Due to the growing amount of graffiti found within the community, the Levittown Council of PTA's Health and Safety Task Force Committee held a seminar on Jan. 5 to discuss gang awareness, intervention and prevention.

Despite poor weather conditions, parents, PTA members, local residents and politicians packed the auditorium of the Levittown Memorial Education Center. Guest speaker Sergio Argueta, a former gang member and founder of STRONG Youth, Inc., an organization that provides alternatives to gangs, provided listeners with information on gang paraphernalia and how to recognize if a child is in a gang.

Poster boards outside the auditorium listed facts about gangs and symbols of specific gangs such as SWP, Netas, and MS-13. Attendees viewed slides of recent gang shootings and deaths while Argueta talked about his own experiences in a gang.

"The gang epidemic is taking the US by storm," said Argueta. "Predominately in Nassau County. Yet Nassau County is in denial. Only now people want to be proactive."

Many parents attending the seminar expressed concerns about the graffiti and the possibility of gangs. Debbie Palmer, co-chair of the Levittown Council of PTA's Health and Safety Task Force Committee said that they have received all positive feedback on the presentation.

"The community really feels that it was something that needed to be done," Palmer said.

Though police officials do not feel that there is a gang problem developing in Levittown, they feel that it is an important issue to address.

"There is a difference between vandalism and graffiti," said Officer Torres of the Nassau County POP (Police Oriented Policing) Unit. Vandalism is city-wide and police are looking into this issue. They haven't identified the offender and are asking for anyone who might have information to call.

"If you happen to see any graffiti, we suggest you follow the four Rs," said Officer Torres. "Read it, record it, report it and remove it. Do not ignore it and leave it up there, it will only let the offender keep doing it because he or she thinks it's acceptable."

Argueta's presentation relayed that to most children, gangs provide power. They give children a feeling of love, security and support that some can't find within their own homes or in their schools. They provide a sense of family, but children often find, like Argueta did in his own past experiences, that this "family," is not really there. Once joining a gang, Argueta saw three friends die and one go to jail. Immediately, he realized that there were certain aspects of gang life that he wasn't ready for.

"I realized that I'm either going to prisons, cemeteries or hospitals and that's suicide," said Argueta. "I'm risking my life for some losers who don't care about me."

Argueta points to pop culture as the culprit for gang influence. Children easily relate "gangsta" life and thug life to the pop culture in music, he said. Television shows such as The Sopranos give children the idea that by carrying a gun and owning beautiful cars and homes, that life is great. Yet, the lyrics in pop music and the shows on television give children a sense of a reality that does not exist in the real world. Parents need to be more attentive to this, said Argueta.

"It spiked a lot of community awareness to things that our children are exposed to," Palmer said. "Such as the television and the music and how it relates to them getting involved in gang activity."

By creating more after-school activities, programs and jobs, the chances of a child joining a gang is lowered. Children between grades six and nine especially need this attention, as they are more likely to be influenced from peer pressure and look for acceptance. But as one concerned parent pointed out, programs that were once there for children to join, currently no longer exist.

"If you do not give a kid something to look forward to, guess what?" said Argueta. "You cannot scare him with your jails and your prisons. Do you realize that some little kids can already tell you where they are going? Kids who are 9 and 10, don't want to talk about college and living and life."

"It's not your community, it's not mine, it's our community," said Argueta. "Create resources."

Argueta said that parents need to educate themselves more about their children's lives and become more involved in their education. Gangs are transient so, by mobilizing the community and holding parent workshops and getting to know one another, gangs will be prevented from developing, he continued.

Some of the telltale signs of gang influence are loss of old friends, with new ones with negative influences. Often, children will begin to dress differently and wear specific colors. Bandannas, tattoos and beads are often worn. Another sign is failing grades and combative behavior in school and with law enforcement. Drugs and alcohol are also more likely to be used.

In addition to Argueta and POP officers, local elected officials like Assemblyman David McDonough and Councilman Gary Hudes were in attendance. Levittown Board of Education members and Superintendent Dr. Herman Sirois were also on hand for this informative presentation. Both high school and middle school officials, the assistant superintendent of personnel and POP officers all sit in on the Health and Safety Task Force Committee.

"The group deals with all issues that affect the health and safety in our community," Palmer explained.