Lifestyle leaves some Oklahomans feeling 'ganged' up on
With 89 known gangs in city, ex-members face an uphill battle

BY JULIE BISBEE
Published: November 3, 2008

Aberardo Reyna isn’t going to lie. His life in a gang began at 11, and after serving two years in a juvenile detention center for his role in a shooting, he’s not going to say that he’s done with gangs forever.

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It’s not that easy.

When asked what he liked about being in a gang, Aberardo looks at his hands and quietly says, "Everything.”

Aberardo, 16, is like the hundreds of youths who enter the juvenile justice system as gang members. In fiscal year 2007, there were 599 such young gang members, a 23 percent increase from the previous year.

Once juvenile offenders finish a stint in a detention center, they come home to a new set of challenges. Family members are gang members. The same people that recruited them into a gang live around the corner or come over for Sunday barbecues.

In Oklahoma County, released juveniles are assigned a caseworker and a mentor who tries to keep them from a gang lifestyle. Mentors meet with the kids, sometimes daily, for 30 days. Random drug tests are given and some youths wear a GPS monitoring device.

Israel Mireles, a mentor with Effective Transitions Inc., tries to keep juvenile offenders out of gangs. As Abarardo’s mentor, Mireles got the teen enrolled in school again, personally guaranteeing that he wouldn’t cause trouble.

"No school wanted him,” Mireles said. "But he needs an education. It’s hard to get them back into the system. You’ve got to convince people that he wants to behave and wants to finish school. He doesn’t want to keep making the same mistakes.”

Hard transitions

For teens raised in neighborhoods rife with gangs, sometimes the only way out is to move, said Jimmy Rogers, a former NFL player and gang rehabilitation specialist. It’s Rogers’ job to make sure the kids aren’t falling back into old patterns of gang life. Sometimes that means he goes to their houses at all hours of the night to check on them.

"That’s how they are raised,” said Rogers, who has been working with gang members in Oklahoma City for nearly 18 years. "Their dad might be from a set and their mom from another. They think they’re doing the right thing. The ones that don’t relocate are set up for failure.”

There are 89 known gangs in Oklahoma City, said Tim Hock, a detective with Oklahoma City’s Gang Task Force. Their turf is spread across the city.

"We’ve got gang bangers all over the place,” Hock said.

The gangster swagger is unmistakable. Tattoos on the hands and neck are telltale signs of the all-consuming lifestyle.

"They have got to want something more for their lives. I always ask them if they want to die for their gang, that’s what it comes down to,” Rogers said.

The statistics don’t favor youths leaving gangs. The recidivism rate is high and sometimes they are arrested within weeks of returning home, said Hock.

One 18-year-old who was recently released from L.E. Rader Center after serving time for several charges, including assault and possession of firearms, says he’s looking for a new way of life. The man, who doesn’t want his name used for fear he or his family could be harmed, joined a gang at 11 and is now home — where family members belong to the same gang. The man says he’s struggling to find the path out.

"I can’t run forever,” he said. "I know if I make a poor choice, I’ll end up with a poor outcome. I can make a good choice, like laying low right now. Or I can make a bad choice and go back to gang banging and end up behind bars.”

GANGS AT A GLANCE


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Related Topics: Sports, Law, Crime, Criminal Sentencing and Punishment, Prisons, Football, Criminal Law, Juvenile Justice, Gang Violence, Professional Football


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well...I guess we should just say, forget the dumb kids who make bad choices while trying to figure out their place in this life, if they have tattoos on their neck and hands, lets just assume that no life lessons have been learned and there is no chance for change in these little gangsters...condemn them. That is why many of the youth even turn to this lifestyle to begin with, judgement from society from the word jump, could be because of the side of town they are forced to grow up in, the low income single parent home with little supervision because mom has no choice but to work two jobs, etc....they turn to their "homies" who are in the same boat,+ common ground,+ and they band together,= bored teens, = trouble. The gangster lifestyle is hyped up in rap songs, MTV, reality shows, fancy cars, stacks of cash, power in numbers, etc...most of these little wanna be gangsters wouldn't even know how to survive in a "real" west or east coast gang, but since there is so much hype about it, in a ignorant moment, they put that gang trademark or label on them...usually to regret it as they grow older and wiser....the more people judge them and make them feel condemned before even given a chance to be productive in society, the less they will ever turn out to be, instill confidence in a kid who is insecure enough to consider a gang family, and watch him turn it into something positive. I have a shamrock tattoo on my neck, I am proud of my Irish blood, but does that mean I belong to some gang of little drunken leprechauns somewhere running around here?..lol No, it just simply means that I made a choice to mark up my body and give people a chance to show their ignorance when they put forth the energy to judge me before knowing me! :)
Cassie, Moore - Nov 4, 2008 at 2:38 pm
A tattoo is not the problem here. What Tim Hock was stating in the article is that a GANG AFFILIATED TATTOO - EVERY GANG has a sign or symbol that they use & then they get THIS tattoo of GANG AFFILIATION. IT makes people believe the juvenile is in a GANG. NOT every person w/a tattoo is in a gang. A majority of gangs try to get a rep. by doing criminal activity; maybe- even stealing from their own Mom. I think people should give a little respect to Detective Hock & show some appreciation to Law Enforcement. They only want to protect & serve. If we put them down; then we're doing the same thing we thought this article was doing to the tattoo population. If you have a tattoo that's your right. It doesn't mean anything bad; unless it has gang indication; then you may approach with some caution. The whole point of this story is show how many YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS we have and how just because they maybe young; it doesn't mean they can't be as dangerous as some adults. Protection; prevention and accountability for any crime is something we all need. Living in a sea of gang activity... M.C.
Minnie, Lawton - Nov 4, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Beverly...learn what a word means in the younger society before you try to use it... Swagger is to to move with confidence, sophistication and to be cool. Swagger is to conduct your self in a way that would automaticaly earn respect To dress in a very stylish and quirkily fasionable way would suggest one is swagger.
Cassie, Moore - Nov 4, 2008 at 11:41 am
You have got to be kidding me "involved, Yukon"...that is the biggest load of crap I have heard in quite awhile! Quite shallow! Why would you request another nurse? what do you think that tattoo on her neck would indicate? it changed her soul or something? brought evil and disease into her body and made her bad? Its nothing more than an expression. I have several tattoos, I work in an extremely professional atmosphere and most generally loved and respected by my peers...even with my tats. Being judgemental such as you are making yourself sound, is not something I would be too proud of. I don't know what world you come from but the one I come from, a person with tattoos is hardly "alienated" as you would say, even to a small portion of society. And for that matter, it is hardly an issue of personal accountability...lol, its a matter of personal preference. I feel sorry for you if you are so closed minded to think that a tattoo decides what a persons heart and soul are in the work place or the world for that matter. you referenced that people like her believe they can do what ever they want, regardless of how others feel about it and blame everybody else when they are held accountable...lol Where did that come from...did she do something wrong that she blamed someone else for that she needs to be held accountable for?...I didn't think so, she got a few tattoos...who are you to say that is wrong?...talk about narrow minded. :) by the way...is cloak all bright and white? maybe you should re-evaluate your own life...Sounds like you might be an over-bible beater so you might be familiar with this one.."judge not, less thou be judged"...
Cassie, Moore - Nov 4, 2008 at 11:37 am
Joining a "gang" is, of course, an inherently cowardly act, and nearly every gang member walking around fits that description to a T. Oh, they're brave enough when they've got five, ten or fifteen guys with them, and even braver when they're on home turf. Not so much, one on one. That "swagger" tends to disappear when they are by themselves, and confronted with someone who is either not in a wheelchair, or very elderly. One on one, it's only the latter two category of people most of these "gang" members are willing to confront.
Jason, Edmond - Nov 3, 2008 at 11:24 pm
J.N. you may be the best nurse in the city but if i was in the hospital and you tried to help me i would politely ask you to leave and request another nurse. A tattoo on your neck, are you kidding me. Grow up and be an adult. You made a decision, a decision you had to know would alienate you to a large portion of the population and now you are going to play the poor lil' ol' me card? This is the problem with this world today, no personal accountablility. People like JN believe they shoudl be able to do whatever they want, regardless of how others feel about it and then blame everybody else when they are held accountable.
Involved, Yukon - Nov 3, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I think castration is a punishment that isn't used nearly enough. Seriously. Think about it.
Chris, Jones - Nov 3, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Unfortunately, the fruit seldom falls far from the tree...
Kevin, Oklahoma City - Nov 3, 2008 at 3:05 pm
It is surely difficult for a young person indoctrinated into the gang culture and surrounded by it at home. They dont have much of a chance and almost no support if they do try to break out. We need to do something as a democratic society. We can't just use them for medical experiments and involuntary transplantation donors like some of our less tolerant world neighbors. With freedom of course comes tolerance of aberrance and there will always be aberrant people who cross the line into criminal aberrance; these folks feed off the good people. We should try to head this off anyway we can; perhaps a relocation program for gang members may be in order.
Ron, Oklahoma City - Nov 3, 2008 at 10:28 am
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Hey, y'all. as long as you don't SWAGGER when you walk things will be okay!
Beverly, Mesa - Nov 3, 2008 at 7:48 am
Nice. So I have a Masters in Nursing, mentor when the extra time arises, I have kids that do wonderfully in school. I have done nothing but work my tail off since I was 14, taking care of my sister when my dad was injured and on disability for the last few years of her teens. I came from an upper-middle class household and never got in trouble in school. Listened to my parents. In fact, they are not only my parents, but as an adult I consider them my first choice when I need a should or an ear. I have a tattoo on my neck (and my arm and hip). SO, according to J's line of reason, I am a duck. Guess I would rather have quacking come out of my mouth than small-minded reasoning.
J.N., Oklahoma City - Nov 3, 2008 at 7:41 am
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H....As the old saying goes "If something walks like a duck, looks like a duck,quacks like a duck chances our more than likely it is a duck." Please spare us the victim mentality crap.
J, Midwest City - Nov 3, 2008 at 4:47 am
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So now everybody with hand or neck tattoos is in a gang, that's that good ol' Bible Belt logic at work.
H, Norman - Nov 3, 2008 at 1:58 am
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