hydro meaning water. The sun's energy evaporates water from land and water surfaces, adding gaseous water vapor to the atmosphere as it cools, water vapor condenses and eventually falls as precipitation (rain, snow, hail, or sleet). Plants absorb this fresh water from the soil, and consumers obtain water by eating and drinking.

     Mankind has also damaged much of this as well, by ruining lakes by polluting them: Lake Erie and Lake Apopka. And then we chose to dam up certain areas so that we can build homes, and do what we want, not what nature intended. 

     Explain how each of these ideas works and find ways to link between them. Present examples from your experience to demonstrate an understanding of the principals involved. Each of the four-chemical cycle must work together in order to make our planet thrive. Let’s use foliage for example. A plant needs sunlight and water and soil and air, that is using all four concepts, just to live and breathe, and from that point it will reproduce its seedlings and make more. That foliage will then feed an animal. Let’s use for example the foliage was lettuce. Now the rabbit will eat upon it and survive, and go home and mate, and make a family and he too will reproduce creating many young, that will live on, and they too will reproduce and repopulate. They will burrow in the Earth and leave feces which in turn will fertilize the ground, enabling the plants better growth as well. In the meantime, those rabbits are feeding more animals, and mankind as well. The other animals whom are surviving off the rabbits are in turn leaving feces and creating more of their kind, and making natural habitats as well. These animals are drinking from the lakes, and rivers. As well as frolicking in them, and enjoying their lives. Nature is growing and the sun is shining and the Earth is happy. Bacteria is reproducing in and on the feces, being left behind by the animals, in and on the soil, and insects and growing some of which will also enjoy the feces. Bugs, bees, and butterflies and moths are enjoying the flowers blooming and they are spreading pollen, and even more bacteria from plant to plant, vegetation is at an all-time high. 

     Then mankind comes in and starts tearing down trees, destroying natural habits, and hunting, and building, and redirecting streams, and building sewers, and changing the direction, and confusing nature, and the animals. At first when it is slow, just simple thing like hunting, the plants and animals can adapt, but when mankind does everything all at once, everything suffers, including the Earth. 

     There is trash left by mankind in the forest, and the deer eats it. He gets constipated. He finds something else, investigates it, and taste it. More trash. The deer lay dead in the forest. Rather than being used for food for another animal, or even mankind, this went to waste. Another deer decides to frolic across the street to tease his doe. He gets hit by a car and dies. Waste. Mankind, endangering the natural order. 

     In the 1970’s: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/toledos-water-supply-was-contaminated-toxins-algae-180952242/ Mankind polluted Lake Erie so badly that it killed fish off, and even damaged themselves. A new algae was created, unplanned, we created it. We did this in the 70’s and here we are again in 2014 back to see the effects of what we did still haunting life on Earth. True, an event was raised back then to clean up the Lake and stop the pollution, but it was too late, the effects were already caused, and changing. They would drive their boats on the lake, leaking oils, and throwing their trash. They would dump their garbage trucks into the lake. What were they even thinking? They weren’t and they didn’t care. 

     You would think with the amount of Ohioians that move to Florida, we wouldn’t do it again elsewhere, but guess what? We did: http://www.wesh.com/article/lake-apopka-from-fisherman-s-paradise-to-pond-of-poison/4441914 and it is just as sad. It seems that mankind doesn’t learn from their mistakes. And this mistake is even worse, because it is effecting the everglades. And the everglades is where much of the wildlife resides. Instead, now we are seeing wildlife running from the area, just to die. Yes, like suicide. That is how deathly ill the glades are now. 

     Now that it is seeming to late they think they are going to fix their mistakes: http://www.aquarius-systems.com/Entries/View/324/the_rebirth_of_polluted_lake_apopka.aspx God willing, maybe they will and can, otherwise, because this is one of the biggest systems in the and on the Earth, this could be the death of us.

     Do people want and think they can fix and change our Earth before it’s too late? http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/12/8198201/civilization-beyond-earth-patch-creators-fixing-mistakes-gdc-2015 Why can’t the Presidents that we elect do something about this kind of situation? Do the Presidents even know? Or will they just wait until the last few days, just like on TV and announce a swert and sorrowful goodbye? It is something to wonder. Because honestly, why hasn’t or doesn’t any of the Presidents or President elects offer up a change to fix the planet we are destroying? Think about thi, I mean really, think about this.

     I decided to see if any Presidents have even noticed the effects of the climate change or anything and found this: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/us/politics/obama-climate-change.html?_r=0 Unfortunately he is no longer President. But even though he is no longer President, if he cares enough, he can still make a difference. People know him, and will listen. The question is: will he?

     Ways we can help:

http://savingourplanet.net/

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/25-ways-to-save-the-planet.html

http://www.save-our-planet.net/

http://www.saveourplanet.org/

President Trump Closes the Borders & Makes a Wall

President Donald Trump Closes the Borders of the United States of America

     When I first heard that newly elected Donald J. Trump decided to close the borders to our great nation, I knew that it would cause a lot of recourse. 

      Before giving you any further details, allow me to share with you what I found when I decided to research the information online. The first place that I found had 77,888 views today as I write this on February 19, 2017. People are making more than just noise over this event. The page:  http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/254391-trump-ill-close-us-borders-in-my-first-day as it states: ‘Trump: I’ll close the borders ‘in my first day.’ From the site www.thehill.com This he vowed when he was just a candidate, and yet once he was elected into office, and did just that. Exactly what he promised. 

      So, for those of you who are acting like: “Where did this come from?” You knew he was going to do it, you voted for him, and he made it a promise. At least he upheld one of his promises, not many of the promises that candidates make get kept. Were you not expecting him to keep any of them? 

      "People can come into our country, but only legally. I will close up those borders," added Trump in his video answer, returning to an issue that accompanied his initial jump to the top of polls. Quoted per the above-mentioned site to www.twitter.com interviewer. 

      On January 28, 2017 www.TheWashingtonPost.com posted an article whereas approved refugees who were already authorized to enter the United States were being detained because of Presidents Trump closing of the borders. The article is located here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/28/refugees-detained-and-rejected-after-trump-abruptl/ .

      The ban eliminated entry from seven Middle Eastern Countries. It became apparent immediately after the order went into effect Friday when reports emerged of refugees, green card holders and foreign nationals with otherwise valid visas suddenly finding themselves unable to enter our great country, found themselves persecuted. 

       “Denying thousands of the most persecuted refugees the chance to reach safety is an irresponsible and dangerous move that undermines American values and imperils our foreign relations and national security.” the International Refugee Assistance Project said in a statement of its own in response to President Trumps order.

     

      Here is my opinion: I know that we have the issue of 9/11. I know that we have a problem with illegals entering our great country. 

      We here in the United States supply everyone every time they go to war. My question is this? Why do we do that? Why should we do that? Just because we can? In the meantime, we pay for imported fuel. We also have all our products, TV’s and VCR’s that come from China, cars that come from Germany. We need to make and employ our own people. 

      Donald Trump is trying to protect his people. And everyone is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. He is not trying to vindictive. If you read the commenters from people, the comments are fifty/fifty. But that is how people are, opinionated. And we all see differently, and always will. That is one of the things great about our country. Freedom of speech. At least for now, we are entitled to it.

    

     Then we have the Mexican Wall: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/trump-signs-order-border-wall-mexico-170125185244055.html The wall will be 1600 km long. About 1000 km already has fences and borders. President Trump claims that Mexico will help pay for it, it may be a complicated format, but they will pay for it in due time. He claims that Mexico will pay back the U.S. one hundred percent of the costs.

      Trump claims the wall will benefit both the United States and Mexico. It will stop, or at least slow down the drug cartel as well as illegal US Immigrants coming into the United States and into Mexico complicating both countries. 

     American’s are complaining because they think our tax dollars are paying for this, and even if it was or is, do you think they should complain for something that is benefiting them? Especially since eventually we the United States are to be reimbursed.

     All the information about the Mexican border can be found here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/25/donald-trump-order-construction-border-wall-crackdown-refugees/ including who will pay for it.

     Estimates for the wall have varied, per the site I have just linked. The first one Mr. Trump told MSNBC that he proposed he could finish the wall for eight billion. Many of the estimates later down the road are far higher. 

     The existing border fence cost around two point four billion. To build the rest of it, it would range from fifteen to twenty-five billion. Now this does not include continued maintenance of the fencing.        

     Who will pay for it? Per Donald Trump: the Mexicans. Per Mexico they have been quoted as saying: “Not a chance.”

     Donald Trump claims he knows the art of negotiating and that he can handle this. My opinion: in the long run, I guess time will tell.

     What do American’s really think about the closing of the borders? https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/while-trump-is-closing-the-borders-americans-are-warming-to-immigration/

     Polling has shown that American’s are less in favor of building a fence.

     Polling shown that regarding immigrating when ask one person said to return the person back to their own country, while others were willing to create a pathway to citizenship. This was done through several years of two thousand and twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. And the results were the same. One thousand two hundred and twenty-seven people were interviewed. 

     Although this does not by far speak for the entire country, it shows varied results. Not all people are holding grudges for things like 9/11.

     There are people fighting back against President Trump: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/01/usa-we-will-fight-trumps-effort-to-close-us-borders/

 

     Quoted from www.amnesty.org website: “Amnesty International’s “I Welcome” campaign protects the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum by documenting human rights abuses and pressing governments to do their fair share to address this humanitarian crisis. In the U.S., Amnesty International is working to protect refugee resettlement programs and access to asylum at the U.S southern border, in particular the harsh practice of automatically detaining children and their mothers who are seeking asylum and other practices that undermine meaningful access to protection.”

     Here again is another: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/01/25/donald-trump-ban-refugees/97046640/

 

     President Trump suspended the United States refugee program as one of his executive orders, closing the door on thousands of people seeking asylum from religious, political and ethnic persecution worldwide.

     Do you know just how many refugees we have help and admitted in the past? Allow me to tell you! The refugee admissions have dropped since 1975 from 146,158 in 1975, when 135,000 came from Asia, to 84,995 in 2016, when four out of five refugees came from Africa and the Near East or South Asia, per the State Department. These are people we have taken in and changed their lives! 

     Do you think the President has this kind of power? “Yes, he does, for security reasons. A president has the power to shut down the refugee program completely, bringing the number of refugees to zero, without any justification or approval from Congress. Federal law allows for a president to bar entry to any immigrant “or any class” of immigrants if the president deems them “detrimental to the interests of the United States, and to "impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate," according to the law.” Quoted from www.USAToday.com

 

    

     Could this ban cause us problems? Well according to this site, a majority of our Doctors are immigrants: https://qz.com/899492/trumps-immigration-ban-america-doesnt-have-enough-doctors-and-closing-borders-will-make-the-situation-worse/ twenty eight percent in fact. That is more than a quarter of the physicians and surgeons in the United States.  

   

     My surgeon returns home every Christmas until the new year to stay with his family. He has performed both of my knee replacement, my shoulder and my hip. He is one of the Space Coasts top orthopedic surgeons in the area! I know he has a passport, and I know he is legal. But I also know his family remains, willingly overseas. And I know he loves visiting them, I ask him about them all the time. Is this going to make his life more difficult too? I certainly hope not.

     I personally remember being told by him, that many ‘foreigners’ become Doctors just to get educated, and become United States citizens and send money back to their families. They claim it is the easiest way. I ask my Doctor if medical school was easier over there. He said no, because they still must come over here, and get re-certified with the same testing, so they had better be good. This is not hear-say. I ask one on one. I do have a very personable relationship with my doctor.

    

     What do Americans think? http://www.cbsnews.com/news/eight-in-10-americans-think-u-s-will-pay-for-u-s-mexican-border-wall/ But here is what Trump has to say: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/trump-says-taxpayers-will-be-reimbursed-for-mexican-border-wall

 

      In other words, we were told that Donald Trump was an excellent negotiator, but apparently, that is not true. His skills seem to be impacting us after all. The question we need to ask ourselves, is it for the better? And then the next question we need to ask, is what choice do we really have? After all those questions, we than can look at it like this, is building this wall giving more people jobs while it is being built? Well there you go, there is one plus. There are a lot of things to look at before you start complaining.

    

     Donald J. Trump is now the 45^th President of the United State of America. He vowed to close the borders, and has done just that. His reasoning is because he wants to protect us.

     But if you want to try and think about it like a Muslim, or another country, then perhaps you can see and will think negatively. And perhaps the results from those other countries will cause us great turmoil now that we have decided to act upon them. And the only thing we are trying to say is simple: “We are trying to protect ourselves.” 

     In the meantime, those countries still have several of our hostages held, and see that as a bargaining chip. But as a President we don’t and won’t accept terrorism as a  threat.

     The reason that the other countries are upset, is because they have something to hide. They are always at war with something or someone, and always famous for negative thinking.

     Personally, I do see them retaliating, in the future. They think we are trying to be vindictive. They don’t see this as trying to protective ourselves. But again, this is my opinion, an opinion from someone who sees through the eyes of a an open minded individual, whom is also very opinionated.

    

     Anytime you want the top new and information on Donald Trump check out this site: http://www.politico.com/news/donald-trump

     Many people have many different opinions and thoughts about Donald Trump. So much so, that it causes people to see each other in different lights. This past election has brought out the worst in a lot of people. More people spoke out than any other election before. The election was also a tight one, all the way up until the very end.

    

     But truly, the thing I find shocking is the ones who voted for Trump, who seem to not even realize his campaign promises. Did they even listen, and if so, what is it the listened to, and why is it they voted for him? Because people I know who voted for him, are the ones complaining about the wall, and the closing of the borders. I didn’t vote for him, and I personally like the idea. I see where he is coming from, and I completely understand. Therefore, I honestly am confused about the voting scenario.

     In my opinion, when 9/11 happened it truly brought our country together, united as one. We were torn into shreds, and lost a lot of great people. The people who did it were proud, and announced it, and took lives without a shred of fear. It took us this long, to realize that we need to close the borders, and make a stand for ourselves, and make a difference. But at least we are doing it. It is time for change. Obama claimed it was time for change, and it never happened in the right way. Now it’s a visible change that will have a cause and effect, and maybe the other countries will see, that we, the United States of America are not playing the victims any longer. (Man, that sounded like a great campaign speech!)

    

     I do not know what other campaign promises Trump made, because as I said, I did not vote for him. But if his promises are as effective as this one was and is, perhaps he knows and will do exactly what is right, and make a difference, and lead this country down the path it needs. I pray for his success, because he needs it and the proper guidance from God and the right people to be on his side down the very long four-year road.

    

     Apparently, President Trump, however is quite unsure of what political party he would truly like to be on. He has been affiliated with all parties at one time, Democratic, Independent and now as we all know: Republican. 

      To finalize, here I wish to say that President Trump is just looking out for ‘we the people’ just as he promised in his campaign. I think he is doing what he promised, and what he thinks is best. The outcome in the end, has a chance at causing a war. But all we can do is hope and pray that it doesn’t. I do however, think that his goal isn’t to cause a war, but only to teach those in the other countries, that we aren’t here to be used and abused. His heart is in the right place, but again, this is just my opinion. 

      In the end, I would like to add this: Although I did not vote for President Trump: I do support him. I am impressed with the changes he has made so far.