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Schools' gang expert warns parents
By Daniel Gilbert
dgilbert@potomacnews.com
Saturday, February 11, 2006


Worried about the presence of criminal gangs in schools? So is the county School Board.
The county has created the new position of "gang and violence intervention specialist," who will work as a resource for county schools, students and parents concerned about gang activities.

Belinda Caraballo-Fernandez, a native of Puerto Rico, started in the new position in January.

The director of risk management, Don Mercer, proposed the new position to the School Board after noting an increase in suspected gang activity among students over the last three years.

Citing indicators such as gang signs and graffiti around schools, Mercer said the county lacked the expertise to understand which students were getting involved in gangs.

At present, Caraballo-Fernandez is giving presentations to schools that invite her about how to recognize gang involvement, and how to prevent students from joining gangs.

She addressed some 30 parents at Fred Lynn Middle School on Thursday night, warning them of their child's risk of being recruited by a gang.

"A lot of you live in neighborhoods that are infested with gangs. Sometimes, kids feel the need to affiliate themselves with a gang for protection," Caraballo-Fernandez said.

The two gangs most prevalent in the county are the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and the South Side Locos, an offshoot of MS-13.

Caraballo-Fernandez listed incentives for children to join gangs, including the "family environment" a gang can offer, a romantic portrayal of gang life on television and a desire for disposable income.

The family, as Caraballo-Fernandez ironically pointed out, "can either be the number one cause a youth joins a gang, or that he or she chooses not to."

Part of her message to parents is for them to pay attention to how the children dress, what music they listen to and what company they keep. She encourages parents to visit the children's schools, as "sometimes they will wear something to school, and then change into something else at gym."

Students who want to identify themselves with a gang may dress all in one color, or wear a hat cocked to the left or right. Caraballo-Fernandez noted that some traditional apparel is being co-opted by gangs as symbols, such as a Philadelphia 76ers jersey, where the seven and the six add up to 13, a number representing the Mara Salvatrucha.

Joe and Kathleen Gates attended the presentation with their three children, two of whom attend Fred Lynn Middle School.

"The neighborhood has changed big-time," said Kathleen, referring to Marumsco Village, where her family has lived for the last 14 years. "There is a gang problem. I've seen MS-13 graffiti, and there are teens and twenty-somethings hanging out 24-7," she said.

Her 12-year-old son said he knew where not to go in the neighborhood, mentioning the gang presence was "really bad" near a friend's house.

Kathleen Gates said she was not concerned for her children's safety at school, but worried for her own at home. "I'm mostly by myself at home, and [the gang presence] makes me really uncomfortable."