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Latest News
San Jose has much to teach about gangs
by Staff Writer, Visalia Times-Delta
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Fighting gang violence is pretty much the same, whether in Tulare County or in one of the biggest cities in California. |
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A group of about 40 professionals from law enforcement, criminal justice, social services and community groups from Tulare County discovered mostly how similar the issues and problems are when they traveled to San Jose on April 8.
Tulare County folks heard from counterparts and attended strategy sessions of the Mayor’s Gang Task Force in San Jose. They heard some consistent messages:
• It’s hard work, and for the long term
• Personal relationships are important
• Everyone must get involved, including churches, businesses and neighborhoods, even those where gang violence is not a problem.
• Communication across jurisdictions is vital.
• We can’t arrest our way out of the problem.
• There are no guarantees of success.
The last point was particularly well taken. The very day of the meeting, a front-page story in the San Jose Mercury News noted that San Jose’s homicide rate was ahead of last year’s. Mayor Chuck Reed had just called for a series of community meetings in response to a rash of gang violence.
Recently a gang melee had erupted at San Jose’s Yerba Buena High School and 23 students were arrested.
Police noted one case in which a 14-year-old had been arrested twice in the span of two days for severely beating other youths.
There had been three gang-related homicides in the past two months and seven this year, but one of those was a particularly brutal slaying of an innocent young man.
The East San Jose district had been particularly hard hit and Councilwoman Nora Campos was calling for more police presence in her district.
Police also noted that apparently gang activity had increased because Sureños, whose numbers were growing, were starting to push back at Norteños, who had been victimizing them.
In that atmosphere San Jose task force members convened on April 9. Its task force is similar to those of the Tulare County and Visalia gang task forces: Heavy on law enforcement and criminal justice, probation and social services with some additional community groups, some faith-based representatives and people from schools.
The San Jose group emphasizes tracking numbers of incidents in an effort to see how best to deploy resources. But as with Tulare County, adjustments need to be made often, because as soon as one area is subdued, problems rise up in another.
The San Jose group is one of the oldest in the nation, and one of the ones most recognized for success. The city boasts of being the "safest big city in the nation," and has a strong record of collaboration.
Yet Tulare County gang task force members learned that San Jose is coping with the same kinds of issues to deal with:
• Disconnection from regular society of hard-core gang members
• Need for more employment opportunities.
• A high truancy rate that contributed to gang membership.
• Need for street and neighborhood outreach programs.
"The things that have the greatest effects on gangs are the two Js: Jobs and Jesus," said one task force member, Pastor Tony Ortiz, Executive Director, California Youth Outreach and a former gang member.
At one point, Visalia businessman Stan Simpson, who attended with Visalia businessmen Basil Perch and Joe Fisher, asked a pertinent question of the task force panel:
"Where are the business people on that panel?" Simpson said. "I don’t see any business people represented."
Task force members admitted they have had difficult recruiting business people in the war on gangs in San Jose, and the Mayor’s Task Force has been in place for 16 years.
Community member Cora Tomalinas of San Jose said the group recognized the problem and constantly tried to correct it.
"On occasion we get their money, and the business community is very generous," Tomalinas said. "But we also want their time, their involvement. That’s harder to get."
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Nextwork.