Officials in Rutherford County said gang recruitment starts as early as middle school.
It's an ongoing issue that was discussed at a summit Saturday regarding street violence.
The panel had representatives from the Murfreesboro Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Middle Tennessee State University's Criminal Justice Center, community clergy members, and a school resource officer.
Rutherford County Student Resource Officer Roscoe Sanders said he wished more parents had attended the meeting at the Patterson Park Community Center.
"I am a little disappointed," Sanders said. "If you go to any of the schools and you go to a parent/teacher night, you're going to find that there's not a lot of people who attend those either."
Sanders said it's important for kids to have a parent or guardian who tracks their social media, figures out where they are, and knows who they hang out with.
"You can't just put them on a remote control and expect them to turn out alright," Sanders said. "You got to be engaged and involved."
Sanders added conversations about gang violence should start in elementary school.
"These people that are being recruited into gangs, they're starting at the middle school level. Believe it or not," Sanders said.
Sharmyn Smith's husband was on the panel. She was shocked that gang violence is an issue in her community.
"It was just the amount of gang activity and the change in gang activity," she said. "I didn't realize they changed their names, they write different rules, so I'm not going to recognize them so readily."
Why do young people join gangs? One expert says "If they're not loved at home, they'll find someone in the streets who loves them." @NC5 pic.twitter.com/zhKghsfzrU
— Alexandra Koehn (@NC5_AKoehn) July 29, 2017
Smith has worked for an after school program called The Den. She said she hopes to fill a hole that some kids feel can't be patched.
"They can make it out of that situation whatever it is, then I want to be there for these kids," Smith said.
Regina Ward was also in the audience. She's a community advocate who used to work at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rutherford County.
"Our young people may be struggling as a whole, but they're young, that's kind of a part of growing up," Ward said. "We all hit stumbling blocks, but as adults and community activists, we need to be able to reach out to those young people."
Ward said she's seen the positive impact that mentors and guardians can have on kids who may be thinking about joining a gang.
"I think it's a call to action for us as a community to find ways to give back, to find ways to change these kids and youth's lives," Ward said.
In a high school of 2,200 people, Deputy Sanders said there could be 10 to 30 freshmen who have already affiliated with a gang.
"Being at that juncture at the right time is critical," Sanders said.
