Geared for middle school and high school students to show what they will have to go through to join a gang.

1. SO YOU WANT TO JOIN A GANG
A POWER POINT PRESENTATION FOR MIDDLE
AND HIGH SCHOOL AGE STUDENTS
SPONSORED BY COEBURN POLICE DEPT.
CREATED BY H. STALLARD 03/09
hstallard@yahoo.com

2. JOINING A GANG

3. WHAT IS A GANG ?

4. WHAT IS A GANG ?
A gang is 3 or more individuals (juveniles
and/or adults)
who associate on a continuous basis,
form an allegiance for a common purpose,
whose members collectively identify
themselves by adopting a group identity
and are involved in delinquent or criminal
activity.

5. GANGS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO RECRUIT NEW
MEMBERS

6. WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO GET YOU TO
JOIN
They may offer to be friends with you or
protect you.
They may invite you to parties where there's
no violence and everyone is having a good
time.
They'll show off clothes, shoes, jewelry and
money; things that may glamorize the lifestyle
and lead you to believe that you can have
those things too just by joining the gang.

7. WHAT THEY WON’T TELL YOU
What they won't tell you is what they had to
do to get those things and the commitments
to crime and violence they had to make.
They had to rob, steal, and commit violent
acts against rival gangs and innocent victims.
Are you willing to make those same
commitments?

8. JOINING A GANG
To join a gang you must go through
some type of initiation to show the
members you have what it takes.

9. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to survive a beat-in
by the other members

10. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to survive a beat-in
by the other members

11. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to survive a beat-in
by the other members

12. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to survive a beat-in
by the other members

13. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

14. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

15. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

16. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

17. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

18. GANG INITIATION
Most gangs require you to commit one or
more illegal or violent acts.

19. ONCE YOU ARE IN A GANG…
THAT GANG IS NOW YOUR FAMILY

20. GANG LOYALTY
You now belong to the gang. Everything you
do is by the gang, from the gang and for the
gang.
Your biological family and friends who aren’t
part of the gang now come second in your life.
You are expected to put the gang and its
members in front of everything else.

21. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO JOIN A
GANG
Young people involved in gangs are much
more likely to be victims of physical violence
or gun crimes.
Gang involvement increases your risk of being
arrested, having to go to court, being put on
probation or parole, being jailed, injured, or
even killed.

22. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO JOIN A
GANG
You lose the trust of your family.
You gain more enemies than friends.
You may be feared, but you will not be
respected.
You could become a drop out limiting your
future employment opportunities.
You could become a substance abuser
addicted to drugs or alcohol.

23. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO JOIN A
GANG
When you join a gang your family becomes
involved too and you put them at risk for
violence, injury or death because of your
actions for the gang.
They may live in fear - for your safety and for
their own.

24. WHAT THEY WON’T TELL YOU
Most gang members know that they are on a
dead end path…

25. They live their lives for just the “now”
with little thought or planning for the
future.

26. Many gang members wear three dots in a
triangular shape. They represent the
three places gang members know they
will eventually go to …

27. TO THE HOSPITAL

28. TO JAIL / PRISON

29. TO JAIL / PRISON

30. TO THE CEMETERY

32. • COEBURN POLICE DEPARTMENT
• 114 FRONT STREET
• 395-2111
• CHIEF SCOTT BROOKS
• sbrooks@townofcoeburn.com