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Cities struggle to help each other beat gangs
Statewide prevention network meets in Oakland
By Kamika Dunlap, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 01/26/2007 02:47:24 AM PST


OAKLAND — A decade ago, there were 150 gang members in Oakland. Today, police say, the number has swelled to at least 1,500.
As membership has increased, so has gang-related violence in the city.

One of the most disastrous results of that violence is that 38 percent of the 148 homicides in Oakland last year were linked to Latino gang rivalries, as were scores of non-fatal shootings, police said.

In 2005, there were nine confirmed gang-related killings.

But Oakland isn't the only place with gang problems.

Law enforcement, city officials and school administrators from around the state gathered Wednesday in Jack London Square to discuss the ever-growing problem at the inaugural meeting of California Cities Gang Prevention Network.

Through the collaborative effort by the newly formed network of more than a dozen cities, they hope to tackle issues of gang violence with prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies.

"We can't combat gang violence alone," said Howard Jordan, Oakland deputy police chief. "We need to have other resources besides arrests and prosecutions."

The two-day network meeting is sponsored by the National League of Cities and Oakland-based National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

Participating cities include San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton, Sacramento, Salinas and Richmond. San Diego, Los Angeles, Oxnard, San Bernardino and Santa Rosa were also among the cities represented.

Organizers said the meetings are designed to be an informal group-sharing process and are closed to the media and general public.
Their goal is to help cities develop local action plans to fight gang violence and reduce crime, organizers said.

The majority of Oakland's gang killings involves the Nortenos, Surenos and Border Brothers, all Latino groups.

Barry Krisberg, president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, said the similarities in gang violence, however, run across the board. He noted side effects of gang activity include graffiti, increasing numbers of deaths among young people and drug-related crimes.

"The gang problem is not a one-size-fits-all problem," he said. "It's up to each community to figure out what works best."

San Jose Police Chief Robert Davis acknowledged that although his city has been successful at keeping its gang rate down, it could do a lot more to improve its outreach efforts.

"Shame on us if we're not helping San Francisco and Oakland and other cities around the Bay Area who are having troubles with gangs," he said.

At least 56 percent of all crime in the Western Region moderately involves gangs, according to a recent National Gang Assessment survey.

Danny Mora, a former gang member and community organizer, said he was unaware of the meeting and would have liked to see the sessions opened to the public.

"We need to be a part of the conversation," he said. "Oakland is a really unique place and we should not always look to find our solutions based on models from other cities. People think L.A. has got all the answers."

At a press conference before the closed-session meetings, various speakers briefly addressed gang violence in their cities.

Clifford Johnson, National League of Cities executive director, said a comprehensive approach to gang violence is essential.

"Gang violence affects the entire community and has a devastating impact on young people," he said. "We need to take the lessons we get from this meeting and spread them across the country."