Gangs in area schools

[Anonymous]

And I think MCPS just got rid of most police officers in the schools..right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

I'm not sure what your problem is, but you're creating a bunch of fabricated stories just to scare people. These hallucinations are scary, but they are highly improbable. Gangs don't want to stash their drugs in anybody's lockers but their own. My kids go to Blair, and I haven't heard a single case like what you describe, with kids being forced to provide space for gang stashes, and then getting beaten up. I have to commend you on your vivid imagination, though.

Drugs are available in every school in the DC area. Including the "top 3" privates. And the poster who wrote about the risks in your own liquor cabinet is right on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

Unless you actually send your own kids one of the Takoma or Wheaton schools you are denigrating, you have absolutely no credibility. Please, tell us where your kids go to school so we can see where all this BS is coming from.

In fact, you obviously know very little about MoCo schools in general - you failed to include Whitman, Wooton or Richard Montgomery in your list of so-called safe schools.

You need to shut up, already. You have no personal knowledge of anything you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

Unless you actually send your own kids one of the Takoma or Wheaton schools you are denigrating, you have absolutely no credibility. Please, tell us where your kids go to school so we can see where all this BS is coming from.

In fact, you obviously know very little about MoCo schools in general - you failed to include Whitman, Wooton or Richard Montgomery in your list of so-called safe schools.

You need to shut up, already. You have no personal knowledge of anything you are talking about.

Not sure if this posters grammar and spelling is as bad as mine but this is not my post so you imagination is just as vivid - because you imagine only one person thinks Blair school district is dangerous.

I wonder - do you tell you kids they are not allowed to hang out/do sleepovers with kids that live in the HUD housing? or you are cool with your kids doing sleepovers in those neighborhoods. or maybe you child is in the magnet program and is never exposed to those kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would stick with BCC, WJ or Churchill - or go private.

No Wootton, Richard Montgomery, or Rockville?

Or Whitman? LOL

Yes - I think living in the RM district (which is where I grew up) can be sketchy - so if I had a friend buying a house I would not recommend RM's school district for buying a house. The magnet program is great - but if you don't get into that program not sure how great RM is. They have a nice turf field though.

Wootton and Whitman have other issues besides gangs that I may not advise somebody sending their kids to those schools - but that is not what this post is about.

Rockville has some very nice neighborhoods but I am not sure Rockville is the best school - I have less experience with that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I wonder - do you tell you kids they are not allowed to hang out/do sleepovers with kids that live in the HUD housing? or you are cool with your kids doing sleepovers in those neighborhoods. or maybe you child is in the magnet program and is never exposed to those kids.

So wait, now everybody who lives in subsidized housing is a gang member? You are embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wonder - do you tell you kids they are not allowed to hang out/do sleepovers with kids that live in the HUD housing? or you are cool with your kids doing sleepovers in those neighborhoods. or maybe you child is in the magnet program and is never exposed to those kids.

So wait, now everybody who lives in subsidized housing is a gang member? You are embarrassing yourself.

I don't think they are but I wonder if you do. Do you let your kids spend the night at their house?

[Anonymous]

YOU need to wake up.

First of all, what 9th grader goes to a birthday party? Where do you live? La La Land? (Are you in a W school or its feeder, by any chance?)

Gang members are not easily identified. They are quiet b/c the school is their "area of business," and if they're suspended, they've lost their business. Attendance is an issue, too. So when they're absent, any gang activity is usually done off campus for the reason mentioned above.

Their "tatts" (such cool lingo, PP) are covered b/c although the "tatt" is important to their gang "family," it's not a great thing to show off in school b/c security is always in the know, constantly keeping up with tagging.

Finally, gang members usualy don't associate with your average kid. They are not interested in your child. They recruit in elementary and middle school and usually recruit local kids (as in those in their neighborhoods) b/c gangs are territorial. So unless you're living in a low-income neighborhood (Sadly, this IS the truth.), you really have nothing to worry about.

such ignorance

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YOU need to wake up.

First of all, what 9th grader goes to a birthday party? Where do you live? La La Land? (Are you in a W school or its feeder, by any chance?)

Gang members are not easily identified. They are quiet b/c the school is their "area of business," and if they're suspended, they've lost their business. Attendance is an issue, too. So when they're absent, any gang activity is usually done off campus for the reason mentioned above.

Their "tatts" (such cool lingo, PP) are covered b/c although the "tatt" is important to their gang "family," it's not a great thing to show off in school b/c security is always in the know, constantly keeping up with tagging.

Finally, gang members usualy don't associate with your average kid. They are not interested in your child. They recruit in elementary and middle school and usually recruit local kids (as in those in their neighborhoods) b/c gangs are territorial. So unless you're living in a low-income neighborhood (Sadly, this IS the truth.), you really have nothing to worry about.

such ignorance

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

Thank you! A welcome dose of reality, following up on an ignorant poster's made-up fantasies of gangland at the local high school. The poster you quote watches too much TV.

[Anonymous]

You're welocme!

It does help to have taught some of the MS-13 crew!

=Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YOU need to wake up.

First of all, what 9th grader goes to a birthday party? Where do you live? La La Land? (Are you in a W school or its feeder, by any chance?)

Gang members are not easily identified. They are quiet b/c the school is their "area of business," and if they're suspended, they've lost their business. Attendance is an issue, too. So when they're absent, any gang activity is usually done off campus for the reason mentioned above.

Their "tatts" (such cool lingo, PP) are covered b/c although the "tatt" is important to their gang "family," it's not a great thing to show off in school b/c security is always in the know, constantly keeping up with tagging.

Finally, gang members usualy don't associate with your average kid. They are not interested in your child. They recruit in elementary and middle school and usually recruit local kids (as in those in their neighborhoods) b/c gangs are territorial. So unless you're living in a low-income neighborhood (Sadly, this IS the truth.), you really have nothing to worry about.

such ignorance

Anonymous wrote:Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

Thank you! A welcome dose of reality, following up on an ignorant poster's made-up fantasies of gangland at the local high school. The poster you quote watches too much TV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're welocme!

It does help to have taught some of the MS-13 crew!

=Anonymous]

I'm curious, where have you taught? Obviously you remain unscathed.

[Anonymous]

Students feed on fear and insecurity. So being confident in who you are is a must.

Most of the teachers in my school (not giving that one away! 8) ) are in in for the kids. So with every little bit you can give them, there's a chance that you can change their direction.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're welocme!

It does help to have taught some of the MS-13 crew!

=Anonymous]

I'm curious, where have you taught? Obviously you remain unscathed.

[Anonymous]

This is 1:17 posting again. My kids go to private school and I am a criminal defense attorney. Every scenario I cited has happened over the course of years, albeit in the context of a Virginia public school. However, I have plenty of compatriots who practice in MD and we all have the same stories to tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 1:17 posting again. My kids go to private school and I am a criminal defense attorney. Every scenario I cited has happened over the course of years, albeit in the context of a Virginia public school. However, I have plenty of compatriots who practice in MD and we all have the same stories to tell.

I don't get the point of your stories then. I think what folks are upset about is being made to feel like they should be overly concerned with gangs, or specifically that Blair HS is overrun with gangs. Anecdotal stories aren't helpful when they are told out of context as a random string of events. Give us credible evidence that we should be concerned about this at specific high schools - then I think folks might listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 1:17 posting again. My kids go to private school and I am a criminal defense attorney. Every scenario I cited has happened over the course of years, albeit in the context of a Virginia public school. However, I have plenty of compatriots who practice in MD and we all have the same stories to tell.

Thank you for identifying yourself. I too am puzzled by your anecdotal stories. In fact, I don't even see how having a brother or parent with "tatts" means bad things are about to happen in some public high school somewhere.

The story about the kid with PE locker may represent a handful of cases, but this is an extreme outlier, and hardly the norm for kids in suburban public schools. The vast, vast majority of public school kids do not end up defending themselves in court, I'm guessing the VA case you cite represents maybe 1 in 100,000 kids. Moreover, "Practicing in MD" can mean a whole lot of things, like inner city Baltimore. In fact, your post conjures up images of The Wire, Season IV (the one where they went to the school). But The Wire and Blair/Springbrook are hardly the same place.

And FWIW, bullying and drugs happen at private schools, too. (My kids both went to private schools for a while.) Perhaps you can also share with us some stories about white collar crime among private school parents, or sex offenders.

If the point is that gangs exist in public schools, then I think everybody here agrees with you. But where you are wrong is how this affects kids at local publics. As you say, your kids go to private school (and thanks for saying that), which means that you don't have direct experience. I have a kid at Blair, and your two stories are completely foreign to my kid's experience.

I stand by my point: if OP's kid gets into a Blair magnet, she should not let all this irresponsible scare-mongering deprive her kid of a wonderful educational opportunity.