Gangs in Alamo:
Woman says problems are real

Karl Anderson, Staff Writer

Joanne Reynolds, a parent whose son was killed by a gang at the age of 17, told 40 to 45 attendees at Chaparral Middle School there are real gang members at Alamogordo High School. She now volunteers as a consultant to students of Chaparral Middle School who show tendencies toward becoming gang members. She gave her presentation as part of the CMS monthly parent meeting on Thursday evening.

Reynolds was asked if she felt there are Crips and Bloods at AHS.

"There most certainly are," she said. "If anyone says there are not, they are in denial."

Reynolds was introduced by CMS Principal Cheryl Kullman.

"We only have one gang here," Kullman said. "We call it the CMS gang."

Reynolds introduced herself as a mom who lost her son to a gang, and said that he was murdered at the age of 17 by gang members.

"When he first got into the gang, which is called 'repping' I had no idea," she said. "I got pregnant at 16, so later in my life I went into schools and spoke about safe sex, which is no sex, and about sexually transmitted diseases."

Reynolds said parents should be alerted to the word "repping" which is a term meaning someone is representing a gang.

She explained the transition of her son, which she said began with him wearing lots of green-colored clothing.

Reynolds showed two pictures to the attendees.

"He went from looking like this to this," she said.

The later picture showed her son wearing a bandana-type mask that covered his face.

"My son was lured to a house by some girls and was shot in the face," she said.

"The Bloods came to Alamogordo a couple of years ago to recruit kids, even at the middle school," Reynolds said.

Reynolds told the story of a boy in school who was a gang leader but one day distributed a letter around the school telling everyone that he had given up gangs, and that he had credited her (Reynolds) for his decision to give up that lifestyle.

"I motivate kids just by talking to them and gain their respect," she explained. "I have had lots of kids come up to me and tell me they have stopped repping."

Reynolds said she comes to CMS as a volunteer whenever the school calls her.

"I live pretty close to the school so it doesn't take me long to get here," she said. "I like to tell kids that there is no such thing as bad kids, just some that make bad choices."

Reynolds said she is in the process of writing a story about how she lost her son.

Reynolds said many kids join gangs because they want to be part of a family they may have not had. She spoke of some of the symptoms parents can look for to possibly determine if their children are heading in that direction.

"If your kids start asking you to buy them different colors of clothing, especially red, blue or green, that is one sign," she said. "Royal blue is real big now with one gang. I also encourage parents to snoop. Look in closets and dresser drawers. Read their notes."

Reynolds said another sign is colored bandanas.

"Even if a girl has a bandana tied to her purse, that could be a sign," she said. "Especially blue, red or green ones. Navy blue, too."

Reynolds says she always tells kids in middle school they have no business watching "R" rated movies.

"I always tell them: show me your friends and I'll show you your own future," she said.

Reynolds said other signs include a drop in grades, increased disrespect in the home or at school, and changes in writing style.

"I was a mistress to a Colombian drug smuggler," she said. "I could go on and on."

Reynolds said she feels that what she is trying to do now is working.

"It's really made a difference to lots of kids," she said. Kullman said there are no gangs or gang activity at CMS.