SPEAKER: TEENS' SHIFT FROM NORM UNSAFE

The way children walk, talk and dress shouldn't be allowed to deviate too far from the norm if they are to stay out of trouble, says an authority on gangs and juvenile violence.

Dr. Louis Gonzales spoke to a crowd of 160 parents, students and teachers Tuesday night at the Cape Central High School Auditorium.

Gonzales' presentation was sponsored by the Cape Girardeau School District and the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"If you have a teen-ager who likes wearing their pants down and baggy, they might not be in a gang," he said. "What you might have is an ugly teen-ager. But do you really want to take the chance?

Gonzales, who holds a doctorate in education, is from Minnesota, and travels the country speaking about gangs and violence.

"I don't care if they say it's fashion or it's a fad. You, as parents and as a community, should be concerned about how your kids dress."

Gonzales said parents shouldn't let children wear their caps crooked, pants down, or wardrobes all of one color.

"For the most part it probably doesn't mean they've joined a gang if they do these things, but don't take that chance," he said. "I don't think you can take the risk. If they go too far one way -- act or dress differently -- we have to pull them back over here, back to the norm."

Gonzales endorsed a tight reign on teen-agers and little tolerance with deviation from normal behavior. He said even society sends the wrong messages at times.

"There's something terribly wrong in our society when a gun is cheaper than a pair of Nikes," he said.

Gonzales said today's gangs cross racial lines and share a common bond of violence or other illegal activity as a group goal. He said traditional groups, or gangs, used to be people who were friends with similar interests and ideas. Newer gangs want to inflict violence or break the law and don't care who is a member as long as they can keep up with the rest of the gang.

"They want financial gain now," he said, "and they get it through drug trafficking or in other ways which are illegal."

Gonzales said much of what teen-agers see as young children affect them later in life.

He said by the time someone turns 18, they will have witnessed 40,000 murders on television. Television depicts 18,000 acts of violence a day.

"And in 1993, there were an average of 35 acts of violence per hour in children's television shows," Gonzales said. "Children aren't responsible for their actions. We -- the parents and community -- are.

"We need to deal with the causes," he said, "and we all need to do it together."

Gonzales also conducted a workshop Tuesday afternoon for teachers at Central High School.