Starting in the 1980s, Straight Edge grew out of lyrics from the song of the same name by a Washington, D.C. band called Minor Threat. The lyrics to the hardcore punk song made a statement that the movement would strictly follow some simple rules: no smoking, no drug use, no alcohol and no promiscuous sex.

While Straight Edge is commonly considered a movement targeted toward teens and young adults seeking an alternative lifestyle, it has migrated from its strong Boston-based roots to become a nationwide movement, including a large following in Reno and Sparks.

In a state that allows gambling and legalized prostitution and has a growing drug problem, teenagers seeking to join the Straight Edge subculture have caught the attention of local law enforcement.

First to notice a problem at Reed High School was assistant principal of discipline Kris Hackbusch, who said that some students were taking the Straight Edge message to an extreme.

“When I first became a dean here, and now I’ve been in discipline for 7 years, we did have a Straight Edge problem,” Hackbusch said. “They were violent, and they were committing crimes and doing things that made the message of Straight Edge negative.”

Although Hackbusch said at the time the movement created a discipline problem, members of the movement who currently attend the school have not created any problems.

“We still have Straight Edge kids,” Hackbusch said. “Actually, some of the Straight Edge kids that we disciplined have come back and have worked with the school. It hasn’t been a problem for years and years here at Reed.”

Remembering his patrol at Reed, Washoe County School Police Sgt. Jason Trevino said he was assigned to the high school in 2005.

“Basically, Straight Edge is like gangs that you have in the area, where they have their peaks and valleys as far as members and activity in the community,” Trevino said. “In 2005 and 2006 it was at a peak, including activity in the community on the weekends that would be brought back to the school.”

Trevino said that some members of Straight Edge would start fights at parties where their peers were drinking or smoking on the weekends and would bring the animosity back to school by using intimidation and threats against students that did not agree with the Straight Edge philosophy.

Trevino said several aggressive members of the movement were repeatedly arrested. Charges against them included weapon violations, assault and battery, threats and harassment as well as intimidating witnesses. He added that it was difficult to talk to the students’ parents about the charges because the parents couldn’t understand why not smoking, doing drugs or drinking alcohol were bad.

“There was denial because these kids did not look like your typical gang member,” Trevino said. “These parents had a hard time believing that their kids were in a gang because they were good students and weren’t drinking and smoking or partying.”

Trevino said that since its surge at Reed, Straight Edge has become less aggressive.

“We still see Straight Edge, and Reed High School was not the only school we saw it at,” Trevino said. “We still do see it around the district but it’s certainly not as prevalent as it was.”

Members of the Straight Edge movement have commented that it is not a gang and do not like being associated with gang-like activity.

“Straight Edge in and of itself is not a criminal gang,” said Sgt. Magee of the Regional Gang Unit, clarifying that it is not a documented gang in the community. “There are members who have been identified as gang members. It’s the kids that go out and reinforce their beliefs with threats and violence that are considered gang members.

Magee said he and the gang unit support anyone who believes in sobriety and a clean way of living as long as it’s a non-violent lifestyle as well.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Calls and interview requests with Straight Edge members in the community were not returned.