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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/15/06� F A K E R S F I E L D Irma Carson, C Mike Maggard Jacquie Sulliva Staff: Alan Chr REGULAR MEETING OF THE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE and Community Advisory Committee of the City Council - City of Bakersfield June 15, 2006 11:30 a. m. City Manager's Conference Room 1501 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, CA 93301 AGENDA 1. ROLL CALL 2. ADOPTION OF MAY 25, 2006 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS a. Update regarding Gang and Graffiti Enforcement and Use of Video Can Chief Rector) b. Discussion regarding County Involvement in Safe Neighborhoods anc Relations Committee c. Report regarding school safe zones 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion regarding summer recreation programs 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS � B A K E R S F I E L D AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT ) , Staff: Alan Christensen, Assistant City Manager Councilmember, Irma Carson - Chair Councilmember, Mike Maggard Councilmember, Jacquie Sullivan REGULAR MEETING SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS and.COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE and Community Advisory Committee of the City of Bakersfield Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:30 a.m. City Manager's Conference Room The meeting was called to order at 11:45 a.m. 1. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Councilmember, Irma Carson - Chair Councilmember, Mike Maggard Councilmember, Jacquie Sullivan Advisory member present: Stephanie Campbell, Cornerstone Group ADOPTION OF THE APRIL 27, 2006 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Adopted as submitted. 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS Karen Shah spoke at the end of the meeting. She is a member of M.A.S.K. (Mothers Against Senseless Killings) and the mother of Perry Robinson, who was killed by a gang member. She stated that she was encouraged to read in the local newspaper that five of the alleged suspects in his killing had been arrested. The names of these individuals had been provided by the community. She has spoken with people in Los Angeles who had neighbors who were gang members that had somehow been persuaded by either their police department or the community to leave the area. However, they are moving to Bakersfield. She asked that whatever strategy may be implemented in Bakersfield include whatever Los Angeles developed to persuade them to leave Bakersfield, also.. She reported that M.A.S.K. is working with schools and making contact with youth in general in an attempt to deter them from getting involved in gangs. She suggested creating a website similar to the one that profiles sex offenders that would show pictures of known gang members. This would atlow the community to recognize them on sight. Mickey Sturdivant, atso of M.A.S.K., informed the Committee that the group has some prevention and intervention programs that will be implemented this summer, and that there is a candlelight vigil on May 2gtn 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS a. Update regarding Chief Rector) Safe Neighborhoods and Community Relations Committee May 25, 2006 Agenda Summary Report Page 2 gang and graffiti enforcement and use of video cameras (Police Committee Chair Carson noted that The Park at River Walk has cameras, but there are none installed in high crime neighborhoods. Police Chief Rector reported that the use of video cameras is being researched by cities nationwide. Putting together crime analyses with street officer information and quality equipment will make the most significant impact. The plan is to install cameras in strategic locations where there are continued problems with gangs or graffiti. The Police Department has been testing different systems, and has found one that looks promising. It is a wireless system, with a cost of $50,000 -$60,000, that produces quality pictures. Because it is wireless, it would be portable and easily hidden. A grant application was recently sent to Congressman Thomas' office, which would help with funding. Committee member Sullivan asked about the use of decoy cameras. Police Chief Rector reported that, according to studies by the Department of Justice, decoy cameras are very effective as a deterrent. Graffiti: To date, over 55 arrests have been made by the GHOST unit. More arrests have been made by officers not part of this team. Staff has met with the Kern High School District officials to coordinate efforts, which will include the use of software that will enable better communication between each entity. Temporarily, two additional detectives have been assigned to this program, Ganas: To date, the gang unit has made 836 arrests, seized 56 guns, and conducted 1,224 probation/parole searches. As of this date in 2005, there were 36 shootings. To date in 2006, there have been 15. The main reason for the improvement is that the community has become more aware of the problems and is providing more information. b. Continued discussion regarding the feasibility of establishing an ordinance to authorize seizures of drug/gang houses (State of California Health and Safety Code Section 11469) (City Attorney Gennaro) City Attorney Gennaro informed the Committee that all four new associate attorneys have now been hired, one of whom is assigned to Code Enforcement and another who is assigned to issues related to Health and Safety Code Section 11570. More information will be provided in upcoming meetings. Ms. Gennaro will invite the District Attorney to the next meeting for a report on how they prosecute these crimes. The City Attorney's office is currently revising the Municipal Code to strengthen Code Enforcement ordinances. First reading will be given at the June 7, 2006 Council meeting. Police Chief Rector said that, for a period of time, the Police Department had a staff person who specifically addressed abatement of drug houses. That assignment will be reinstated, coordinating with the Community Prosecutor who is assigned to that issue. 5. Safe Neighborhoods and Community Relations Committee May 25, 2006 Agenda Summary Report Page 3 Committee member Maggard asked about school zones, the ability to search, and enhanced levels of prosecution and consequences when people are convicted for drug offenses in these zones. Mr. Maggard further asked if ordinances could be adopted that would expand and enhance the ability of the Police and Sheriff's Departments in this regard. City Attorney Gennaro responded that State law sets the fines for crimes around hospitals and schools. State law pre-empts cities when it comes to criminal enforcement and the determination of sanctions and fines. She will provide a report at the next meeting. c. Reports from subcommittees Advisory member Campbell reported that the job creation subcommittee continues to put together a plan. There have been discussions with the Police Activities League regarding advertising of all that the center has to offer. Chief Rector will provide her with the relevant information. She encouraged the Committee to distribute it, also. d. Discussion regarding amending the Committee calendar The regular meetings were rescheduled to the third Thursday of each month. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion regarding security at Rockin' Rodeo (Police Chief Rector) Mr. Noriega, attorney for the owners of Rockin' Rodeo, spoke in support of the owner and his efforts to maintain safety at the facility. He listed the various steps taken by the owner in this regard. Sgt. Grundeis stated that the Police Department had been in the process of renewing the cabaret license for the facility and came to the meeting in case additional conditions for the license were recommended. He stated that the owner was open to any new conditions. Ms. Bjorn, attorney for the owners of the shopping center, stated that, due to the numerous problems at the facility, the owners are terminating the Rockin' Rodeo lease. While they do understand that this will not eliminate the gang problem in general, they believe it will eliminate it at this location. Committee Chair Carson stated that the issue regarding the lease termination is between the attorneys, and not decided by City staff. Advisory member Campbell disagreed with the closing of the facility. In her opinion, this action would eliminate a recreational opportunity for young people. She believes it means that the gangs are holding everyone hostage with their behavior. Committee member Maggard stated that he understood that there were numerous calls for service at the facility. He is encouraged that the community is coming forward with Safe Neighborhoods and Community Relations Committee May 25, 2006 Agenda Summary Report Page 4 information and that the landlord is taking this responsibility seriously to provide a safe environment for the community. Committee Chair Carson also does not want gangs to hold citizens hostage, and called for an improvement in the type of entertainment allowed in the City. Facilities in the downtown area, also, have closed due to gang viotence. The key is to change the behavior. 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS Committee Chair Carson encouraged everyone to become more aware of strategies across the nation. She distributed information regarding a webcast on Tuesday sponsored by the Department of Justice. Committee Chair Carson noted that M.A.S.K. is doing a great job and encouraged their members to continue with their work. Police Chief Rector reported that research is being done on the application of GPS bracelets to gang members, and the sentencing enhancement if the device was removed. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 p.m. Staff present: Assistant City Manager, Alan Christensen; City Attorney, Virginia Gennaro; Police Chief, William Rector; and Sgt. Glen Grundeis and Det. Steve London, Bakersfield Police Department. Others present: Mickey Sturdivant, Beatrice Sanders, Sidney Walker and Karen Shah, M.A.S.K.; Matthew Kundinger, Kern County Probation; Donna Berlin and Tom Dinnauer, Valley Plaza; Max Steinert and Randy Steinert, Olive Drive Partners; Teri Bjorn, Kronick, Moskovitz, et al — representing Olive Drive Partners; Jack McMurrow, Rockin' Rodeo; James E. Noriega, Attorney — representing Rockin' Rodeo; Karen Goh, Garden Pathways, Inc.; Jim Parks; Jeff Lemmucci, KBAK — 29; Mark Howell, KUZZ Radio; Emily Valdez, Channel 23; and Sandra Gonzalez, KGET —17. cc: Honorable Mayor and City Council �, i: -� . � MEMORANDUM CITY ATTORNEY June 15, 2006 TO: SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE . FROM: VIRGINIA GENNARO, CITY ATTORNE �� SUBJECT: SAFE ZONES Issue: Can the city create "safe zones" around city parks, similar to "school sai and enhance penalties for crimes committed by gang members? Analysis: The City of Bakersfield cannot establish "safe zones" around all city pa provides for enhanced penalties for crimes committed by gang member; Under the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act (STEP A� crime for "any person who actively participates in any criminal street g� who wilfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal cc members of that gang." The California State Legislature enacted the STEP Act in 1993 in an � combat violent street gangs. The legislature found, "the State of Califori state of crisis which has been caused by violent street gangs whose threaten, terrorize, and commit a multitude of crimes against the peacef� of their neighborhoods." (Penal Code §186.21) The STEP Act was modified in 1995, to make every school a"safe zorn STEP, punishment is enhanced for committing a crime for the benefit of "within 1,000 feet of, a public or private elementary, vocational, junioi high school, during hours in which the facility is open for classes o related programs or when minors are using the facility." The amendr ___."'__i__I 1___ 1L_ A_1!2_��!_ �1!_i�!_i wit_______f_ w _ _ _ ___i[___ ___ ______ ____ �` ` w ' . ° Safe Neighborhoods and Community Relations Committee T Safe Zones _ June 15, 2006 , Page 2 However, STEP would not preclude the City from using gang injunctions 1 gang activity. For example, if the City determines we have a high concer criminal gang activity by a specific gang at a specific park, we may be able civil injunction restricting the congregation of those gang members around As previously discussed, the City Attomey's office will continue to work cl� our police department to determine if such action is warranted. S:ICOUNCIL\MEMOS\05-06 Memos�safe zone.doc Transcript of: DOJConnect Webcast May 23, 2006 2:00 -3:OOpm E.T. "Preventing Gangs in Our Communities" Voiceover: "This is DOJ Connect. Today's prog�am: Preventing Gangs in Our Communities. " DORIS MCMILLION, MODERATOR: Welcome to part one of a two-part national webcast and satellite broadcast on "Preventing Gangs in Our Communities." Today a distinguished panel of experts will share their knowledge of and experience with gangs to help our viewers understand how to succeed in preventing gang membership and gang activity. I'm Doris McMillion and I'll be your moderator for today's program. This webcast and satellite broadcast is being seen by thousands of viewers across the nation. During the program you'll have the opportunity to submit your questions to the panel by sending them to �,uestions�a�,DOJConnect.com. Today's program is part one of a two part series developed within the Department of Justice through a partnership between the Office of Community Orientated Policing Services and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Both broadcasts will be archived and available for viewing at dojconnect.com. And now let's get started. Prevention of gangs in America is being dealt with at the very highest level of law enforcement. And that's why our first speaker today is the Attorney General of the United States, Alberto Gonzales. Under his leadership, the Department of Justice refocused its efforts to combat violent crime to target the specific problem of gangs in America. His message today underscores his intense commitment and support of our efforts to prevent, prosecute and reduce gang crime. And now we bring you the Attorney General of the United States, Alberto Gonzales. VIDEO ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you for participating in today's program on preventing 5/23/06 1 � , gangs in our communities. Gang activity and gang violence threaten the safety and security of our Nation's citizens. They terrorize neighborhoods and communities and cities from coast to coast. And that's why I've made the fight against gangs one of the top priorities of the Department of Justice. Following President Bush's leadership on this important issue, through the U.S. Attorneys offices across the nation, we are working side by side with our federal, state and local partners to reduce crime and make our streets safer for every American. To do this, we are using a combination of strategies including prevention, prosecution and prison re-entry. Last year I directed each U.S. Attorney to designate an anti-gang coordinator in his or her district to prepare a comprehensive, district-wide anti-gang strategy in consultation with law enforcement partners, social services and community and faith-based groups. This year, we expanded the focus of our successful Project Safe Neighborhoods Program to include new and enhanced anti-gang efforts. I've also launched a comprehensive anti-gang initiative in six locations around the nation: Cleveland, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Angeles, Milwaukee, Tampa, and the 222 Corridor that stretches from Easton to Lancaster, PA near Philadelphia. These efforts will compliment all the good work already being done in the field. But to fully combat gang crime, we also need to address the underlying personal, family and community factors that cause people to choose gangs over better, more productive alternatives. As we become more successful in these prevention efforts, there will be fewer victims of gang violence and fewer people to prosecute for violent activity down the road. To that end I have directed each U.S. Attorney to convene a gang prevention summit in his or her district by the end of this year to help coordinate gang prevention efforts among the many partners and interested parties who must be involved if we are to succeed. America is the greatest country in the world, but the dreams of too many of our citizens and their families are being shattered by gangs. By working together, we can make our communities safer and help people find better alternatives to the gang lifestyle. I know that this broadcast will be a valuable resource as you continue your efforts to dismantle and destruct gangs. Thank you for your dedication to this important work. MODERATOR: And with that as our framework, we introduce our panel of experts on today's broadcast. Our first guest is Dr. Scott Decker. He is the Chair and Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology 5/23/06 2 , at Arizona State University. Also joining us, the Reverend Melvin Jackson, who is President and CEO of Westside Community Ministries in Indianapolis. Also joining us is Debra Rhodes, she is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. And our last guest is Thomas Jackson, a police officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department with the GREAT Program. The complete bios for all of our guests are on the dojconnect website. I would like to say thank you all for being with us. GUESTS: Thank you. MODERATOR: The first question: how do you tell the difference between a gang and kids just hanging out? OFFICER THOMAS JACKSON: Well, let's look at the definition of a gang. A gang is a group of people who a common name, identifying signs, colors or symbols and that participate in criminal activities, as a group or individually. Now, we may see a group of kids dressed in the same type of clothing. Does that make them a gang? Of course not. Not from the definition — they must be involved in criminal activities. One of things that we need to do as law enforcement officers and community leaders and those who live in the community is to identify the difference between a gang and a group of kids who maybe they don't have a place to go - like a community park or a community center — but they just want to hang out together and do things that young people do. So we must understand that in order for us to identify individuals or groups as gang members that they must be involved in some type of criminal activity. MODERATOR: Okay, from a law enforcement perspective what does a gang look like, Deborah? MS. DEBORAH RHODES: Well, it can run the gamut. It can be a group, a local gang that has regional influence and has no connection with other gangs or it can be a national or international gang that has some organization and structure and has connections across state and even international boundaries. MODERATOR: So we can't say they all look the same? MS. RHODES: They don't all look the same. 5/23/06 3 � c MODERATOR: Scott? DR. SCOTT DECKER: And I think it's also important to note that not only do they all not look the same across the country or within one city, but that they change — that gangs are dynamic. And as social circumstances change, as members come out of prison or go to prison, the dynamics on the street will change and those changes will produce the need for a different kind of intervention — particularly a different kind of prevention intervention. MODERATOR: How do gangs get started? REV. MELVIN JACKSON: Gangs have been a part of the American scene I suppose as long as there has been an America because gangs were transported from the old country to this country, but preventing gangs is one of the things that we can work at fairly simply by get beginning in the home. Virivally everything has its beginning in the home and parents need to be very much aware, very well acquainted with their kids. What are they doing? Who are their friends? What are they bringing into the home? What do they carry in their backpacks to school? Who do they hangout with? Who are the parents of their friends? Old parents used to know their kids and they knew their friends and what their parents did and they controlled their kids. So prevention is an extremely important factor. And to tell kids often how much you love and care about them is a very important factor in trying to preclude kids into getting into gangs. MODERATOR: Aren't a lot of parents these days afraid of their children? Afraid to intervene in their lives, to get involved? REV. JACKSON: Yes, too many parents are. And there are a variety of forces that cause some of that fear. Some of the fear is the first time they notice that their boy, for example, he's sprouting a mustache and he's bigger than mom — so many of our households are single parent homes — and mom's afraid of the guy. Other times, they are fearful of "loosing" their kids, and I put that in quotations, but you've lost them if you have the fear of loosing them. And so I think that parents needs to be encouraged to exercise their parental power and responsibility and that is to train your children into the areas of what's right and what's wrong, and when you need help don't be afraid to reach out to the community because there is lots of it there. 5/23/06 4 0 DR. DECKER: One of the things that this underscores is the need for partnerships. Raising children under the best of circumstances can be a struggle, but for a single parent who may live in a poor neighborhood with fewer resources this underscores the need for a partnership approach to prevention and intervention that would involve and start at the home, but also much reach out and include schools and communities and other groups and institutions long before we get to, down the road to law enforcement and prosecution. MODERATOR: Okay, what are the signs? How do I know if my child is getting involved in gang activity? What do I look for? OFFICER JACKSON: Well, some of the things that you could look for if your child might be involved with gang activity is a personality change. Before the child had a healthy personality, loved his parents, interacting with the family. Now all of a sudden, they don't want to talk to you, they have new friends, they hang out in the community, they refused to go to school, they have problems with getting homework done, they have problems with taking any advice or suggestions from authority figures — so they rebel against authority figures - sometimes they get involved in alcohol and drug use. They begin to wear certain types of clothing, using gang signs, graffiti. And parents should look for this on their notebook, on their body — gang graffiti. They begin to use hand language — hand signs to talk. And so those are some of the things that parents should look for if they think their child might be involved in a gang. And don't be afraid — don't be afraid to go into your child's room, to investigate what's in your child's room. MODERATOR: Well, wait a minute — aren't you violating their civil rights? OFFICER JACKSON: No. Well, I have a son. In fact, he's in his second year of college and what's understood is that every room in the house belongs to me so I have a right to go anywhere in my house and look at anything in my house. It's very important for us as parents to know exactly what our kids are doing. MODERATOR: One of the things we see these days — we see our parents are younger. And it's like babies are raising babies. So there's something — there's a disconnect there — they are missing some of the signs. So what do we do about that? 5/23/06 5 REV. JACKSON: Well, again I think it's very important for even the youngest of parents to realize that when you come into parenthood, you have chosen to take on some responsibilities perhaps you're not ready for. Churches, neighborhood centers, neighbors next door are good resources to assist a young parent to gain some strength and some footing in this new venture in life. Schools are very important, being in the life of your child you learn and a lot of it you learn by doing. Books don't tell you everything about raising kids. But get involved in the life of the child and one of the most important things that a parent can do is to talk to their children. And you start talking to children before the. children are born. Moms start talking to children, reading to them and you continue that dialogue with the children all the days of their lives so you get to know your child and that's a great motivator of helping you to grow up and to learn how to deal with children by talking and communicating with your children. MODERATOR: So you have to walk with them and talk with them along the way. REV. JACKSON: All of the way. MODERATOR: Deborah, from a community perspective, how can we prevent gangs? MS. RHODES: Well, it's very important to work together. I think partnerships is the key. And there are several opportunities that U.S. attorneys offices are already involved in that have created strong partnerships with other members in the communities, for example Project Safe Neighborhoods is an organization where already federal, state and local law enforcement are working together and there's a strong emphasis on prevention. Weed and Seed is an opportunity, which is a program where there are strong ties with the community. Church groups, as well as state and local law enforcement, civil groups, civil leaders, mayors, Boys and Girls Clubs, all kind of organizations are already at the table — and they're the ones that know their community, know the needs and issues in that community and have already come up with a strategy to try to meet those needs. The gang summits were mentioned by the Attorney General and that's going to allow us the opporiunity to bring those same partnerships and those same people together to focus more particularly on how we can combat gangs. 5/23/06 6 � . MODERATOR: Okay, so we have to do prevention — I think this is key. Let's talk about the kids, the young kids, who are coming up. How do we prevent them from becoming involved in gangs? OFFICER JACKSON: Well, what we have in Nashville — we have a program called the GREAT Program that stands for gang resistant education and training. And this program is taught mainly to our middle school students, we also have an Elementary component, but the GREAT Program teaches kids how to recognize gangs, to teach them how to avoid gangs, to tell them the truth. To let them know that if you are part of gang that you are 60 times more likely to become a homicide victim. To let them know that if you are part of a gang, that if you are not killed you will probably end up in jail. We try to talk to them about things they need to do to avoid gangs — how to avoid gangs. How they should communicate with someone who is trying to talk them into becoming part of a gang. What we want to do is to express to them that the way you speak to gang member — the way you approach a gang member, the way a gang member approaches you depends on how you receive that gang member. So, what we try to do is use these simple words like no. "No, thank you." "No, I'm busy. "No, I have to do my homework. Something that the young people can tell a gang member who is trying to get them involved in a gang what they won't do. Also, with the GREAT program, there's three components to the GREAT Program. And that is the academic part which is a 13 week program that we teach in the middle school. Then we have the have the GREAT summer component and the GREAT summer component is that the kids that participate in our GREAT program have the opportunity to participate in a two week summer camp — a free summer camp — where they can enjoy, where they can be kids, where they can feel free and where they can relax. And also the third component is the GREAT Family component and the GREAT Family component is to get the families involved. Educating the families to let the parents know what they need to do and how they need to be on the look out — to look for signs, to see if their child might be involved in a gang or to see if there is some type of gang activity in their community. MODERATOR: What's moving these kids to gangs? REV. JACKSON: There are a number of things and again some of those things the parents can control. One major thing is to watch out for the influences that come into the home, vis a vis television and your computer. 5/23/06 7 . On TV for example there is a long running, long standing rash of filthy rap and hip hop music that denigrates women specifically and humanity in general. There is the emulation of criminals in terms of the dress code, dress codes that originated in the penitentiary. The low-hanging pants - those things were originated inside of the penitentiary. And it's been popularized by the hip hop generation and kids are emulating that and imitation becomes life. Coupled with the bad rap music, the videos and the dress. Parents can control that by not investing, by not allowing their children to invest in that kind of paraphernalia. Another thing that is very insidious that comes into homes is porno; lots of kids are involved in pornographic material. So people need to search their homes, search the kid's rooms and their clothing and their book bags and all of those things to be sure that kids are free from the evil influences that permeate the minds of some many kids in our society today. DR. DECKER: There's a long-standing research tradition that deals with delinquency and gangs specifically that identifies both risk factors and protective factors. Risk factors being those things that if a child has a brother in a gang, for example, or is involved in crime or may come from a family that doesn't pay much attention or drops out of school or does poorly in school - make them more vulnerable, more likely to become a gang member. But there are also protective factors - that may be a mentor in the community or a person at the school who takes an interest in a child or maybe involvement in a particular school activity or sports that allows children who face some risks to also have a set of protections. And what we need to do as we understand our local communities is try and minimize those risk factors and strengthen the protective factors so that children can resist the lures, if you will, of joining gangs or getting involved in a gang lifestyle. MODERATOR: Do children really want involvement of their parents in their lives? REV. JACKSON: Absolutely. Every child hungers for structure, every child hungers for real, demonstrated expressions of love and care and concern. Every child wants the respect and the adoration of their parents, number one and people around them. And kids want discipline. And gangs are highly disciplined, structured organizations. They want discipline and it if they don't get it at home, they'll get it someplace else. MODERATOR: Deborah? 5/23/06 �� � , MS. RHODES: One of the things about the GREAT Program that's great is that it allows law enforcement to create one on one relationships with students and with you. So that rather than having a fear of law enforcement as somebody who just arrests you and takes you away, that they see law enforcement and have a favorable impression, a favorable relationship, and have a role model. DR. DECKER: The research on the great program documents some effectiveness, but in particular the strongest research result is the change in attitudes of young people who participate in the program with regard to how they perceive the police. And those young people who go through the GREAT program view the police much more favorably and build a relationship with a police officer much more than students who don't. And we think in the research community that that has long range, positive dividends. OFFICER JACKSON: And being a school resource officer, I'm in the school with the kids 10 months out of the year and I can see the change in kids. They are not afraid to walk up to you, and a lot of times they want a hug from you. They love to hug you, they want to talk to you, a lot of times we find kids that are having a personal problem, not so much criminal problems, but a personal problem and they feel like they can talk to you. I have an open door policy at the school where a child can come in any time and talk to me about anything and when they see you in the hallway they want to talk to you about their grades, what they are doing in sports or the programs that they are involved in. Or if you are out, not in uniform, you would be surprised how many kids recognize you. And they see you, they run up to you and hug you, they are with their parents and say, "This is Officer Jackson. This is my school resource officer." And it makes a difference — it makes a difference in the community and I believe within a few years we will be able to see that difference that we make in the schools continue to drop the crime rate of our young people because — when I first came on the police department a few years ago in my uniform and a little boy would do something or a little girl would do something wrong, the first thing the mom would say is, "If you don't act good, I'm going to tell that police officer to take you and arrest you." But what we do now instead is we take that and turn it around. We want the parents to know and also the kids to know that if your child is ever in trouble; your child knows that he or she can always come to a police officer to help them. And you can see the 5/23/06 9 difference; you can see the difference in the attitude of the kids these days. And it's amazing that the kids are just drawn to you because they know that you care for them. At the school I tell the kids and the administrators and the teacher is that when our kids come to school they are coming into a safe learning environment. Their job is to learn and the job of the teachers is to teach and my job is to make that happen in that safe environment. MODERATOR: The word that keeps coming up, that I keep hearing is safety. And this is what our kids are looking for? REV. JACKSON: Yes. MODERATOR: Are they finding it at home? REV. JACKSON: In many places, in many homes they are not. A lot of children are fearful at home because they don't feel that there is protection there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parents who are not at home most of the time. There are documented - case after case after case where kids prepare themselves for school, they come home to an empty nest and they have to shuffle as best as they can. But I'm thankful that there are community projects out there and community organizations. A case in point in Indianapolis there is the Christian Moore (?) House that works, it's a 100 year old organization that works with children and families that focuses on families. Each year they have an appreciation/graduation service for kids who have graduated from various levels of school. They have one right in the neighborhood. The parents come. They pack the place with 3, 4, 500 people — educators come and neighborhood leaders. There's another program that they have put together there in cooperation with Project Safe Neighborhood and it's called Community Works and it's a 28 course that focuses on things like law enforcement, criminal justice and youth violence, drug abuse, drug sales — those sort of things and it's taught now not only in public housing projects but in some of the school systems as well. So there are programs in every community that will reach out to parents and their children. Parents just have to look for those programs, but they don't have to look very far. MODERATOR: Okay, finish this sentence for me. "In order to prevent gang activities in our neighborhoods, we must...." 5/23/06 [��] MS. RHODES: Work together. OFFICER JACKSON: Be involved. REV. JACKSON: Love our children and connect with the rest of the community — working together works. MODERATOR: Scott? DR. DECKER: Understand the problem and craft a response that addresses that specific problem. MODERATOR: Okay, we are going to continue this discussion but at this point in the program we've talked about many different aspects of gang activity in our neighborhoods, and the one thing that shows up consistently is that its gotta be a partnership that involves every aspect of the community affected. An excellent illustration is the story of Clarksdale, MS and how they used Project Safe Neighborhoods to get control of gang crime in their town and to start to build a healthy community again. In Clarksdale, the lead effort was enforcement, but enforcement is only one element in the prevention process. The Clarksdale story shows us how powerful a community can be when they form the partnerships required to deal with gangs and gang crime. We're going to take a look at a brief video synopsis of this story, VIDEO VOICE OVER: Clarksdale, MS is a town of 20,000 people. But in 14 months, they experienced 171 violent gun crimes, including 75 armed robberies and 15 homicides. Per capita, this ranked Clarksdale with any major city in the United States. HENRY ESPY, MAYOR OF CLARKSDALE: "A lady calls and says `I cannot sleep at night' and I thought that meant that I can't sleep because of not only gun shots and gang violence and drugs in her area. She said I can't sleep in my bed. I have to sleep on the floor because I'm afraid of being killed." CHARLIE SPILLERS, U.S. PROSECUTOR: Gangs were on armed patrols and as people had also told us, the gang members would walk up and down 5/23/06 11 I 4 the streets with shot guns and rifles in broad daylight and just flaunt it, you know, within the neighborhood. They weren't concerned about enforcement and citizens were too terrified to report it or be able to do anything about it. JIM GREENLEE, U. S. ATTORNEY: It was like domestic terrorism over there and they wanted to fight that terror. VOICE OVER: The fight began with the launching of Project Safe Neighborhood. The key was the partnership formed by virtually every level of law enforcement, supported by help and intelligence from families and community leaders. Together they began months of investigation that eventually lead to a campaign of arrests. This intense level of partnership is the key to prevention and the first time the table of fear began to turn. COL. BILLY BAKER, CLARKSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: When you arrest somebody that's the first thing they say — I didn't do anything, don't take it federal and that's a good feeling that there is something out there that these guys do fear. They don't fear state courts; they do fear the federal system. JOHN HAILMAN, CHIEF, CRIMINAL DIVISION, U.S. ATTORNEY: We now have 89 federal indictments and 81 convictions and that's a lot convictions and none of these are small cases, these are big cases where people are getting serious time in the penitentiary, VOICE OVER: Busting up gangs is imperative, but so is offering up alternatives for the next generation. Without a positive model or positive activity, these children copying what they know. CAPT. LEON WILLIAMS, MISSISSIPPI BUREAU OF NARCOTICS: Imagine these kids being born and the first thing they seen when they are old enough to walk is their parents drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, smoking drugs - that's all they know. Their big brother shooting, being shot at — it is all they know. VOICE OVER: Prevention only works when whole community is involved. Families, churches, and civil groups all need to work together to build a world of choices and a positive future, The work is hard and there are no short cuts, but the rewards can last a lifetime. 5/23/06 12 HENRY ESPY, MAYOR OF CLARKSDALE: When I as a funeral director got these tensions - when I don't see anybody laying in a casket no more and I don't see a mother hollering `My baby!' come back — I don't see that anymore. And that's what this program has done for this community, VOICE OVER: It can be done, and it starts with a plan for prevention. Quote: The most powerful thing in a free society is an idea" — Jim Greenlee, U.S. Attorney MODERATOR: What comes out of looking at this portion of the video on Clarksdale is hope for one thing, but we also can see that partnership is essential. True? GUESTS: True. OFFICER JACKSON: In Nashville, one of the components of the GREAT program is the GREAT Family program and it's a partnership. And what we do in Nashville, Officer Steve Ryan and myself, what we do is we go through to the community and we talk to different organizations such as the YMCA, the Salvation Army and some of the religious arganizations and we talk to them about our GREAT Family program — what the GREAT Family program is all about because we believe in order to have a healthy community we must have healthy families. And what these organizations do is that they have their foot in the door, they know these people and what happens for us is that they are able to talk to the families to get the families involved in our GREAT Families program. MODERATOR: Is this a long term commitment? OFFICER JACKSON: Yes. MS. RHODES: To be successful it has to be a long term commitment. It's something that if you start it, you need to keep doing it. REV. JACKSON: Partnerships — they do work and they must be formative. One of the tools that is used in Indianapolis for example is the "Offering Tray Report" and this is on the webcast so it is a resource that's there — and it has about eight check points on here involving identifying drug activity, gang activity, abandoned vehicles, abandoned homes — that sort of thing. 5/23/06 13 And all it calls for is for a parishioner to make a check mark and put in the offering tray — it's anonymous, you put in the offering tray and then those reports are picked up, they are put in an envelope and turned over to the police authorities who then contact code enforcement or other bureaus that need to be contacted. It's another way for families, for people to be in concert with and in contact with and in communication with the local law enforcement officers. The other thing that happens is that the PAL (?) Club for example has existed for years- is another good vehicle to help kids interface with the police department and the criminal justice system. DR. DECKER: I think it's important to point out that we didn't get into this problem overnight — that this has been coming for a generation or so and in order to get out of it, it's not going to happen in the next six months or next year. There's a good body of research that shows that one of the hardest things to do is to build a partnership. Thanks to Weed and Seed and the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program and Project Safe Neighborhood — in many jurisdictions these partnerships already exist. We also know from a couple decades of research and evaluation - and many of the resources are on the website and folks can go on there and get them — we have a good sense of what works for what problem. So it's not as if we're starting from scratch and we have to invent and try and experiment. We have a pretty good body of literate that tells us what works and what is likely to work and how to implement. And then it may be that the hardest part comes and that is staying the course in sustaining an intervention over time. MODERATOR: Yeah, but how do I get started? MS. RHODES: Well, I would say start with where you are and what you have. With whatever activities or organizations you already have that are already active in your community — start there. Build from there. It may be a Weed and Seed, it may be a Project Safe Neighborhood, maybe the church has an active youth program — whatever it is, find out what it is, know your neighborhood and then get involved. MODERATOR: And then how do you get others involved? MS. RHODES: You can get others involved by speaking like we are today about the issue and letting - especially for law enforcement — emphasizing the prevention. Law enforcement has typically emphasized prosecution, which is also part of the equation. But prevention is an important part of the 5/23/06 14 equation and I would say it's never too early to start with prevention — with partnerships in prevention. The more partners you have at the table, the more comprehensive your approach is going to be. And with prevention, if you prevent a crime you don't have a victim, you don't have a defendant and you have a safer community — so it's never too early to start — you don't have to wait until you actual have a gang — you can prevent a gang before it actually comes. REV JACKSON: You don't always have to have a pile of money to get started in prevention. One of the simplest tools there is clean up — neighborhood clean up — doesn't cost a dime and wherever there is trashy alleys, abandoned junk vehicles, houses that haven't been boarded up - organize a clean up. One of the things that Community Works does is a youth-driven community clean up sometimes where the neighborhood will come out, the city will bring in their trucks and bring in city workers and sometimes people who are incarcerated and everybody pitches in to clean up the neighborhood. One of the things that we've learned over the years is that cleanliness and crime don't partner together - cleanliness drives crime out. And so it's a good vehicle with which to start getting neighbors involved with neighbors and connecting with other parts of the community. MODERATOR: Scott, let's talk about secondary prevention. DR. DECKER: I think it's important that we focus on the different levels of prevention. Primary prevention would be the kind of prevention that we deliver to everybody — whether you're at risk or not, whether you have protective factors or not — everybody like a GREAT program in that middle school would be receiving primary prevention. Secondary prevention, however, is that kind of prevention that's targeted at young people who have many more risk factors than protective factors — who may already have begun to get in trouble. And they need extra supervision in the community. We make sure they're not left out of after school activities, that Big Brothers Big Sisters provides mentor. That there are tutors — for example, school failure is a risk factor. If we see an individual in trouble at school, perhaps drifting toward a gang, that's an individual we want some secondary prevention targeted at and that would be in the form of tutoring and maybe school mentoring. MODERATOR: What's the good news out here? 5/23/06 15 REV. JACKSON: The good news is that there are a lot of helps in the community. For example, in Indianapolis there's a plethora of organizations assisting people to find work and getting people into drug and alcohol abuse relie£ Westside Community Ministries, the organization I represent, just last year was able to place over 600 people on jobs. Another great number of people were helped out of there alcohol and drug addictions. Those are fundamental things that will help to make a family stable. And so every community has such activities going on — it's a matter of inquiring — and a simple trip to the telephone book sometimes will help a family understand where to get assistance from. The key to that is helping people and having compassion - assisting people to know that they're not being looked upon as being any less than you are — if you happen to be in a position to refer or to be of direct assistance because these are our sisters and brothers and we have to look at them with the understanding that Billy Sunday had. He says, looking in the gutter, "There but for the grace of God goes I" and that's true of all of us and we owe it to our neighbors to help them. MS. RHODES: And there's more good news — crime has been declining for years and it's currently at an all time low but we can still work together and do better. OFFICER JACKSON: More good news — parents are being educating about gangs. Parents are now monitoring what their kids are doing — parents are asking those questions — who, what, when, why, where and how? You know, who are you going with, where are you going, how will you get there, when will you get back? Those are the things that parents are doing. And I said to our chief (?) is holding all parents accountable for their children. If your child is out past curfew, you should know where they are at. If your child commits a crime, we are coming for you. We have to be held accountable. If my son is a teenager and I don't know where he's at, how can I prevent him from doing anything? MODERATOR: Scott? Do you have some good news? DR. DECKER: Yes, in keeping with our good news theme — there are a variety of resources. If a community that's together watching this video today at the end of it today says, "Okay, what do we do next?" I would encourage them to go on the website and look at a couple things in particular and one is the gangs toolkit that was developed by the COPS office that has excellent resources that say - here's how I implement a program, here's how 5/23/06 16 I form a partnership, here's how I learn more about my community problem. We also all too often say, "Oh, there's not any money or there's not any resources- what are we supposed to do?" When the First Ladies Initiative that led to the Helping America's Youth website — also a resource listed with this web telecast has a catalogue of every federally funded program in the country — by entering your neighborhood, your intersection, your zip code you will be able to find not only federal resources but also local resources, such as churches, parks and schools and find other partnerships and other programs that are out there helping in the same kind of cause that you want to be involved in. MODERATOR: Right - information is powerful. REV. JACKSON: Yes, again with good news. Again in Indianapolis, there are a couple of our employment partners offering part time work that pay a living wage with benefits and will provide you with a full ride in college - community college — for four years if you meet the simple criteria. Get in touch with your resources at home, and you will iind that there are some riches beyond your wildest dreams. MODERATOR: Okay, we have some questions. We encouraged you at the beginning of our broadcast to send in your questions or comments to dojconnect.com and we have some of those questions and our panel here is ready with the answers. Alright panel, here's the first question. This one comes to us from Las Vegas, NV: What kind of community activities and presence would be effective for the growing city to combat gang activities with the youth? REV. JACKSON: Involve your youth with alternative activities. Very simple things: there are enrichment tours, you can take lcicts to tne museum, there are places in your own city wherever you are that children have never seen. The art museum. Take kids to the opera. Take them to places that you wouldn't think they want to go. Take them to the zoo. Take them to baseball games and sports activities. Get a hold of your kids early. Get involved in their lives and put them on the path of alternative systems; an alternative to the evil things that are out there. MODERATOR: Here's another question. How much can schools do to assist in the challenges? 5/23/06 17 OFFICER JACKSON: I think schools can do a lot. In Nashville, schools are doing a lot with the GREAT Program in the school. We are building a firm foundation with our young people. We are encouraging our young people to participate in positive programs. After-school programs. A lot of the churches in our communities -- we need to learn how to open up our doors in our community so our kids can have a place where they can gather. And so we're trying to do a lot of things in Nashville with our school system to keep our kids off the street to make sure that they have that adult supervision that they don't have when they get home because mom and dad are still at work. MODERATOR: Here's a question, this one's from Washington, DC. It says the number of gang numbers has increased over the past four years. Is this upward trend the result of poor law enforcement identification skills or a youth epidemic? DR. DECKER: Interestingly, the data from the National Youth Gang Center — federally funded gathers its information from law enforcement each year -- doesn't show an increase in the number of gang members, just as it's important to remind us that crime has indeed gone down - and violent crime in particular over the course of the last several years. Gang membership has stabilized over the last four years and is not going up. I think when we try and craft responses to the problem, pointing fingers at one agency or one institution is not likely to get us very far. Clearly, law enforcement has got to be at the core of any response to gangs, but if they're the only ones at the table, we're not going to be very successful in the long term. MODERATOR: How do you get wind if there's a new gang in your neighborhood? MS. RHODES: I think communication and awareness is key. Law enforcement are out in the community everyday, if they're looking around and talking to others and if they're aware of what to look for. I think that they will know. For example, gangs very frequently announce their appearance or claim their territory with tags, which is basically graffiti staking out their territory. If law enforcement see different tags, it may be an indication that a different gang has moved into the area. Or for example, if there is an increase in gang violence, it could be that two different gangs are disputing territory. If you see an increase in gun crime, in violent crime, drug crime, those might be indicators of gang activity. 5/23/06 18 r MODERATOR: Alright. We have a question from Detroit, MI. Does covering up graffiti over and over again help stop or eliminate gang activity? REV. JACKSON: It does. It does help. I managed two public housing communities at one time. We had a graffiti paint off on a Saturday. We started with the kids we had identified. They were wanna-bes. We identified those kids and got their parents involved. There were 49 buildings with graffiti. We got started early Saturday morning. It was mandatory for the residents involved and the children. Everybody in that public housing community and neighbors caught fire that day. It was a beautiful day. And it turned into a general clean up. We did that once. And we also issued a warning that anybody that was caught, anyone that painted on their buildings was going to be caught. We said that they were under surveillance, maybe that was stretching it, but the promise was that there would be severe penalties. That we would have them paint all over the city, and we got good response. And the gang and the gang signs or whoever put the graffiti up stopped and never came back. MS. RHODES: I'd like to emphasize I think these neighborhood clean-ups are important. I've seen them work very successfully in terms of being a fun day for the neighborhood; you can make a competition between the elementary school and the secondary school as to who can pick up the most trash in the neighborhood. And I've seen that work to see the neighborhood take pride in themselves and this is something that the neighborhood community themselves have organized. And it makes their neighborhood a place where they can enjoy. They can be out in the front yard. They can enjoy being outside. And when people are outside and looking around their neighborhood, crime tends to happen less. So, yes I do think there is a relationship. MODERATOR: Alright, we have a few more questions here. Is there an increase in younger children and teen girls in joining gangs? OFFICER JACKSON: We are seeing an increase in girl involved in gangs over the past few years. In the past, girls belonged to gangs that were mainly males, but now we are seeing girl gangs. And we have found most of the girl gangs are more violent than their male counterparts. And so, it is an increase that we are seeing more females involved in gang activity. 5/23/06 19 � e MODERATOR: The other question is how do you engage residents to be proactive in crime prevention when there's such a great fear of retaliation or apathy? REV. JACKSON: One of the ways is to provide lots of communication through the neighborhood organizations and community functions. Because if you think about it, every gang member lives somewhere and most of them live in the neighborhood or close to the neighborhood that the claim as their tur£ So if moms and dads and grandmas would look right inside of their homes, that's a good place to start with identifying gang members and to start dealing with the deterrents. DR. DECKER: One of the things it also illustrates is the importance of starting early. And if you wait too late to intervene then neighbors may appropriately be fearful and it may be more difficult to motivate them to join. So a general prevention effort in every community makes people aware and gets them involved and is a good way to stave off problems from getting worse. MODERATOR: We have another question. In the panelists' experience, what types of alternative programs are most successful in preventing young people from choosing gangs? OFFICER JACKSON: I have to go back to my GREAT Family program. Getting the entire family involved in this program. Mom and dad and the kids are sitting down and we're talking about issues that they face daily in their community. Trying to get them to understand that you have the power to take back your community - to educate them concerning gangs and gang involvement. To educate the parents about the things they need to be on the lookout for to see if there is any type of gang activity in their community or gang activity in their homes. What we try to do, one thing that we've found in the GREAT Family program is that in most of the homes we found that communication is lacking. There's no communication between the parents, or between the children and parents or the parents and the children. So what we try to do is get them actively involved in communication and one of the key elements of communication is listening. So, not only do we talk to them, but we have an activity on active listening — how to become an active listener. How to listen to what the other person is saying. 5/23/06 20 6 MODERATOR: Alright, okay. This question says where can we access more information on the risk factors and prevention factors that Dr. Decker was referring to? DR. DECKER: There's a long and somewhat boring literature but someone who is willing to read it, would be able to access. But there are a number of Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention publications that are up on the website. Buddy Howell is the author of many of those and if you go to the resources provided at dojconnect.com and look for "risk factors" you'll find those. If you were to go to your search engine and enter "risk factors for delinquency" you'll find, I should say, thousands of sources that you can look to. REV. JACKSON: And for those that don't access to the website, most local police departments have a gang task force or at least an individual whose job it is to seek out and know where the gangs are and how to identify them. MODERATOR: Deborah, what are the few best practice models to address the needs of ex-felons returning to the community from prison? MS. RHODES: Well that would be some of the secondary prevention that Professor Decker has talked about. When a felon is reentering the community it is very important that they reconnect to that community. That they have the resources they need to have a crime-free life. For example, a job, a place to live. And that they actually form connections back in that community. So some of the re-entry programs that have been successful have been to have basically a sit-down with somebody and offer them clear choices and emphasize that the choice is theirs. If they continue to offend, they're going to face this, that, and the other sentence, which keeps getting higher and higher. If they, on the other hand, choose to reconnect to the community and take advantage of the resources that are available to them then they can have a different kind of life. And I think re-entry programs are particularly important when we're talking about gang offenders, because quite often when we're talking about gang offenders, we're talking about somebody who might be twenty-something years old. So they need to recognize they have their whole lives ahead of them and it's very important that they make the best choices for those lives. MODERATOR: Is there a fear of returning to being in prison? 5/23/06 21 � � MS. RHODES: Well, unfortunately, statistically there is a high chance of recidivism. And the recidivism rate is highest during the iirst year, which is the reason for the re-entry program. That point when a person is re-entering the community is the most important point to try to connect with them. MODERATOR: We have another question here. It says, "Living in a small farming ranching town, how much concern is there for gangs and their operations?" DR. DECKER: Here again, information is key. There are gangs in every state of the union. There are gangs in small towns, rural areas, farming communities, as well as suburban and urban areas. I think the thing to do is to not over-identify the problem. Denial doesn't help us when we try and deal with the problem, but to over-identify a problem would also lead to negative consequences. So, being aware of law enforcement, being aware of school issues, knowing the community, the kinds of things that would allow you to establish whether or not you have a gang problem, and if you don't, good for you. MODERATOR: Some believe that over-labeling of gang members is a problem and that dress style is an unreliable indicator. What are your thoughts? This one is from Minneapolis. DR. DECKER: I think as Officer Jackson documented early on in the webcast, that relying on a single element to identify a gang member or to determine whether or not you have a gang is going to be unreliable. It's going to take a variety of factors. Self-admission is a strong indicator of membership, involvement in crime as well. But simply identifying someone by their clothing as a gang member is likely to lead to a misallocation of resources and maybe make things worse. MODERATOR: We have another question. This one is from New Mexico. This one says, "Terminating membership to a gang can have serious repercussions for a gang member. What can a community member to help someone who is in a gang get out or is it the best policy not to get involved?" OFFICER JACKSON: The best policy is to not get involved because once you get involved in a gang, it is very, very difficult to get out of it. Usually, the only way to get out of a gang is through death. Even if you are in prison 5/23/06 22 � , you are still a member of that gang. My suggestion to anyone even thinking about being part of a gang is do a little research. Find out how many of these guys have been shot and killed. Look at some of the guys in your community who are in wheelchairs, who are 19, 20 years old. Ask them what happened. MODERATOR: But how can a community member help a person who is trying get out of a gang get out? REV. JACKSON: I know one good resource. If you have inroads and we do in reach a lot of us with the re-entry that visit the jails and visit the prisoners in jail. One of the best resources are those that are in jail who are part of gangs and you can get some pretty good counsel on how to get somebody extricated from a gang from that resource. DR. DECKER: A large body of research demonstrates that most individuals who join a gang eventually leave. They leave it through the course of some sort of natural maturation in many instances. When I lived in St. Louis and we conducted research with gang members there, they told us the only way to get out of the gang was to shoot your mother. And then we asked do you know anybody who's left the gang? And everybody knew somebody who had left the gang. So how many of them shot their mother? No one. It was part of the gang myth system that exists. When you imagine 16 and 17-year old boys who are telling each other stories, many of those stories are not likely to be true. But, the maj ority of gang members iind their life in the gang lasts between 2-3 years. And they leave the gang through largely a part of natural maturation, growing up, getting out of school, getting a job, perhaps forming a family, perhaps going to prison and coming back and saying that it didn't look like such a good idea once they got in and got out of prison. But it's important for the community to provide those avenues through jobs, through housing, through drug treatment, through mental health services for people who legitimately have decided they want to get out and want to change. REV. JACKSON: There is one other compelling thing that needs to happen. Our cities, employers really need to take another look at their employment policies. There are so many people who've gone to jail, picked up felonies on relatively minor charges. They've gotta have some place to work. And the communities are teeming with folks coming back from jail. So the employment of people is extremely important. We need to work with local 5/23/06 23 organizations who can help to train people and prepare them to come back into the workforce and employers begin to, even on a limited basis, open up to people with felonies. MODERATOR: Okay, we have just a couple minutes left. I would like to get in a few more questions. How do you envision health care providers to be part of the solution? This one is from Allentown, PA. DR. DECKER: There are a couple jurisdictions that in working with Project Safe Neighborhoods have made their emergency rooms where when you think about the traffic through emergency rooms — shooting victims, the friends of shooting victims, information sources where they gather information about gangs, shootings and retaliations, where they also provide prevention messages to the individuals waiting in the lobby for the person who's being tended to. And they also do outreach into the community. All too often somebody goes into the emergency room, they get their physical wounds dealt with and they go back into the same circumstances that propelled them to get in there for having been shot or beaten up. But what the ERs have done in Milwaukee and St. Louis is reach back into the community and track these individuals. MODERATOR: We've got about two minutes left and what I'd like to do is to get a final parting statement from you. What's the one word advice or one bit of advice you would leave with those who are watching from our townhall meetings and from around the country? Reverend Jackson, let's start with you. REV. JACKSON: My final remarks would be to encourage people really to do the simple thing of loving their neighbor and treating people like they'd like to be treated themselves and to grab a hold of their kids and hold onto them as though their lives were at stake because it is. MS. RHODES: I'd emphasize the partnerships, how important it is to work together and to meet as many different needs as possible. OFFICER JACKSON: I just believe that the strength of the family is the only way to reduce gangs and gang violence in our community. 5/23/06 24 DR. DECKER: I think if you develop a solid understanding of your problem and craft responses that address that problem, building on existing resources you're more likely to be successful. MODERATOR: And we have a lot of resources on the website at dojconnect.com. And just to let you know that questions that are not answered on the air will be posted to the resources page of the dojconnect.com website. And I'd like to say thank you to all of you. That is all the time we have for this broadcast. A great big thanks to our guests who appeared on the program today. And we'd like to thank all of you who tuned in to view this broadcast as well as the US Attorney's offices and other locations around the country that hosted a townhall gathering. For all of these efforts and your commitment to the sharing of this vital information, we say thank you. This concludes part one of our two-part series on preventing gangs in our communities. I'd like to invite you to join us for part two of this series, which will be broadcast on Tuesday, June 6th at 2pm EST. We will present webcasts on a variety of other topics. The next program: a community approach to combating meth. That will be seen on Tuesday, August 22"d at 2pm Eastern Time. You can see the times and topics for all of our coming programs at the website which is dojconnect.com. I'm Doris McMillion, thank you for joining us. This prograrr� was brought to you by the U.S. Depa�tment of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). 5/23/06 25 08/08/2006 13:26 FAg 861 888 3190 Ca0 �J001 �� q y y$ T'RVO[YUN AVENUE, RC1bM SUS gnXERSFIELO, `N98307 PFIONE �61) 8603690 fAX (651) a8�36C5 dltitricl5l��keM.c�us . i � . � � . ; �,: _ - • �4R!ONYUti�N OFFI . �s074 AMIN SIitFEi' IAM�N6 � PHOME (64'I) 868-5855 FAX (661)845.6357 �ecaived by aerk • �� �IC�EL . �z� � SUPERVISOR - �'TH �TSTRZ�,"Y' � 1 � �� ' .. � . . '""rCx . . RiJNE1tR�A, c�OXit�Ti'YADIvQNLSTftA'FxVE� OF�CER; G BAit'MAP�T S�t., �7NY'i' OOUNSEL; ,. � .�C:,.: .3 . �E�tNC:dUa�T!'Y80ARUOPSL1�xLVi50�LS;BF,Ii1�tARD ► . . .' ' . , � , . 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M . • 1 � • 1 ' •� 1 ' • � . .�JL � �� � � ■ � ' � � � . • 1 � � �. � �. J 111 � 1 r - t 1 ' � 1 � • I� .xan.xaS X'�.3 Z00/Z00 H�dd T� � Z 900Z/8/9 7 a�Hrl = LRQ# :CI7aT-IRS-1�)IHFI -1C] A I T!1�- � w.iFn : c X'�'.;���Z� san ia isa : nanTan�s+ TO: KERN COUNTY BOi1RD OF SUPERVISORS; RON ERREA, COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER; BERNARD C. BARMANN, SR., COUNTY COUNSEL; BAKERSFIELD CIT'Y COUNCIL; Hr1RVEY H,aT•L, M�1YOR OF Br1KERSFIELD; i1Lt1N TANDY, CITY MriNAGER FROM: MICH�IEL J, RUBIO, SUPERVISOR, FIFTH DISTRICT SUBJECT: JOINT ST�NDING COMMIT'I'EE ON G�1NG VIOLENCE DATE: APRIL 27, 2006 I respectfully request that the Kern County Board of Supervisors and the Bakersfield City Council create a Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence. Modeled after the defunct Intergovernmental Committee, this collaborative effort would gain new insights and comprehensive plans of actions to continue attacking the current gang problem in Kern County. Beginning with University of Chicago professor emeritus and gang expert Dr. Irving A. Spergel's groundbreaking work on developing community-wide gang program models, we must focus on working in three particular areas: prevention, intervention and suppression. The gang violence problem in Kern County has reached epidemic levels and it is long overdue for the Board and City Council to come together on this important public safety issue, instead of working separately and oftentimes in disjointed fashion in fighting this war on gangs. In order to regain control of our community and continue producing a safe and thriving environment for our children, I therefore propose that we constitute a Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence in lieu of any efforts that the County and City already have in place. We must have a centralized body where the entire communiry at-large can voice their concerns and then together form a comprehensive plan of attack against this "cancer" that plagues metropolitan Bakersfield and Kern County at-large. We know that suppression of gang activity is currendy already ongoing within the Kern County SherifPs Department, Kern County Probation Departrnent, Bakersfield Police Departrnent, and the California Department of Corrections Parole Division. In establishing this Joint Standing Committee, I believe that information will be more easily shared among and between these bodies to make certain that gang suppression efforts are not being duplicated. As I have noted before, these efforts should all be working in tandem, without replicating work across agencies. Equally important, we must work with faith-based groups, schools, businesses and community organizations to be successful on the prevention and intervention front. I look forward to working with all interested parties, particularly within the City of Bakersfield, to facilitate the creation of this joint body. I optimistically hope that by the next meeting of the Joint City/County Meeting in September, we will have already begun to establish the action plan to end the violence in Kern County. TO: RON ERRE�, COUNTY �1DMINISTR�ITIVE OFFICER; CC: KERN COUNTY BO�RD OF SUPERVISORS; BERN�RD C. B�Rl��NN, SR., COUNTY COUNSEL; IRIvLr1 Cr1RSON, Br1KERSFIELD CITY COUNCIL, Wr1RD 1 FROM: MICH�-1EL J. RUBIO, SUPERVISOR, FIFTH DISTRICT SUBJECT: JOINT ST�INDING COMI�-IITTEE ON Gt1NG VIOLENCE FOLLOW-UP DATE: 1�L�1Y 30, 2006 As a follow-up to my memo initiating discussions on the Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence, I would now like to outline specific details of the committee as the County of Kern proceeds with preparations to convene this group. This new comprehensive county-wide committee will attempt to encompass as many of the active stakeholders in our war against gangs, while still keeping the committee to a functional and appropriate size. The primary purpose of the Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence is to create a collaborative local effort to end the plague of gang violence in Bakersfield and Kern County. The function of the committee is to serve as a clearinghouse for information, gather intelligence in the field and develop a comprehensive action plan to be presented to both the Bakersfield City Council and the Kern County Board of Supervisors. It is important that we consritute a centralized body where the entire community at-large can voice their concerns and then together form a comprehensive plan of attack against the gang violence here in Kern County. University of Chicago professor emeritus and gang expert Dr. Irving A. Spergel has keenly worked on developing the Comprehensive Gang Program Model that requires "criminal-justice and social agencies to integrate and collaborate on key elements of control and social development, with participation from local neighborhood groups." In keeping with this comprehensive approach, below please find my thoughts on three important logistical components of the Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence: proposed overall composition and membership, role of committee members, and meeting schedule. Members of the Committee The make-up of the committee should include two Supervisors and three Councilmembers from both local elected bodies. Furthermore, participants should be comprised from members of the following: • Law enforcement (Bakexsfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriffls Department) • Faith-based community representatives (Stay Focused Ministries, Garden Pathways) • Schools (Bakersfield City School District and Kern High School District) • Community organizations (Mothers Against Senseless Killings) • Community residents (representing metropolitan Bakersfield, as well as northern, eastern and southern Kern Counry) Of course, participation might also be expanded to include business, recreation, First 5 Kern, Probation, gang prevention/intervention programs, and ex-gang members. The committee should still preferably be limited to appro�mately 15 people. Roles of the Committee All members of the committee will be voting members. It is important that whether or not a participant is an elected official, he or she should feel equally vested and able to come to a collective decision. This will not be yet another advisory group that must report to a higher body. Of course, periodic reports to both the Bakersfield City Council and Kern County Board of Supervisors—possibly at the Joint Cit��-County Meetings— are expected and essential. Nevertheless, this independent committee will already be composed of participants from law enforcement officials, elected officials, community leaders, etc. who will be ready and willing to take the lead on any action items decided by the committee itself. Committee Schedule I anticipate that three meetings per year would be ideal, including one in May in the period immediately preceding budget deadlines for the County of Kern. Again, it is important that we tie the budgetary requirements for this committee to our annual operational budget discussions. Also, it would be sensible for the committee to produce an annual report, possibly at the end of each fiscal year, outlining the status of key performance indicators at d�e communiry/neighborhood, city and county levels. I therefore offer this referral to the County Administrative Officer to return to this Board the necessary documentation to approve the creation of the Joint Standing Committee on Gang Violence as soon as possible. Councilwoman Irma Carson will be simultaneously facilitating this process at the City of Bakersfield. It is my sincere desire that `ve convene this committee by the end of June.