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The phrase "Smile now, cry later" refers to a kind of street philosophy that speaks to the underlying idea that a gangbanger should enjoy the gangster lifestyle of women, drugs, money, and power now, while he can, because the other shoe will drop soon enough and it will be time to cry in jail or in the grave. The theme is frequently depicted in gangster tattoos showing a laughing or smiling face juxtaposed against a second crying face.
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Here’s a video about incarceration you may want to consider…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxVx-vOVWI
Kids need a mentor. Here’s a way you can help. BECOME A MENTOR! You can make a difference! Check out these sites if you want to help kids who made a mistake to get it right the next time:
Gatekeepers mentoring for incarcerated youths at the Juvenile Detention Center
All-4-One Mentoring:
This is a great blog (and it might even look a little familiar!). Find it at:
The 2013 Correctional Ministries Summit will be held at Wheaton College from May 30th to June 1st. This is a wonderful opportunity for those of us interested in working with gang members and other incarcerated youths to come together in search of more effective means of helping these youths. The Summit will help the participants in:
When: May 30 – June 1, 2013
(Thursday evening – Saturday lunch)
Where: Wheaton College, IL
For additional information please go to the website:
Several informative books on Chicago gangs can be found at:
Gangs are active on many fronts, each of which has different levels of gang involvement and needs different approaches for successful crime and violence reduction. Gangs are active on the streets, in the prisons, and in schools. They have infiltrated politics and criminal justice fields. This report discusses all of these areas. It’s the latest book on Chicago’s gangs. Loaded with information. Find it at:
https://www.chicagocrimecommission.org/ItemParent.aspx?id=14
STRYVE: Striving to reduce youth violence everywhere. Interesting site aimed at reducing youth violence and offering an online training program to do just that. Find the site at:
Very cool group. Ex gang members reaching out to the community and creating leaders to go back into gang neighborhoods using dance, rap, drama and technology. Find their site at:
For this brief and elementary primer on the organization of gangs go to:
http://lincolnnet.net/users/lrttrapp/http/block/gangs101.htm#structure
(Please note that this is not the same Gangs 101 referred to in the previous post).
This is a great website for those who want to know more about the gang lifestyle and how to resist it as an individual and as a community. The site is based in the Washington DC/Virginia area but has links that are valuable to those confronted by the gang culture nationwide. For more information go to :
This site will also allow you to get a free download of Henry Pachero’s book Gangs 101: Understanding the Culture of Youth Violence. Here is the link:
This is a film you may want to see. It’s not a Christian film but it does show something of what it’s like to be out on the streets interrupting violence. The film shows one year in the life of several Ceasefire violence interrupters, including the challenges, frustrations, and joys of the work. Information on the film can be found at:
Street Gang Articles Cold War Gang Grafitti
Gang Life Chicago 