Signs of Gang Membership

According to Gang Task Force, some signs of gang membership are:
Poor academic progress in school.
Lack of interest in school activities.
Large blocks of unsupervised time.
Signs of increased conflict at home.
Frequent disciplinary problems at home and/or school.
Frequent contact with police.
Drawing graffiti.
Imitating gang dress or behavior.
Tattoos drawn on the body.
Uses hand signs adopted by a gang.


When I was researching for writing my latest release, Fear No Evil, I found the majority of previous gang members I actually got to speak with verified these signs. I tried to portray them with authenticity in my fiction because whether we like it or not, whether we ignore it or not, gangs ARE active today. I firmly believe we should take steps to protect our youth. Our children. Before it's too late.