Title: Gangs
Feed: CWKN #442, June 17, 2009
Time:  1:37
SUGGESTED LEAD: WHY DO KIDS JOIN GANGS?  THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS THAT GANGS PROVIDE THEIR MEMBERS WITH A SENSE OF BELONGING, AN ALTERNATIVE FAMILY. BUT ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, THERE IS A MORE IMPORTANT REASON KIDS JOIN A GANG: TO FEEL SAFE. MORE ON THE LURE OF GANGS IN TODAY’S CONNECT WITH KIDS.      
<<PKG>>

NARR: HE DOESN’T WANT TO SHOW HIS FACE.  WE’LL CALL HIM “JOSE” (HO-SAY). 

WHEN HE WAS 12 HE JOINED A GANG. (:06)

SOT: “Jose” (Note:  No Super: Subtitle already included) (:07)
“I’m looking at them like,   ‘Do I really want to do this?’  And they’re like, ‘If you’re going to do it you’ve got to say yes, you don’t think about it.’”

NARR: SAYING YES MEANT A THREE MINUTE BEATING FROM FOUR OLDER GANG MEMBERS. (:05)

SOT: “Jose”  (:21)
“They only give you three chances to fall down.  After the third one, you got jumped for being stupid.”

NARR: BEATEN AND BLOODY BUT … HE MADE IT INTO THE GANG. 

POLICE SAY AT FIRST … GANGS HIDE THE CRIME AND VIOLENCE FROM THEIR NEW RECRUITS.  (:09)

SUPER: Edward Campuzano, Police Officer  (:39)
“To them it’s one big party.  What they don’t realize a lot of times, is that it might be like that at the beginning, but you’re progressively required to do other things and start committing crimes and start giving back to that gang.”

NARR: HE SAYS PARENTS SHOULD EXPLAIN TO KIDS “GIVING BACK TO THE GANG MEANS”:

FIGHTING … STEALING … KILLING PEOPLE.  (:07)

SOT: Edward Campuzano, Police Officer
“That’s when it doesn’t become appealing to them and they try to get out, and they can’t get out because now they have to take what is known to them as a beat out.”

NARR: A BEATING … TO GET OUT OF THE GANG.

JOSE SAYS, DURING THE BEATING, GANG MEMBERS CAN USE ANY WEAPON BUT A GUN. 

SOME KIDS DIE … AND SOME BARELY SURVIVE.  (:12)

SOT: Jose (1:27)
“Usually I know guys paralyzed for life…sipping through straws.”

NARR: JOSE LEFT THE GANG…..THOUGH HE WASN’T “BEATEN OUT” OF THE GANG.

AND NOW HE IS FORCED TO HIDE… MAYBE FOREVER. (:08)

I’M STACEY DEWITT, FOR CONNECT WITH KIDS.  (:03)

SUGGESTED TAG: HE NEVER FINISHED SCHOOL, NEVER LEARNED TO CONTROL HIS TEMPER, AND HAS BEEN FIRED FROM SEVERAL JOBS.  THAT’S WHY HE’S HOPING HIS STORY WILL KEEP OTHERS OUT OF A GANG.