Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

In an area of Los Angeles plagued by gang violence, three more people died last Sunday. Two men and a woman were fatally shot in a small apartment on East Rosecrans Avenue in Compton. While the L.A. County Sheriff's Department has not yet determined a motive for the killings, press sources cited narcotics. Relatives of the 25-year-old female victim say she was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Compton killings are a blow to law enforcement and community efforts to decrease gang-related crime in the Compton area. Between 2005 and 2008, those efforts have resulted in a 50% drop in violent gang-related crimes in Compton.

For parents struggling to keep their kids out of gangs, law enforcement experts urge parents to watch for these signs of gang interest or involvement.

• Gang symbols or graffiti doodled on notebooks or binders.


• Using unfamiliar hand gestures or pictures with friends that show such hand signals.


• Repetition of a particular color in clothing, particularly blue or red.


• Tattoos.


• A bandana, called a "flag," hung from a back pants pocket.


• Using a nickname or adding a prefix to a given name.


• Sudden change in friends.


• Sudden, poor academic performance and lack of interest in school activities.


• Belligerent, argumentative, rebellious behavior with parents and teachers.


• Tobacco, alcohol or drug use.


• Sudden affluence, new clothes, electronics, etc.


• Disciplinary referrals at school or trouble with police.

Law enforcement officers warn that gangs are recruiting children at increasingly younger ages, often in early to mid-elementary school. Initiation rites to many gangs are no longer complex or violent. Youngsters are often lured by a need to belong, peer pressure or the sense of "cool" some kids attach to gang membership. Parental guidance, home attitudes and providing healthy community and family activities for children are recognized as the most effective ways of keeping kids out of gangs. It's an effort that challenges parents, communities, schools, churches and police to work together.

Children who become involved in gangs usually participate in increasingly serious criminal acts. Shoplifting and petty theft escalate into misdemeanor crimes, then felony crimes. In California, a child 17 or younger can be tried in the California juvenile court system, says expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. When consulted early, an experienced criminal defense lawyer like Rodriguez may be able to get your child's case dismissed in its initial stages or minimize the offense charges against your child. Don't let a poor decision ruin your child's life. If your child is led astray by local gangs, contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn immediately.