This is happening all over the U.S.... Illegal alien "anchor babies" join gangs.... but supposedly, Obama has an integrated "gang plan" to combat against them... maybe he'll DEPORT THEM ALL??????????

More pre-teens joining O.C. gangs, report finds

Grand jury, surprised to find that juvenile gang membership is increasing, pleads for additional funding.

BY JESSICA TERRELL
The Orange County Register
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Gang prevention efforts should be spared the budget ax as membership in Orange County gets younger and younger, according to an Orange County Grand Jury report released Tuesday.

"When we began looking into the subject of children involved in gangs, we found very quickly that we had some major misconceptions about the problem, and we think it is very likely that the other citizens of Orange County share those misperceptions," said Janet Buell, jury member and principle writer of the report.

The jury found few problems with crime prevention efforts in Orange County, and their recommendations were primarily to increase funding for preventative programs that are proving successful.

Citing a recent study by Vanderbilt University Law School, jury foremen James Perez pointed out that the cost to taxpayers for dealing with chronic criminals jumps from $65,000 at age 12 to $5.7 million over a lifetime. Orange County taxpayers' money is well spent on preventative programs, according to the jury's report.

One of the jurors' misconceptions was that gang membership in Orange County is insignificant. While overall gang membership has dropped dramatically in the last decade, gang membership for juveniles under age 14 has risen steadily since 2002, to nearly 300 countywide.

Despite the spike in younger gang members, they still make up only a small number of overall gang membership.

"Young gang members have always been a problem," Assistant District Attorney Bruce Moore said. "A 14-year-old with a gun is the most dangerous creature because they don't have the conscience to have judgment."

There are an estimated 300 gangs in Orange County and roughly 13,000 gang members, according to Moore.

With roughly 70 gangs in Santa Ana alone, the problem is far more widespread than the jurors previously believed.

Another misconception: that gang prevention activities should start in middle school and focus only on the children. Many juvenile gang members come from large families and reaching out to parents who can then mold the entire family can be more cost effective, Buell said.

The Pio Pico collaboration, cited in the grand jury report as an exemplary gang prevention program, offers parenting classes aimed at everything from regaining control to teaching parents about hygiene and nutrition.

The jury said it was trying to balance its recommendations with the harsh reality of budget limitations.

"It is very difficult to write a report and make recommendations in today's economic climate," Buell said. "We have had to get a little bit creative in some of our recommendations, because there is no point in writing them if they can't be followed."

One of the "creative" suggestions was to hire a fulltime fundraiser who could solicit donations from local businesses with a vested interest in keeping Orange County crime-free.

"Who benefits most when there is no gang activity in a city? Well the businesses (that) have to paint over the graffiti regularly and have endured some of the crime that results from gangs benefit tremendously," Buell said.

Although the jury made pleas on behalf of a number of O.C. gang-prevention organizations, the panel had no specific financial requests to present. Moore said he was disappointed that the Board of Supervisors was not invited to the press conference.

Moore said that if funding was not increased to gang prevention programs, he hoped that at the very least it would not be taken away.

"They want to cut everything, cut every agency," Moore said. "If they cut our agency, they cut intervention."

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gang ... prevention