Dr. Jorja Leap to speak at Madison Civics Club March 21
Understanding gangs
Understanding gangs
And I will go so far as to say that the major characteristic these youth as children share in common — and by the way the
people who work with them as well — is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
“Anytime you have a child or a young person — let alone an adult — exposed to the violence around them, this does
something,” Leap continued. “It is traumatic, no matter who they are or what they are doing. There are all kinds of psychiatric and
social problems that ensue. It’s everything from thoughts you can’t get rid of — things you are thinking about over and over again,
horrendous memories you cannot black out, not being able to sleep and not being able to think straight. And then a problem that
comes along, not so much for children, but for teenagers and young adults is substance abuse. And we see this a great deal. By the
way, I might also add that for many years, I worked with sexually and physically abused children and young adults. And they shared
these characteristics as well. It’s just tragic.”
Just as welfare programs became multi-generational fixtures in the lives of many low-income families, becoming the reality
and the norm for those families, Leap has seen a similar phenomenon beginning to creep into the histories of some low-income
families in LA. “In many cases, the grandparents are a part of the problem,” Leap said while also emphasizing that many
grandparents are also a part of the solution. “They are gang members. I interviewed one young woman whose grandmother was a
drug dealer and taught her how to measure out heroin. When I spoke with her that just as my grandmother had — I’m Greek —
taught me to cook Greek food and make pastries, her grandmother had taught her how to measure heroin into bags. And it is
tremendously shocking. We don’t think in these terms. But this is, in fact, what happens. And I think it is important for everyone to
know and understand this because this is really how deep this problem is.”
Leap feels the traditional ways of dealing with gangs and gang violence aren’t working. Juvenile facilities are at times counter
productive. “In the camps, they are in there with other kids who have been in gangs and here’s a shock,” Leap said. “They come out
more committed to the gang instead of less committed to the gang.” The schools don’t always work because the gang members
aren’t in the schools unless they are recruiting new members. And Leap fears that the old fashioned way of dealing with it —
pretending they don’t exist or dehumanizing the gang members — is coming back in vogue.
“These are our children,” Leap pleaded. “These are our youth. They deserve and need our attention. And their families need
our attention. Families have not been treated along with the kids. When I say families, I mean cross-generationally. It’s
grandparents, parents and everyone.”
On some levels, gangs have become a substitute for dysfunctional families. In Leap’s view, there are two major reasons why
gangs become substitute families. In one case, she interviewed a young man whose family had moved back to Mexico while he
was in prison camp and didn’t tell him. “He had no idea where they went,” Leap said. “So they are totally abandoned by their
families.”
The second is more tragic in Leap’s view. “There are families — and this is particularly tragic — where there is a single parent
and they are very hard working,” Leap said. “They have 2-3 jobs and they are not there to supervise the child. And the next thing
you know, they are in the gang. And the gang becomes the substitute parent. It’s not one thing like people will say ‘Because the
parents aren’t there to take care of them.’ I always want to say ‘Hold on, this is a lot more complicated than you are making it out to
be.’ And it is.”
One of the most important solution, in Leap’s view, are the schools. While they used to be places of refuge in the lives of many
students, they have now become incapacitated. “In many cases, our schools have become glorified babysitters,” Leap observed.
“Certainly we are moving toward a two tiered system of education where people who are affluent have education and resources and
the best for their children. And people who are not affluent do not. And their children suffer. It’s like the Mississippi school system of
the 1960s where the public system was bled dry except that was rural and now it has become urban.”
And while gang violence has declined in LA in recent years, Leap is not encouraged because the gang infrastructure remains.
“There are just as many gang members now so you begin to wonder what the future holds for us,” Leap said. “They are joining gangs
at progressively younger ages. That is very frightening. We are also seeing an upswing in females joining gangs, not just being
girlfriends of gang members, but actually joining gangs. So gangs are getting younger and are of both genders.”
Dr. Jorja Leap will speak at the Madison Civics Club’s March 21 meeting at Monona Terrace. The program begins at 11 a.m.
Luncheon tickets are available to the general public for $25.00. For reservations, call 608-233-2316.
people who work with them as well — is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
“Anytime you have a child or a young person — let alone an adult — exposed to the violence around them, this does
something,” Leap continued. “It is traumatic, no matter who they are or what they are doing. There are all kinds of psychiatric and
social problems that ensue. It’s everything from thoughts you can’t get rid of — things you are thinking about over and over again,
horrendous memories you cannot black out, not being able to sleep and not being able to think straight. And then a problem that
comes along, not so much for children, but for teenagers and young adults is substance abuse. And we see this a great deal. By the
way, I might also add that for many years, I worked with sexually and physically abused children and young adults. And they shared
these characteristics as well. It’s just tragic.”
Just as welfare programs became multi-generational fixtures in the lives of many low-income families, becoming the reality
and the norm for those families, Leap has seen a similar phenomenon beginning to creep into the histories of some low-income
families in LA. “In many cases, the grandparents are a part of the problem,” Leap said while also emphasizing that many
grandparents are also a part of the solution. “They are gang members. I interviewed one young woman whose grandmother was a
drug dealer and taught her how to measure out heroin. When I spoke with her that just as my grandmother had — I’m Greek —
taught me to cook Greek food and make pastries, her grandmother had taught her how to measure heroin into bags. And it is
tremendously shocking. We don’t think in these terms. But this is, in fact, what happens. And I think it is important for everyone to
know and understand this because this is really how deep this problem is.”
Leap feels the traditional ways of dealing with gangs and gang violence aren’t working. Juvenile facilities are at times counter
productive. “In the camps, they are in there with other kids who have been in gangs and here’s a shock,” Leap said. “They come out
more committed to the gang instead of less committed to the gang.” The schools don’t always work because the gang members
aren’t in the schools unless they are recruiting new members. And Leap fears that the old fashioned way of dealing with it —
pretending they don’t exist or dehumanizing the gang members — is coming back in vogue.
“These are our children,” Leap pleaded. “These are our youth. They deserve and need our attention. And their families need
our attention. Families have not been treated along with the kids. When I say families, I mean cross-generationally. It’s
grandparents, parents and everyone.”
On some levels, gangs have become a substitute for dysfunctional families. In Leap’s view, there are two major reasons why
gangs become substitute families. In one case, she interviewed a young man whose family had moved back to Mexico while he
was in prison camp and didn’t tell him. “He had no idea where they went,” Leap said. “So they are totally abandoned by their
families.”
The second is more tragic in Leap’s view. “There are families — and this is particularly tragic — where there is a single parent
and they are very hard working,” Leap said. “They have 2-3 jobs and they are not there to supervise the child. And the next thing
you know, they are in the gang. And the gang becomes the substitute parent. It’s not one thing like people will say ‘Because the
parents aren’t there to take care of them.’ I always want to say ‘Hold on, this is a lot more complicated than you are making it out to
be.’ And it is.”
One of the most important solution, in Leap’s view, are the schools. While they used to be places of refuge in the lives of many
students, they have now become incapacitated. “In many cases, our schools have become glorified babysitters,” Leap observed.
“Certainly we are moving toward a two tiered system of education where people who are affluent have education and resources and
the best for their children. And people who are not affluent do not. And their children suffer. It’s like the Mississippi school system of
the 1960s where the public system was bled dry except that was rural and now it has become urban.”
And while gang violence has declined in LA in recent years, Leap is not encouraged because the gang infrastructure remains.
“There are just as many gang members now so you begin to wonder what the future holds for us,” Leap said. “They are joining gangs
at progressively younger ages. That is very frightening. We are also seeing an upswing in females joining gangs, not just being
girlfriends of gang members, but actually joining gangs. So gangs are getting younger and are of both genders.”
Dr. Jorja Leap will speak at the Madison Civics Club’s March 21 meeting at Monona Terrace. The program begins at 11 a.m.
Luncheon tickets are available to the general public for $25.00. For reservations, call 608-233-2316.
By Jonathan Gramling
As an international expert in crisis intervention and trauma response, Dr. Jorja
Leap, adjunct associate professor of social welfare at the UCLA School of Public Affairs
who will address the Madison Civics Club on March 21, has leapt to lend her expertise
in many of the world’s natural and man-made disasters, from Kosovo to New Orleans.
She understands all too well the impact that violence and dislocation have on the
psyches of children and adults.
When Leap was called upon to lend her expertise in the war zones of Iraq and
Afghanistan, Leap couldn’t because her circumstances had changed. She was now
married and had a daughter who needed her. So she looked closer to home to apply her
expertise and she didn’t have to look far. She had to look no further than the low-
income, gang-dominated neighborhoods of Los Angeles. She is currently Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's policy adviser on gangs and youth violence.
While places like Kosovo and Los Angeles are separated by thousands of miles, they
are in the same neighborhood when it comes to the impact of violence on children. “It
is quite remarkable how similar the experiences are between children from places like
Kosovo and East LA,” Leap said during a phone interview with The Capital City Hues. “I
would even go so far as saying it is identical. In one case, we will treat these children
and youth with compassion and understanding. In the other case — I’m talking when
you go to a place like East LA or South LA — we will demonize them. And yet I would
say as someone who has worked in both arenas, their experiences are virtually identical.
As an international expert in crisis intervention and trauma response, Dr. Jorja
Leap, adjunct associate professor of social welfare at the UCLA School of Public Affairs
who will address the Madison Civics Club on March 21, has leapt to lend her expertise
in many of the world’s natural and man-made disasters, from Kosovo to New Orleans.
She understands all too well the impact that violence and dislocation have on the
psyches of children and adults.
When Leap was called upon to lend her expertise in the war zones of Iraq and
Afghanistan, Leap couldn’t because her circumstances had changed. She was now
married and had a daughter who needed her. So she looked closer to home to apply her
expertise and she didn’t have to look far. She had to look no further than the low-
income, gang-dominated neighborhoods of Los Angeles. She is currently Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's policy adviser on gangs and youth violence.
While places like Kosovo and Los Angeles are separated by thousands of miles, they
are in the same neighborhood when it comes to the impact of violence on children. “It
is quite remarkable how similar the experiences are between children from places like
Kosovo and East LA,” Leap said during a phone interview with The Capital City Hues. “I
would even go so far as saying it is identical. In one case, we will treat these children
and youth with compassion and understanding. In the other case — I’m talking when
you go to a place like East LA or South LA — we will demonize them. And yet I would
say as someone who has worked in both arenas, their experiences are virtually identical.
| Dr. Jorja Leap is a chief advisor to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on youth gangs. |