April 12, 2002

TOUGH TRUCES
A Lesson on the Causes and Prevention of Gang Violence

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Los Angeles Street Wars Grow Deadlier, By GREG WINTER", April 12, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students will learn about the factors contributing to the growth of gangs and gang violence. Groups will discuss causes for gang violence and suggest measures that can be taken by various community groups to reduce such activity.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   45 minutes

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Respond to a quotation from a gang truce; define "gang"; relate the quotation to gang violence.
  2. Learn about the recent increase in gang violence in Los Angeles by reading and discussing the article "Los Angeles Street Wars Grow Deadlier."
  3. Determine constituencies directly involved in the impact that gangs have on a community; act as those groups to discuss the problem of gang violence; brainstorm proposals and advertisements for programs to curb gang violence.
  4. Create proposals and posters; participate in a "Gang Violence Forum."

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond to the following prompt in their journal (written on the board prior to class): "A recently-written document included a condemnation of 'barbarous acts that have outraged the conscience of mankind.' What does this phrase mean to you? About what situations going on in the world right now might this phrase be describing?" After giving students a few minutes to write, have some students share their responses with the class. Then, tell students that this quotation comes from a Los Angeles gang truce between the Crips and the Bloods. Conduct a short discussion on how this information changes their perception of this quotation. What do students know about the Crips and the Bloods? How do students define the term "gang"? How might this quotation relate to gang activity?
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Los Angeles Street Wars Grow Deadlier," focusing on the following questions:
    1. What does Danny Rodriguez look like?
    2. What happened to him a few weeks ago? How does he feel about what happened?
    3. How many gang-related homicides were there in Los Angeles in January and February of 2002? What are the expected statistics for March?
    4. What do gang members say is the reason for the recent increase in gang violence?
    5. How were the original gang truces struck and enforced?
    6. What problems in the police department are contributing to the rise in gang activity, according to this article?
    7. What problem do parolees present?
    8. What are the economic factors contributing to the rise in gang activity?
    9. According to the article, what initiatives tend to keep young children from joining gangs?
    10. How might recent violence actually help to resume talks of truces?
  3. Brainstorm on the board various groups or constituencies of people who are directly involved in the impact that gangs have on their community. Groups might include the police department, the Board of Education, Crip and Blood gang leaders, city-wide social program coordinators (including vocational training, drug rehabilitation, and after-school programming), and concerned parents of young children susceptible to recruitment by gangs. Divide students into groups of three or four, and have each select a different constituency listed on the board. Explain that each group will be imagining that they are their assigned constituency, considering the impact of gangs on their community and participating in a "Gang Violence Forum." Groups should discuss and jot down answers to the following (written on the board for easier student access):
    • What problems (social, economic, and political) within the city have or may give rise to increased gang activity?
    • What role does your group play in gang activity, both to encourage and discourage it?
    • What measures can you take as a group to counteract gang violence?
    Then, groups brainstorm the following items for presentation at a "Gang Violence Forum" to be held in a later class (also written on the board):
    • Write a one to two-page proposal with three to five specific suggestions that your group would like to implement to combat the increase in gang violence. Include the details for what must be in place to make those ideas come to fruition.
    • Create one poster advertising each of your group's suggested programs. Each poster should include a memorable image and slogan (such as the anti-drug campaign with an egg cooking in a frying pan and the slogan "This is your brain on drugs").
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Groups complete their proposals and posters in a future class or for homework. In a later class, conduct the "Gang Violence Forum." Each group should presents its proposals and the posters advertising its programs, and the class should discusses the likely effectiveness of each proposal. You might wish to send what you vote on as the best proposals to your city council for consideration.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal response, participation in class and group discussions, thoughtfully developed and written group proposals and posters, and participation in "Gang Violence Forum."

VOCABULARY:
melee, surge, casualty, tabulated, momentum, truce, devastating, mediators, tenuous, confluence, prevalent, embark, initiatives, scrounge

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Read the book "There Are No Children Here" by Alex Kotlowitz, which follows the lives of two brothers living in a housing project in Chicago. Write a review of the book, focusing on the factors in the boys' lives that led to the problems they confronted and sharing your opinion about the choices they made in the face of these problems.
  2. Write a fictional treaty between two gangs. Include stipulations about cease-fires, territorial determinations, and other agreed-upon rules of conduct governing the treaty. Then, write a fictional treaty between two larger groups currently at conflict in the world, such as the Israelis and Palestinians. Compare your treaties. What similarities and differences exist?
  3. Watch "Boyz in the Hood," "New Jack City" or another film that focuses on gang culture. Choose two characters -- one with whom you most identify and one with whom you feel you have little in common. Write an essay explaining the similarities and differences between yourself and these characters, including a reflection on how you think you would act if placed in their situation. Then, write a dialogue between these two characters in which they discuss gang presence and violence in their communities.
  4. Write a journal entry about a major conflict that you have experienced with someone else. Did you ever resort to violence to try to solve the conflict? If so, did it help? If not, why did you choose not to use violence? How did you ultimately resolve your conflict?

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Geography- Learn about "rites of passage" from various cultures. Choose one and create a classroom poster comparing it to a rite undergone in gang subcultures. Note the similarities and differences between these rites in terms of the acts performed and their symbolic meanings.

Global History- Choose a current international conflict, such as that between Israelis and Palestinians, Pakistan and India, and the conflict in Northern Ireland, and create a poster comparing it to the gang wars in Los Angeles or another city. Include information about factors contributing to the violence, past solutions, and prospects for the future.

Mathematics- Collect gang statistics from your city (or the nearest city) over the past decade. Create graphs comparing these statistics to the ones from Los Angeles (both those included in the article and other statistics you discover through research). Also include your opinion about what factors might be responsible for the difference in these statistics. Submit your graphs and writing to your school newspaper for publication.

Media Studies- Write an essay on the following topic: What is the relationship, if any, between mass media (film, television, video games, music) and gang activity? How do they affect each other? Cite specific movies, shows, games, songs, etc. that illustrate this relationship as you see it.

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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