News 12 at 11 o'clock, March 9, 2010

AIKEN, S.C. --- Some Aiken leaders say they have the answer, or at least part of it, when it comes to solving the area's gang problem.

Whose fault is it that there is a gang problem? Parents are to blame, say the managers of a diversion program aimed at helping moms and dads get their kids out of gangs.

It's called the "Parent Project", and it's affiliated with a nationwide program that helps parents get to the root of the problem with disorderly children. It is the largest diversion program of its kind in the nation. Leaders in Aiken say this is part of the answer to solving the gang problem.

At tonight's class, a parent who attended an earlier class proudly received his "Parent Project" diploma before the next class session starts. Frank Williams says it is the knowledge he has gotten during the past ten weeks that is worth far more than a piece of paper.

"Love. You got to love your kids," says Williams. "You got to tell them that you love them and show them that you love them and that you're there for them. That love thing really covers a lot."

Jamie Murphy, instructor and outreach minister for Immanuel Baptist Church, agrees.

"It is a combination of love and discipline," says Murphy, who has been teaching the class for the past three years.

Love and discipline are just part of the equation, Murphy adds. Couple that with some nosiness and parents are on their way to solving the gang problem in Aiken.

Murphy teaches the course to help parents and their relationship with their children.

"The problem with today's youth is their parents are not doing the jobs they're supposed to do," says Murphy.

The tools teaches can not only help parents keep kids out of gangs, but also out of trouble and back in the parent's control.

"Somebody is raising your children. The question is who?" says Murphy. "Most parents aren't directly involved in the lives of their children, whether it's through abandonment, divorce, never being there or you work too much."

The ten-week course helps parents with children in gangs, runaways and violent teens or drug abusers. Aiken Public Safety sponsors the class.

"Parents need to get in their kids business," says Aiken Public Safety Captain Maryann Burgess, who heads up the program. She says it's never too late for any parent to get help.

Many people "still won't believe that their child is dabbling in gangs, even when confronted with such evidence of activity," says Burgess. "Teaching parents what their rights and responsibilities with regards to their children and how to curb this destructive behavior we're seeing is what we are trying to do."

According to the program facilitators they have already successfully gotten kids out of gangs and other situations for the better. The Aiken Public Safety Department is proud to sponsor and offer the parent project free of charge for parents who want to improve relationships with their children.

If you would like more information or have questions about the program, please call Jamie Murphy at (803) 257-4343 or Captain Maryann Burgess at (803) 642-7667.

Classes are held:

Aiken Department of Public Safety
251 Laurens St. NW
Aiken, SC 29801
(Tuesdays 7pm-9pm)