Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., and the NYPD’s 34th precinct presented a Gangs 101 workshop that discussed the early warning signs of youth gang activity.
Manhattan District Attorney staff was joined by Nigel Farinha, Deputy Unit Chief of the Narcotics Gang Unit within Special Narcotics, and members of the NYPD School Safety Division and the NYPD Gang Division. The workshop informed parents on what constitutes a gang and of the repercussions of gang activity in and out of school.
“Gang violence threatens the safety of our children and our communities,” said District Attorney Vance. “This is the first of what will be many workshops on gang crime prevention. Workshops like this will inform parents of the resources available to them and offer a forum to ask and answer questions. Additionally, events like this will serve to further open communication lines between the NYPD, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and parents. I would like to thank the parents that came tonight for their diligence in working with the NYPD and my Office to prevent gang crime.”
More than 150 parents, students and school administrators participated in the workshop held on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at Eleanor Roosevelt JHS / IS 143. The workshop discussed what signs to look for in identifying possible gang activity, how gangs recruit new members and what parents can do if they suspect their child is in a gang. It also provided resource information for parents to protect their children from gang violence.
For educational resources from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office please go here.
