Seaside police step into the classroom to talk gang violence

Seaside police officers stepped off the streets and into the classroom to talk about the consequences of gang violence.

In the front row was Seaside High School Senior Andrew Jakubowsky.

“It’s hard, just reminiscing,” Jakubowsky said.

For Andrew, listening to one of the guest speakers talk about the night her son was stabbed to death last year, hits close to home.

Susie Banks is Andrew’s aunt.

“I don’t know if it was gang related, but if it was, they don’t know what they’ve done to our family,” Banks said.

Banks said her son, Andre Jacobs, has a young son.

On Friday, officers walked around the classroom with a picture of Jacobs, saying pictures are the only way Jacobs’ son will ever know him.

Seaside police decided to host the event at Seaside High School following a spike in gang-related shootings at the end of last year.

“We need to reach the kids, we need to reach them at the high school level,” Sgt. Nick Borges with the Seaside Police Department said. “Arresting people is a band-aid for the community.”

Officers invited community members affected by gang violence, and many came out to share their stories.

Jose Robles, a husband and father, was shot in the spine last year. He said he was mistaken for someone else, an innocent victim. Now, he’s paralyzed.

“It has changed my life 110 percent. I can’t work, I depend on my wife,” Robles said.

Seaside police hope students walk away with a better understanding of the consequences of gang life.