Thread: Knightdale, NC acts against gangs

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics...-8797888c.html
Published: May 19, 2005 Modified: May 19, 2005 6:53 AM

Youth curfew gets tougher
Knightdale council acts against gangs
By JIM NESBITT, Staff Writer

KNIGHTDALE -- Town officials took a tough stand against youth gangs and teen delinquency Wednesday night, moving up the curfew hour from midnight to 9 p.m. and raising the age limit to include anyone younger than 18.
With a 5-0 vote, the Town Council approved the beefed-up, seven-day curfew ordinance, which also sets steep fines for parents whose children are cited by police -- $100 after the first warning with a $150 increase for each violation after that.

For example, a parent could be fined $250 for a child's third violation and $400 for a fourth.

"The bottom line is, this is a parent issue," Mayor Doug Boyd said. "If parents would step up and be parents, we wouldn't be having this hearing tonight."

The stricter curfew and escalating fines are in response to the angry reaction of Knightdale residents to a spate of violence and vandalism, including gang graffiti, and the intimidating presence of large groups of roving teens and young adults.

To address the latter, the ordinance also includes a prohibition against four or more juveniles gathering in a public place at any time of day.

"The issue now is that most of these problems are coming about because of large groups," Boyd said.

The new curfew was originally set for 10 p.m., but council member Mike Chalk proposed trimming it back one more hour.

"If we're going to hit it, let's hit it hard," he said.

The curfew exempts teens traveling to adult-supervised activities, such as athletic events and school or church activities -- but they have to carry a detailed note signed by parents and specifying the date and duration of the event. Teens coming home from work or in the company of an adult authorized to supervise the teen are also exempted. So are teens responding to an emergency or driving a car with parental consent.

Still to come is an anti-graffiti ordinance aimed at prohibiting anyone younger than 18 from possessing or buying cans of spray paint as well as preventing merchants from selling the product to minors. The council was originally scheduled to consider this ordinance when it meets June 6, said Gary McConkey, town manager.

However, Town Attorney Clyde Holt III said he needed more time to consult with local merchants before drafting the ordinance.

While most of the focus was on the curfew, McConkey also outlined a new recreation program for children ages 13 to 17.

The new program is an extension of the town's summer day camp for younger children and will open the second week of June and run until summer's end. Two additional counselors have been hired at $8 an hour to run the new program at the town's Harper Park Community Building.

"These are the kids out 'tagging,' " said McConkey, referring to the street term for applying gang graffiti. "They were asking us, 'Give us something to do.' "

The tough ordinance comes three weeks after residents -- fed up with seeing roving bands of teens and gang tags spray-painted on homes, buildings and street signs -- crowded a May 2 council meeting to demand action.

Knightdale police started cracking down on large, loitering groups. They also began taking pictures of teens wearing gang colors and clothing.

"At any time when kids are concentrating and loitering, we'll be asking them to disperse," McConkey said.

Residents said the police effort has had a positive impact.

"I have noticed a difference these last few weeks," said Tanga Kelley, who lives on Laurens Way in the town's Parkside subdivision, a neighborhood that has been plagued by tagging and large groups of teens.

"There's not as much loitering. There's not as much noise."

Knightdale's delinquency problem is a reflection of both the rapid growth of eastern Wake County and the emergence of youth gangs across North Carolina. In the latest youth gang survey by the N.C. Governor's Crime Commission, there are 387 gangs statewide with 8,517 estimated members, including 1,759 in Wake County.

"Right now, the publicity looks bad for us, but the problem we've got is no worse than anybody else," Knightdale Public Safety Director Skip Blaylock said in an interview before Wednesday night's meeting.

"We've just stepped up to the plate and admitted it and done something about it."

Staff writer Jim Nesbitt can be reached at 829-8955 or jnesbitt@newsobserver.com.

Three cheers for Knightdale...hip hip hooray! It sounds like some of those people were struck by common sense. Wish it would strike here. I'm tired of seeing tags everywhere. What nonsense.

RR

The stricter curfew and escalating fines are in response to the angry reaction of Knightdale residents to a spate of violence and vandalism, including gang graffiti, and the intimidating presence of large groups of roving teens and young adults.

Just LOOK at what we can do when we work as a team and make our voices heard!! These people and the elected officials did it the right way!

WAY TO GO