Stopping kids from joining gangs
Youth violence is taking the spotlight in South Monterey County, as parents get a lesson in gangs and the warning signs. Local law enforcement agencies hope arming parents with the right information, could prevent their children from going down the wrong path.
“We’re not as informed as we need to be,” said Soledad High School senior Jerry Benites. “And these type of presentations, that’s their goals and I think it’s a really good thing what’s going on today.”
Benites was one of dozens of people at the South County Gang Awareness Forum in Soledad. Police, the school district and other local agencies used it as an opportunity to educate people about the local street gangs and show them the hard truth about life behind bars. That included a video of the 2000 Pelican Bay Prison Riot where a number of inmates were hurt and a correction’s officer shot and killed an inmate. They also heard from a former gang member, who described the struggle to reclaim her life.
Gang violence at times, has hit too close to home in Soledad.
“We had a gang shooting last year in front of a school,” said Dr. Rupi Boyd, superintendent of the Soledad Unified School District. “We did have a homicide this year that was gang related.”
Students say they see the signs of gang activity in their everyday lives.
“We see a lot of Norteos like they mentioned, Sureo type things,” Benites said. “You see like, low affiliation but they try to advertise that and show off what they try to represent and it is something that you see, not to a big extent but it is there, it is present.”
“I see them do the walk,” Soledad High School Senior Yvette Tavarez said. “Wear the gang colors, wear the signs, have tattoos and I think it’s quite sad to be affiliated with that.”
And while they may be aware of it, parents may not be.
“They might see some young man wear a red 49 jersey and think, ‘Oh, he’s a football fan,'” Soledad Police Chief Eric Sills said. “And really, that’s also affiliated with red, the Norteo and northern gang members and they may not understand that.”
They’re asking parents to be present and participate in their child’s life.
“Parents have to be there to fill that void,” Chief Sills said. “Because if the kids come home from school to an empty house and they don’t have anything like a sports activity, they don’t have a family member checking in on them, they’re going to find a surrogate support network and that’s going to be possibly gangs.”
