Gang Awareness Forum At A&T
I attended tonight’s Gang Awareness Forum at A&T. City Council members Goldie Wells and Dianne Bellamy-Small opened the meeting, which was led by GPD Detective Ernest Cuthbertson, who was accompanied by Sgt. Mike Richey. Chief Bellamy was in the audience, along with other police officers. (Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston and Guilford County School Board member Amos Quick were there, as was City Council candidate Greg Woodard. I think I also saw candidates Luther Falls and Joe Wilson. Update: Yes, it was Joe.)
Dianne Bellamy Small distributed materials at the entrance to the auditorium, and I’ve made PDFs of those documents for those of you who weren’t able to attend. (Some of these files are large.)
- “Gang 101,” — supplemental materials from Dianne Bellamy-Small
- “Gangs 101,” — from Salisbury Parks & Rec
- “Parents, Teens Have Different Role To Play”
- “Gangs In Guilford County”
- Supplemental Material Packet from Dianne Bellamy Small (includes info on prisons, parenting education, socialization, communication, adolescence and book list)
Cuthbertson’s talk was wide-ranging. He began by addressing the question: “Why do we have gangs?” And his answer was: “Racism, prejudice and cultural bias. Gangs are a microcosm of what’s going on in society.” But then he said that the media makes it more of a cultural issue, and that there are gangs across racial and socioeconomic lines. And later in his presentation, he said: “It has nothing to do with race or socioeconomic status.” So that was a little confusing.
Here are some of the other things that Cuthbertson shared, from my notes (corrections welcome!):
- Today’s “heroes and sheroes” once would have been viewed negatively by society, but now are accepted. He talked about stereotypes and pointed out that not everyone who wears a long white t-shirt is a gang member — they may just be wearing it for fashion.
- Now is the time to address the gang problem proactively — both locally and nationally — before it gets bigger.
- The #1 place where kids get high is at the bus stop.
- Gangs on the West Coast have a linear structure; East Coast gangs have a hierarchy and more formal structure.
- Gang identifiers include colors, graffiti, logos and hand signs.
- GPD response to graffiti: Read, record, remove.
- Girls now make up about 15% of gangs.
- After a beat-in (gang initiation), the gang members “I love you” to the new initiate.
- The purity rate of heroin is increasing and today’s pot is laced with acid (LSD) and PCP and soaked formaldehyde.
- Cuthbertson showed photos and told the audience how to check their kids’ bodies for gang marks. He also warned us about the internet, particularly sites like MySpace.
- As this next generation grows up, a core group of people will be permanently damaged by irreversible brain damage due to drug use and they will require lifelong care. He showed a photo of a young woman’s brain, damaged by drug use. There were holes all the way through both sides of the brain. The damage cannot be undone.
- Gangs are involved in the use and sale of drugs.
The audience feedback was very thought-provoking, particularly the lengthy comments from two individuals. I was reminded that our community has a lot of diversity, and difference and division are part of that.
See Fox 8’s story: “Gang Awareness Forum”
Goldie Wells told the audience that Council discussed gang funding earlier today and we’d see it on the news when we got home. And she was right.
>> See Greensboro Will Find Money For Police Gang Unit.
Popularity: 57% [?]
Rebel With A Keyboard?
Via Ed:
The N&R has posted Joe Killian’s “The story behind the story,” about his investigation of the gang story that ran in Sunday’s paper.
I should start by saying that my writing about “the gang problem” was sort of a divisive thing — even in the N&R office. There were reporters and editors who thought (and were not shy about saying) that they thought the whole thing was being trumped up…
… by bloggers, who were blowing the whole thing out of proportion in order to point to something that the slow, arrogant and ineffective mainstream media was missing, but they as fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants underground rebels were all over, changing the world with their keyboards and the righteous power of THE TRUTH.
Wow. That’s a fairly stinging indictment. And I guess I’m one of those bloggers.
Is that really how people see me? Maybe I don’t want to know the answer to that. But maybe I needed to know. And maybe it’s time for me to back away from the keyboard and go re-read the book of James.
LORD, give me eyes to see and ears to hear…
Popularity: 7% [?]
Urban Sophisticates Play For Troops In Pacific
Greensboro’s Urban Sophisticates leave today for a month-long tour, playing for U.S. troops in Japan, Guam and Korea. The tour is sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment.
Urban Sophisticates is a five-year old, seven member, live hip hop band, mixing live drums, guitar, bass, trombone, trumpet, and rap vocals.
The members of Urban Sophisticates attend Grace Community Church (me, too) and today, the elders led the congregation in praying for them before they left for their tour. (Bass player Ricky Nxumalo spoke to the high school students, and then played and sang for them, in their youth class before the service.)
I’ve already emailed military friends serving in the Pacific. I hope they’ll have a chance to see the guys play.
God bless Benton, James, Ricky, Jeremy, Ben, Romondo, and Sal. And God bless our troops.
>> Urban Sophisticates web site
>> Urban Sophisticates MySpace
>> Urban Sophisticates at Armed Forces Entertainment
Listen to Urban Sophisticates below… Read more
Popularity: 6% [?]
Want To See Where Your Donation Is Going? Give Food!
Updated with additional info below.
Have you ever wanted to do something for someone — to give, to donate — but you wanted to make sure that what you were giving went directly to the people you intended to give it to? Well, I have a giving opportunity for you. 
>> See more Community Dinner photos here.
Every Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m., Grace Community Church serves a free meal for 175-200 guests, most of them homeless, many of them sleeping outside. Grace depends on the partnership of churches, groups and individuals to help provide the food for the meals. Currently, Grace has a need for more food. If you provide food for Community Dinner, you’re welcome to stay while our guests enjoy eating it! (And you’re invited to join us at Community Dinner, even if you don’t bring food!)
Here’s what’s needed:
1st WEDNESDAY
- 10 Containers of potato salad (5lb containers); can be purchased at Sams or Costco
- 10 large containers of Country Time lemonade dry mix
- 10 large containers of Lipton Tea Dry Mix
- cleaning supplies (Windex, Fantastic, 409)
- 3 gallons of milk
2nd WEDNESDAY
- 10 7-lb containers of vanilla pudding (Sams Club)
- 10 7-lb containers of chocolate pudding (Sams Club)
- boxes of any kind of cookies
- 50 pieces of fried chicken
3rd WEDNESDAY
- 10 large (6 lbs, 10 oz) cans of corn
- 10 large (6 lbs, 5 oz) cans of green beans
- 400 pieces of fried chicken
4th WEDNESDAY
- 450 hotdogs
- 450 hotdog buns
- 10 large bags of chips (any variety)
- 10 (117 oz) can of baked beans
- 13 72 oz containers of coleslaw
- 10 cakes any variety
These are monthly needs. If you, your family, your church, your company, or other group would consider donating all or a few of the items listed above, either one time or on a recurring basis, please . Thank you!
Donations to Grace’s Community Dinner are tax deductible and receipts for tax purposes will be furnished upon request.
UDPATE: Here are some prices for the items above:
NON PERISHABLES
Prices are recent, from Sam’s Club and Costco
baked beans, 117 oz can, $4.26
green beans, 101 oz can, $2.34
corn, 106 oz can, $2.88
chocolate or vanilla pudding, 112 oz container, $3.17
Lipton tea mix, makes 38 quarts, $4.68
County Time lemonade mix, makes 34 quarts, $5.30
These items, and things like chips, cookies, and cleaning supplies, can be brought to the church during business hours — Monday thru Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Grace is located at 643 W. Lee Street in Greensboro. The offices are on the back, right side of the main building, near the playground. The phone number is 336.379.1936.
PERISHABLES
potato salad, 5 lb. container, $3.80
coleslaw, 72 oz container, $3.52 (at Sam’s only)
80 frozen hot dogs, $5.88 (Sam’s price; other choices available, too)
If you’re purchasing perishables, please contact Virginia (336.707.4378) first to coordinate.
Ongoing donations are ideal (i.e., sign up to bring an item or items one week per month), but one-time or occasional gifts are always appreciated!
You may also donate Food Lion gift cards to help with regularly-purchased items, such as 400 pieces of fried chicken, one week each month.
Providing food for Community Dinner is a great service opportunity for a youth group, service club or Scout troop!
Popularity: 7% [?]
Pro-Life: More Than Anti-Abortion
Updated below.
There’s more to being pro-life than just opposing abortion. There are 50 million* orphaned children in the world. But there are 2.1 billion Christians. And we have a responsibility to those children.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
– James 1:27
Jesus told us that He wouldn’t leave us alone in this world:
[Jesus said,] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
– John 14:18
And we became His children by adoption:
“…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
– Ephesians 1:4-6
adopted as SONS, given the birthright, the inheritance of God (and that’s for all of us)
If we are committed to being “pro-life,” we must go beyond opposing abortion and be willing to 1.) adopt, 2.) foster, or 3.) support (financially, spiritually and in other ways) families that adopt and foster.
>> Visit ShaohannahsHope.org to learn more about how you can care for orphans around the world.
>> Watch a video about adoption from Shaohannah’s Hope.
(*Some estimates of the number of orphaned children are as high as 200 million.)
UPDATE: Listen to “Adoption: God’s Redeeming Love,” a message shared by Pastor Jimmy Renslow at Grace Community Church on August 19, 2007. (Jimmy is the former youth pastor at Grace and is now pastor of The Church at 5:14.)
Popularity: 8% [?]
YouTube Marine Poet Is From The Carolinas
A YouTube video of Marine Staff Sgt. Lawrence E. Dean II rapping his poem, “FREE,” about why he serves in the Marines, was viewed 400,000 times in two days this week. Dean is a Conway, S.C. native, stationed at Cherry Point Air Station in Havelock, N.C.
Dean says:
“It’s about the military service and the reason we do things. We just defend the country, no questions asked. As a family, we do it. The poem was just utmost admiration and respect for the individuals that are there. … They’ve answered the country’s call.”
God bless Staff Sgt. Dean and all our troops.
Lyrics to “FREE” below.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Canadians Debate Policy After Tourist Killed By Panhandlers
Canadians are debating public policy on aggressive panhandling in the wake of recent violence by panhandlers in major cities:
“In a shocking attack in Vancouver, a beggar assaulted and robbed a 79-year-old man as he left church, even though the man had regularly and voluntarily given money to the assailant. In Toronto, an out-of-town visitor who apparently objected to aggressive begging was attacked by four panhandlers and fatally stabbed. These are notorious recent examples of beggars turning violent. But every large city in Canada is dealing with the problem, and what used to be considered a mere nuisance of the “buddy can you spare a dime” variety is coming to be seen as a real threat to public safety.”
– The Globe & Mail | View full article here
In 2005, a 59-year old Toronto father was left brain-damaged after being attacked by an enraged panhandler.
A homeless Canadian blogger responds to the recent events.
Efforts to control aggressive panhandling have been controversial in Canada, and officials are considering ways to address the issue.
Note: At least one source is reporting that the four panhandlers responsible for the murder of the Toronto tourist were Americans.
Update: A commenter says the four attackers in the tourist weren’t panhandlers, and provides this link:
Staff Sergeant David Woodley said police are not “classifying them as panhandlers or street people. … They actually have addresses.”
Thanks for the info, Chris. I’ll keep following this story. It’s definitely generating a lot of attention!
Popularity: 7% [?]
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