Jaleeyah’s Law Isn’t Enough

Episode summary:

North Carolina’s “Jaleeyah’s Law” is a needed step to crack down on gangs, but it doesn’t touch the deeper crisis driving young men into violent street life. 

In this Daily Update, I walk through what the bill actually does, why gang activity has become more sophisticated, and how lawmakers hope tougher tools will help prosecutors and police. Then I dig into the root problem almost no one in Raleigh wants to talk about: the collapse of fatherhood in many minority communities and the way fatherless homes fuel crime and incarceration. Finally, we look at real solutions beyond more government spending—strengthening families through education, work, marriage, church, and community leadership that calls young men to real manhood.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

• 00:01 – Why “Jaleeyah’s Law” is moving in Raleigh and what it’s supposed to do against gangs.
• 00:26 – How HB 1173 modernizes gang policing, from identifying members to punishing online recruitment.
• 00:49 – The deeper problem politicians ignore: the lack of fathers in the lives of young men who join gangs.
• 00:59 – Research on how fatherless homes drive delinquency and incarceration for teens.
• 02:00 – Real answers: strengthening families through education, trades, tax policy, and church-led community involvement.

What you can do

If you care about stopping gang violence in North Carolina, don’t stop at passing “Jaleeyah’s Law.” Share this episode with friends, church leaders, and local officials so we start talking honestly about fatherhood, family breakdown, and the cultural messages that push young men toward gangs instead of real responsibility. Then get involved where you are—support mentoring and trade programs, back policies that encourage marriage and stable homes, and plug into a local church that is willing to walk with at-risk families, not just talk about them. When informed citizens push for both strong law enforcement and strong families, we can make our communities safer and give the next generation of boys a better path.

Pass the law about gangs.  But we also need to fix the underlying problem.

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Friday, June 5, 2026.

House Bill 1173 – also known as Jaleeyah’s Law – has made its way out of committee to be considered by the full North Carolina legislature.  Named after 13‑year‑old Jaleeyah Tune of Goldsboro, whose December 2025 killing was described by lawmakers as gang‑related – this bill will make it easier for law enforcement to identify gang members, prove gang activity, and make gang recruitment – even online – punishable.  Gang activity has become more sophisticated.  HB 1173 moves gang policing into a new era and will certainly help.

But there is an even deeper problem – and one that will be the hardest to fix:  the lack of fathers in the lives of the young men who join gangs in the first place.

A study by Sara Bradley at Corcordia University has found:

Father absence represents one of the most persistent and consequential social issues affecting children and families in the United States… adolescents from father-absent homes are significantly more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors and face incarceration compared with peers from two-parent households.

For years fathers have been told they are not really needed. Additionally, policies and social constructs have  destroyed the family unit to the point that nearly 50% of kids born into minority families do not have both parents - usually a missing dad.  It is no coincidence that nearly 80% of gang members come from the Hispanic and Black communities – the same communities where fatherhood is no longer the accepted norm.

That is the problem we need to fix. Not through more government spending – but by strengthening families in all communities through education, introduction to the trades, tax incentives for married couples raising children together, and church involvement in all aspects of the family.  We need our young men – no matter their skin color – to realize that real manhood means finishing school, working, getting married, and then bringing kids into a stable home.

Because in the end, a strong family is the most important gang a child will ever need.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample.  Thanks for listening.