The Elders are not really a gang, though they are well armed and they definitely claim territory.  If anything they could be said to be a guardian gang, but even that isn’t all that accurate.

 

Even before the walls went up, education in Marsten was something of a joke.  The schools were overrun by gangs and the few kids who did want to learn were lost in a sea of people who simply did not care.  After carnival, the Martin Luther King High School was under the complete control of a local gang, the Skullcrushers.  However the Skullcrushers made a mistake in trying to take on Maelstrom to boost their reputation, and got nearly wiped out in the process.  A group of men and women, led by Marcus “Principal” Welby, saw this as their opportunity.  They assaulted the school and drove what was left of the gang out.

 

Over the next few weeks, the group, now calling themselves the Elders, began fortifying the school.  Windows on the first floor were boarded up, the entrances were manned by armed guard, and the school was restored to livable conditions.  The elders began reaching out to the community, looking for teachers and instructors.

 

The school would be opened back up, they would get no funding and no official recognition from the state, but that meant that the school didn’t have to play by the states rules either.  During the first year of operation, things went slowly and poorly.  There were just a handful of students, and when teachers weren’t active they were actively patrolling the grounds.  Clashes with gangs and hooligans were rampant, but the Elders persevered.  They had proven that the school was truly a neutral zone, and as safe a place for the kids as could possibly be found in the Zone.

Support for the school started trickling in.  The Digital Renegades began donating old computers.  The Furies organized a watch, children on their way to the school through their territories would find their passage held safe by armed gang members.  A member of Bushido took a job at the school as a fitness instructor.  Individuals in the zone began donating whatever books they could find.  Slaughterhouse, as a show of good faith, donated a truckload of new textbooks.  Combat Cab donated a bus, and one of its drivers volunteers to drive the bus Monday through Friday, and occasionally on weekends if needed.  The ranks of the Elders grew as people in the zone joined to serve as teachers and staff, mostly so their own children or grandchildren could enjoy the benefits of an education, but some joined just because it was the first real sign of hope in the Zone since the walls went up.

 

From the beginning, their have been problems with the gangs.  The Cauldron and its wild assortment of gangs sit right next door to the school.  The Dead Zoners also present a constant danger.  The conflict between Stomp and Slaughterhouse constantly threatens to spill over onto the school grounds.  Through it all the school has remained a safe haven.  The entire campus is considered neutral ground, and this is respected by most of the gangs in the Zone.  By day this means no gang member will set foot on school property. 

At night the school leaves its football field open, with the lights on.  It allows the gangs to use it as meeting point, much like Kings Cross.  Negotiations, alliances, and peace talks are frequently made here.  Some gangs have even begun using the field to settle their differences in non-violent manner, or at the very least by trial by combat involving one on one combatants.  It also leaves the gymnasium open after school is out of session, but only students are allowed to use it, and armed guards are always present.

 

The teachers and staff of the school are almost always armed and ready to defend the property.  During the day, armed men and women patrol the borders of the territory, and lookout marksmen equipped with rifles are stationed on the roof.  At night the doors of the building are closed and locked.  Armed lookouts remain on the building rooftops, and a few of the Elders patrol the building interior.  Most of the staff live on property in their classrooms or offices. 

 

The school is open to anyone, of any age, who wants to learn.  In addition to the basic subjects, the school teaches a variety of subjects, from auto repair to martial arts, depending on who is able to volunteer to teach them.  Volunteers are not paid, but are given food and water, and if need be a place to sleep. 

 

Conflict inside the school is absolutely forbidden, children who start a physical altercation in the school are usually permanently expelled, especially if there are any gang connections involved.  Drug use results in the same.  Students who skip class or goof off are not expelled, but if their studies suffer they are usually demoted a grade.  The school makes it plain to every parent and every child that they are not here to baby sit, they are here to educate, and any child who does not wish to learn is encouraged not to bother showing up.  They will work with the student so long as the student can prove he is there to learn, and can leave the streets outside the walls. 

 

Teachers and staff are much more scrutinized.  While members of gangs can volunteer, at the very first hint of gang bias or activity in the school they will be removed forcibly and forbidden from returning.

 

Marcus “Principal” Wellby still leads the Elders, he is aging man, a former instructor at a youth rehabilitation center.  Under his leadership the Elders now have 26 full time teachers, another 13 staff members (cooks, secretary, medic, maintenance, and 7 full time ex-military guards) and about 20 volunteers on any given day.  The Elders have no tag or colors, they have no dress code.  They are armed mostly with handguns and semi-automatic rifles.