“Gangs have spread from major urban areas in California to the suburbs, and even to our rural communities. Today, the gang life style draws young people from all walks of life, socioeconomic backgrounds and races and ethnic groups.”
These are the first two sentences of the introduction of Gangs A Community Response; a guide developed by the Crime & Violence Prevention Center through the California Attorney General’s Office. I start my first blog entry with this, because it reflects the very real, but simple fact that gangs do not discriminate AND because we all play a role in preventing youth from joining gangs, intervening and offering a way out when they do, and supporting law enforcement efforts that stop gang-related crime and violence.
A good start to this community effort would be to read Gangs A Community Response. You can find it below attached to this blog entry and soon you will find it as one of the many resources on the new Fresno Countywide Gang Prevention Initiative website (to be launched in the very near future). Think of it as a primer of all the basics one needs to know; everything from definitions of a gang, to why kids join, to a few things parents and community can do to address the problem. I would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this document as well as suggestions for other resources that provide basic knowledge in understanding gangs, gang culture, and prevention and intervention methods that can be instituted by community members.
While law enforcement is a very important part of an overall gang prevention strategy, it will not be successful without a strong and sustainable prevention and intervention system. The overall community supported by countywide agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, education, and the business sector will be key to the success of any system put into place.
Truthfully, I am glad you are here reading this - and there are many folks to thank that brought us to this point. Including the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, all of the Fresno County Departments who have all been very supportive especially Probation, the District Attorney, the Sheriff, and of course Information Technology Services. Now is the time to develop our growing networks and partnerships into a shared vision and action. Your insights are important and needed, your participation to make this a true community-led effort are needed, amd I look forward to taking on this journey with you.
Gangs_Comm_Resp_ADA.pdf (9.17 mb)
The document is available in Spanish Pandillas: Una Respuesta Comunitaria from the www.safestate.org website. Follow this link: http://www.safestate.org/shop/index.cfm?cat=2&navid=107&action=list#Gangs%20and%20Youth%20Violence
Happy Reading, Debra McKenzie Gang Task Force Coordinator