They may have been underachievers in school, but are very charismatic individuals. They can insulate themselves from prosecution by having his or her hardcore members carry out their orders. This type of gang life does not seem prevalent in the suburbs, but it's there. While suburban gang members don't belong to a gang for the geographical reasons as Chicago members do, their use of certain colors, clothing, and hand signals permeate student bodies of many school grounds. Keeping children involved with positive school groups may be the best prevention to the influence of gangs, DeFilippis said.
Parents are the first line of defense.
Programs at the Parliament Square Neighborhood Resource Center also aim to give kids an outlet for family and social bonding. A recent basketball program brought out several police officers and many children, but it unfortunately did not bring out a lot of parents. We became a babysitting service. The street gang is only one of various organized groups a young person can become involved with. DeFilippis briefly touched upon the influence of satanic cults and occult groups.