According to police Capt. Bob Blakley, “Eighty percent of the property crimes in the Sully District are gang-related or done by their affiliates. And even a higher percentage of the violent crimes here are done at the hands of gang members – and that’s a huge problem. This year, we’ve had three, drive-by shootings into occupied dwellings, one in Chantilly and two in Centreville.”
So to make local residents aware of the situation and give parents tips about how to keep their own children out of gangs, a former gang member addressed the June meeting of the Sully District Police Station’s Citizens Advisory Committee. However, to protect his identity, since his life would be in danger for speaking out against gangs, he is referred to as Griffin.
A Fairfax County resident, now 21, he was initiated into a gang at age 16. “I was young and looking for some fun,” he said. “Gangs promise you different things — guns, drugs, etc. — but it’s all false promises. Once you get arrested, they forget all about you — you’re all alone.”
Saying “Gangs are horrible for young people,” Griffin said joining one was “the biggest mistake I ever made. Once you’re in, it’s tough to get out. They make you do robberies, sell drugs and hunt people down. They tell you to find people who just got paid and cashed their checks and have cash on them. It’s crazy out there; they just want to make a dollar off of you.”
“Supposedly, the gang shows you brotherhood, but they don’t care about you,” he continued. “You’re expendable and easily replaceable. The only ones you can really count on are your family members.”
Griffin was in and out of trouble as a juvenile, and he was still in jail when he spoke at the meeting, so armed officers accompanied him there. But upon his release, he planned to be in the Violent Repeat Offenders program and learn a trade.
“When I got arrested [for robbery], it was the worst feeling ever,” he said. “And it was my first time ever in jail. Virginia is one of the four states that can give you 40 years to life in prison for robbery.”
Griffin said gangs populate different areas and, when one moves into another’s territory, they fight. “There are local and national gangs, and the local gangs — including in Centreville — can have a couple hundred members,” he said. “They’ll recruit kids 13 and under because young kids are easier to influence. Although, some of the oldest gang members are 30-40 years old. What are they still doing in a gang?”
As for Griffin, he said, “I used to look up to them, but now I don’t. I think they’re the worst scum of the earth. Every day is a new chance to get out of a gang. So what I’d tell kids considering joining a gang is, ‘It’s not worth it. Gangs will use you up and spit you out.’”
He advised parents to pay attention to the way their children dress, “especially if they wear super-baggy clothes and start wearing certain colors.” But, he added, "Gangs can be low-key, if they want to. The Northern Virginia Gang Task Force recently raided a single-family house in Leesburg and arrested gang members, so they’re cracking down. But [until then], no one in the neighborhood knew gang members lived there.”
Griffin also said drug use is rampant among gang members. “At the time, I took drugs,” he said. “I used marijuana and was hooked on Xanax, which numbs you and makes you feel invincible. A lot of gang members use it because it makes you not think — you just go out and rob.”
Furthermore, he said, being in a gang doesn’t really make someone envied or admired. “When you’re in a gang, you get respect from kids,” said Griffin. “But you don’t get it in the real world, and you can’t put that experience down on a job résumé.”
To keep their children out of gangs, Griffin told parents to get them involved in sports and other activities, as well as mentoring programs. “Pay attention to what your kids are doing,” he added. “And sit down and have family dinners with them and ask what they’re doing. Ask how their day went and ask about their lives. Find a balance between giving your kids too much freedom and too little. And be more involved — that could change everything.”
Basically, he said, “Kids have a lot of chances to do something else with their lives, and I want to talk to them and tell them not to join gangs. Now, I appreciate that the police are trying to save me. Getting caught and arrested was a blessing for me; it was life-altering.”