1980_12 The Daily Collegian December 1980

              _—
A Special Edition of the Daily Collegian
UHURU   NA   TJMOJA
FREEDOM
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
TROUBLED YOUTH?
Photo by Arm Scott/LNS
of the-U.S. p.
unemployed have ranged froii
CYA	
"Fruits" of Fresno
by Carolyn Simmon*/ Staff Writer
Although Fresno may have her fault*,
there it one good thlng-besides her
grapes-that she can be noted for.
l% the California Youth in Arts program
fCYAI.
'CYA is a program devised for
enriching the cultural development of
kid< from the   '
by Linda Claude'/Managing Editor
Added to Fresno's focal color are the
Crips, the Diamonds, the Stoners and
theFXM'er.
No, they are not focal land marks or
sites on a walking tour; they are youth
gangs which have found reasons to exist.
These reasons vary from group to group
and neighborhood to neighborhood. The
average age range is between 13 and 16
years .. There are female groups
such as the Crip Girls, the Westslde Bad
ClrlsandtheDiarnondettes.
In general, these groups congregate
because of a common aspect or an
unique characteristic that makes them
seem important. Large groups of young¬
sters hang out near the Bigby Villa and
King of Kings areas.
Mike Hopkins, a student at City
College, has expressed a sincere concern
about the formation of these street
cliques. 'My only real concern about
these gangs is keeping my little brother,
(who is 13) away from them.*
'Fresno is not a place that offers to
many things for teenagers to do. So a lot
of them join gangs because of boredom,'
Hopkins states. ThaU what happened
this summer; there wasn't very many
things for them to do. A tot of them
couldn't get fobs: so they Just formed
their little gangs.'
At the school Mike's brother attends,
Scandivavian Middle School; there are
two youth gangs, the Stoners and the
FX14'erwho'getlntoit*.
While the Stoners are white youth
and the FX14'ers are a Chicano group
most of the trouble is not caused because
of bad racial relations in the schools.
Most of the people interviewed felt the
trouble    stems    from    poor    home
'The problem begins In the home with
bad parent and child relationships,'
states John Nelum Recreation Super¬
visor of Frank H Ball playground.
Another employee of the City of
Fresno agrees, 'Parents neglect their
children causing children to seek
attention on the streets because It ts
lacking in the home. By acting tough and
fighting, they draw the attention of
people In authority.'
Kehinde Sohvazi, a teacher at City
College, offers three basic reasons for
the excess of youth's in the streets. 'The
breakdown of the family, the tack of
discipline and the poor quality of edu¬
cation in schools brought on by the
colonial lied state of mind and being we
constantly live in."
On the other side of the street, there
are those who don't belive Fresno has a
problem with youth gangs but with Its
young people In general.      -— •       	
"Usually gangs are defined as a group
people who terrorize a community,' Paul
McCoy Assistant Director of King of
Kings  Adult  Program  states.   He  is
youth gangs but with the troubled young
people In our community.
'They are Just young people wtth a tot
of time on their hands. Instead of using
this constructively, they have turned to
destructive ways of dispelling their
energy,' Mr. McCoy continues. 'They
tion. just like everything else around
them, they choose to be a negative force
in their neighborhoods.'
As one of the owners of Marcus
Pharmacy, Mrs. Marcus reveals that she
and those who work in the store have
(see YOUTH pi
youth amongst the different age groups
mm ages range from 9-14 years).
Thus, the students-Charisma Kids -
would team by studying the Fine Arts
under scholarships under CYA.' says
children learn many different forms of
music, dance and drama.", says.
Melanie Hamon, who has been a mem¬
ber of CYA for one year.
Within CYA, there is another division
called the Charisma Kids. According to
Victoria tones, who is one of the original
Charisma Kids, the Charisma Kids pro-
eramwas started in 1973, they had been
given scholarships to be awarded to the
also one of Victoria's older sisters. Not
onlv Is Kathy an excellent coordinator,
hut she also is a very ulented and
beautiful one. Often one may see Kathy
herself doing one or two performances.
'Hnoefulry. we'll be performing during
the Christmas season.' says Melanie.
daycare and her parent