To Compete with Gangs in your Child's life, Mother says "You have to be all in their life"

Woman who lost young son fights lure of street gangs

By Sarah Langbein
Rocky Mountain News
May 29, 2006

Some days, Sharletta Evans thinks she has a magnet inside her that draws the Aurora mother to a child who needs her most.

On a recent day, that magnet pulled her to a middle-schooler at a public library. She watched as he browsed the computer for gang initiation rites, gang "prayers," and details of the gang lifestyle.

"So I asked him, 'When were you jumped on?' " she said, with a no-nonsense tone in her voice.

She used all the right gang lingo because she's researched them ad nauseam.

"And he just opened up to me," she said. "And it made me cry."

Now, her magnet is pulling her in a different direction.

Starting June 17, on every other Saturday, Evans will host two gang intervention workshops for parents.

"Once I can get these parents' attention, I can get their kids' attention," she said.

The classes will be offered at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway. She's asking for a $10 donation, which will be used for a summer camp she hosts for kids.

If there's anyone who knows about the impact of gangs, it's Evans.

Eleven years ago, a spray of gunfire turned Evans into a reluctant activist. Her 3-year-old son, Casson, was shot and killed while strapped into a car seat of a parked Cadillac.

The drive-by shooting was intended to scare off a rival gang. Instead, "Biscuit," as Evans called him, was robbed of his young life.

The December 1995 shooting sent two teens - Raymond "Cooter" Johnson and Paul "Pezzo" Littlejohn - to prison for life, without the possibility of parole.

Now, Evans advocates for at-risk kids and teaches them how to love themselves before they become ensnared by the pull of a gang.

"They don't see the dangers of gangs. They don't see the consequences of the affiliation," she said. "You basically have to attack (gangs) because the pull is really strong. It can be the most influential lifestyle.

"I'm seeing (at-risk youths) waste their lives more and more. And there's no education."

That's why she wants some time with their parents.

"Parenting is not just about feeding, clothing and sheltering kids," she said. "It takes more than that."

It means knowing their friends, watching what they wear and monitoring their activities, she said.

"You do whatever it takes," she said. "If you have to show up everywhere (your child) goes, do it. You have to be all in their life.

"When I look at my 3-year-old's picture, it's like he speaks to me and tells me to keep going. I have a lot of work to do."

For more information or to register, call Evans at 720-495-8795.

Gang-involvement warning signs

Parents are encouraged to talk to their son or daughter if the child:

• Is obsessed with certain clothing, such as wearing one color and refusing to wear others.
• Withdraws from family or changes attitude.
• Wears excessive jewelry with distinctive designs.
• Develops ties to gang members or admits to gang involvement.
• Obsesses over the gangster lifestyle.
• Breaks parental rules consistently.
• Obtains goods and/or cash with little or no explanation.
• Has peculiar drawings or language on clothing, books or tattoos.
• Shows signs of drug or alcohol use, coupled with an attitude change.
• Becomes secretive.

Source: Mothers Against Gang Wars

langbeins@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2536