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Be Present

Children become involved in gangs and drugs for various reasons. The most common reasons are:

  • Family issues
  • Lack of positive communication
  • inadequate  adult supervision
  • Desire for friendship/sense of belonging
  • Need for attention, respect, or a sense of “being somebody”
  • Low self-esteem
  • Peer pressure
  • Fear/need for protection
  • Excitement/sense of power
  • Media glamorizing gangster lifestyle
  • Financial benefits

Be Proactive

  • Let your child know gangs are not welcome in your home
  • Know who your child’s friends are

Be Aware of

  • their appearance and dress pattern
  • what they keep in their room
  • emblems drawn on notebooks and other personal items
  • new friends
  • new and strange nicknames
  • attitude towards authority figures

Be Vocal
Ask your child questions and be aware of how they spend their time

  • Where are you going?
  • Who are you going with?
  • How are you getting there/back?
  • Establish a curfew

Get involved in removing gangs and drugs from the community

  • Get to know the community-based organizations; they can be an important resource for parents
  • Speak to religious leaders in the community; they can provide good advice and know of programs that encourage anti-gang behaviors.

Send a message of zero-tolerance to gangs that try to become a part of your community

  • Call Neptune Police Department 732.988.8000 and report and remove graffiti as soon as it appears
  • Make them uncomfortable by calling Neptune Police Department for minor infractions (littering, loitering and loudness)
  • Speak with your child about the consequences of gang involvement