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A recent shooting during October 17, 2006 in Nashville,
Tennessee that resulted in three individuals being shot and
two others injured should serve as a quick wake up call not
just for the US Kurdish community but to all Kurdish
communities abroad.
Kurdish Pride Gangsters, better known as the KPG, were
involved in a violent shoot out with rivaling black gang
members in the southern Nashville area. The KPG represents
its members of Kurdish teens and students at the local high
schools and communities of that area. The gang's members are
derived from all corners of Kurdistan, hence discrimmination
is not based upon one another's territorial origin. They
have rap songs praising KPG and their Kurdish heritage.
Their lyrics glorify their strength because their fathers
were tough and because they came out of the harsh life and
rugged mountains of Kurdistan. Unfortunately, these
appraisals are carried out in a distorted fashion. Grafities
and yellow colors are used as their gang symbol to
distinguish themselves, their cars and their territories
from rival gangs'.
Until this recent shooting, there haven’t been any major
fights that involved KPG. But this incident will stir up
their relationship with the other local gangs in a negative
manner. We should very cautiously look to the future of
Kurdish teens in areas with gangs as retaliation can be
expected from their rivals, hence putting the youth
population in jeopardy.
Quite some time has passed since I was first shocked by
learning of the existence of Kurdish gangs such as the
Kurdish bulldogs in London and the KPG in Tennessee. This
subject has been dismissed many times in the past when it
was brought up in discussions within the communities. It was
disregarded because of a sense of shame that Kurds can be in
a situation where their teens are in gangs. It was always
brushed off as insolent and minute news or even being
rejected as false news and labeled just as a bunch of lost
kids trying to fit in, not a real gang. To an extent there
was some truth in the reasons of dismissal because back then
the gang's news wasn’t out as much and their membership was
consistent of only a handful of teens. However, today we are
faced with a new disturbing reality.
Kurdish gangs are making the six o’clock news more
frequently than we would hope and their membership has
increased dramatically in the present. They are giving us
the disturbing coverage that serves as any Kurdish
nationalist’s nightmare. In a foreign country that we
desperately need to lobby for our cause, news of misbehaving
Kurds can be a major hindrance toward our efforts.
Whether we accept these gangsters into our communities or we
try to exclude them, they are still Kurdish youth and they
are our brothers and sisters. Their actions are inseparable
from our cause and they influence us directly. This problem
must receive the appropriate attention it deserves. As
members of Kurdish communities in the Diaspora, we have to
take up responsibility toward the other members of our
community. The failure of these teens also serves as our
failure; it will reflect negatively on us, especially in our
future. This problem has escalated because of our neglect
and improper disposal of the warning signs. Lets use this
major recent occurrence as a wake up call to recognize this
ensuing problem before it gets any worse.
It is easy to jump to conclusions that these teens are in
gangs because they are bad kids and they deserve what they
get whether it be jail, injury, or exclusion from the
community. But having a point of view such as that will not
help us reverse the misactions of the past nor help prevent
them in the future. I had the opportunity to meet a few of
these teens, including the member that has just been
arrested as a result of this recent shoot out. Through my
encounters I discovered that they are like any regular
Kurdish kid but unfortunate in the environment they are
raised in. These kids are influenced by their surroundings
much more than other teenagers; they are the victims of
neglected and poor neighborhoods in America.
Gang membership is usually affiliated with these ignored
corners of the US. They include project homes for the poor
and the minorities of America. Gangs aren’t a new phenomena
in the US. It has existed among the immigrant communities
ever since they first migrated. In the 20’s the Irish and
Italian gangs butchered each other in the streets of New
York and Chicago. Later in the 80’s gang wars were at full
force; almost all the races were involved, especially in the
inner cities such as Los Angeles. What had started out as
neighborhood fights between Mexicans and Blacks spread to
all other nationalities in their region, including the
Cambodian, Laotian, Asian, White, Haitian…etc gangs.
With Clinton’s strict policies in the 90’s the effect of
gangs on teens across the US has shrunk and the gang wars
have almost diminished. However, there are still pockets of
gangs existent in various locations and they are still
affecting the lives of those within their territories, such
as Tennessee. Some of Nashville’s popular gangs are Bloods,
Crips, Asian Pride, Brown Pride and MS-13 which have been
around for the past 20 years. Formation of the KPG is a
reaction to this lifestyle that encompasses the youth. We
must understand that these teens didn’t enroll in KPG out of
boredom but it was a desperate act for their protection.
Gangs are groups of individuals that work together for an
overall goal, which most of the time starts off as
protection from others. Once they realize their strength,
such gangs tend to raise their goals to the offensive and
start attacking other groups, individuals, or even the
authorities (whether it be in their own community or the
reigning government). They start to develop pride in their
gangs and at this point, the real trouble breeds. Currently
the KPG is at this state of development. There is a sense of
pride that is forming amongst its members and this identity
will escalate to more havoc if not stopped.
We as the Kurdish community must act united and act fast to
stop such development. We can do that not simply by
condemning the KPG and disowning them, but we have to pay
close attention to the reasons of its development. We must
find an alternative for the KPG that can respond to the
needs of its youth in a more positive way than involvement
in gangs.
One alternate solution is the step that we have taken in
forming the Kurdish Youth Club in Atlanta, Georgia and
expanding it by opening a branch in Nashville, Tennessee.
Existence of a youth organization for the teens in Tennessee
can at the very least act as an avenue for teens to
communicate their problems directly or indirectly to the
Kurdish community. It will also be an organization that the
youth can identify with. KYC alone cannot stop the youth
from gang involvement, but it is an effort that must be
taken with the full support of the Nashville Kurdish
communities as well as all Kurds in Diaspora. By all means
possible, we must find ways to make our teens feel safe
without participating in gangs. This might even require
close cooperation with the police and school administrations
of those particular areas.
Kurdish Youth Club held a seminar on Higher Education on
October 14, 2006 at the high school where KPG derives most
support from. As of that date a new branch of KYC has been
established there. The teens present at the seminar were
eager to be involved in the KYC and it seems that they will.
We have taken the initiative to stop and help find a
solution for this growing problem, but success cannot be
achieved merely by our action; support of the community is a
must! The KYC’s attempt may not be the only solution for
this problem but the major emphasis must be placed on a
community-wide corporation. Please feel free to be involved
whether you’re a youth or just a concerned Kurd in Nashville
or anywhere else.
Our web address is
www.kurdishyouthclub.com or contact me personally
at
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