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Students, faculty and other professionals gathered Wednesday evening to hear from a panel of doctors, police,and social workers tasked with describing the causes of gang violence in communities.
The Symposium on Gang Violence Reduction was hosted by MT Engage and held in the Student Union Parliamentary Room. The session began with Dr. Carter Smith, a criminal justice lecturer at MTSU, providing some opening remarks and then posing pre-written questions to the panel. The panel included: Shaun Haney, Detective Sergent for the Murfreesboro Police Department; Dr. Barbara Turnage, an MTSU social work professor; Neal Pinkston, District Attorney General for Hamilton County; and Cornelius Carroll, a nationally-recognized gang expert.
The first questions were what Smith referred to as “the basics,” beginning with “Why do youth join gangs?”
The panel unanimously agreed that one of the major factors in young people joining gangs is the influence of drugs.
Carroll responded, referencing his personal experience in and out of gangs.
“Back in the day, it was about protecting the community,” he said. “That’s why people joined gangs. Now it’s all about drugs and money.”
Turnage noted how imperative education is to a young mind.
“A lot of the reasons that young people join gangs is their family and education,” she said. “They need a solid foundation.”
Education was a continuously explored topic in the symposium. All of the panel members agreed that when children are educated, the less likely they are to become involved with crime and gang activity.
Carroll said that his eventual education is what saved him from reverting back to his old ways. Carrol spent most of his early life in gangs starting when he was around 10 years old.
“I thought I was doing the right thing because no one was around to tell me I was doing wrong,” he said. .
After Carroll took part in an armed robbery, he spent 16 years in prison. A major part of his rehabilitation was learning to read and write properly.
“Educate your schools your churches, your community,” Carroll said. “If you don’t want gangs and drugs in your community, educate yourself. You have to arm yourself with knowledge, not weapons.”
Education is not only pertinent for young people, but also for adults attempting to prevent gang violence. Detective Shaun Haney explained some of the complexities of identifying and stopping criminal gang activity.
“The days of gang members wearing red and blue are over,” he said.
Haney went on to state that modern gang members look and talk like normal citizens, making it difficult to successfully identify them. Police officers have to be diligently educated on the patterns of these gangs and how to correctly respond.
District Attorney Neal Pinkston elaborated on the process of stopping potential threats.
“There is a common misconception in many communities,” Pinkston said. “It is not illegal to be in a gang”
Pinkston explained that you must separate prejudice from the actual illegal activity.
Smith then allowed the audience to ask the panel questions regarding the reduction of gang violence.
Members of the audience inquired about the reason certain minorities join gangs, how young gang members become thieves or murderers and how effective zero tolerance policies are in schools and communities.
After further statements and open dialogues between panel and audience, Smith ended the symposium with a challenge. He urged people listening to leave the room and spread the information that was explored. Wishing to continue conversations aimed towards the reduction of gang violence, Smith further acknowledged the importance of the entire communities’ education on the subject.
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