Classes Encourage Oakland 5th Graders To Resist Lure of Gangs
OAKLAND (KCBS) - Police volunteers at Melrose Elementary hope to dissuade a group of fifth graders from even considering joining a gang.
A six-week curriculum brought into the classroom for one hour a week is part of a preventative approach to stemming the tide of gang violence in East Oakland.
"It's a way for us to bridge the gap where they're looking at police officers not just rolling by at high speed or arresting someone," said Officer Andy Castro.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
Fourteen officers participate in the grant-funded program titled Gang Resistance Education And Training. And the Oakland Police Department hopes to double the number of facilitators.
Castro handed out 60 certificates of completion on Friday. The fact that the kids kept coming back week after week is an early sign, he said, that the program is working.
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