Congressman hosts discussion of gang violence
Posted on Saturday, September 2, 2006
SPRINGDALE — U. S. Rep. John Boozman hosted a summit Friday in Springdale to discuss gang-related violence with a panel of local, state and national experts.
“ When you talk about gangs, you think about violence, ” said Boozman, who is also a member of the Task Force for a Drug Free America. “ But you forget about the fact that you’re losing a young person — someone who didn’t choose the right path. That’s why we have to implement a zerotolerance state of mind. ”
While local law enforcement officials say gangrelated violence is not a problem, Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said residents should be proactive in addressing the issue.
“ In Washington County, I think we’re sitting with our heads in the sand if we wait for it to become a problem, ” he said. “ I think it’s important for local organizations to be proactive and learn to recognize the warning signals. ”
Helder said anti-gang programs have been instituted nationwide.
“ Obviously we don’t have a problem with gang violence, at least not that I know of, ” he said. “ But within the county, we have Springdale and Fayetteville, and I’m certain that they’ve seen small inklings of crimes associated with gangs. At the jail, I know we book people in with gang affiliation based on some of their tattoos. Fortunately, we’re on the forefront of this problem with programs like Project Safe Neighborhood. ”
Steve Burroughs, an FBI agent out of Little Rock, said gang activity must constantly be monitored.
“ A lot of people won’t admit that they have a gang problem, ” he said. “ But until they do, they won’t receive funding to address the issue. ”
Burroughs spoke about Little Rock’s gang problem in 1992. The issue made national headlines after a drive-by shooting that killed two children, he said. Burroughs said a local gang task force was formed to address the problem. They worked in conjunction with national task forces to share information on gang activity.
“ Historically, we had eight agents, ” he said. “ But as the crime rate went down, funding resources were pulled and directed toward antiterrorism efforts. But the program worked — it was an efficient tool then and it still is. Gang violence is not a crime that can be solved and forgotten. You have to constantly monitor and maintain it. ”
Virginia Congressman Randy Forbes said communities must work together to end gang-related violence.
“ A lot of times I hear people say, ‘ If this is such a problem, why haven’t I read about it in the paper lately ?’” he said. “ When those people read about gang violence in the paper, it will be because someone has been killed. It could be your son or daughter or someone else’s. ”
Forbes currently supports legislation to provide additional personnel, equipment, facilities, training, widespread apprehension, prosecution and adjudication of people who violate state and local laws in relation to production, possession and transfer of controlled substances and to improve the criminal justice system.
“ In the U. S. today, there are conservatively 750, 000 gang members, realistically 850, 000, ” he said. “ That’s equivalent to the sixth largest army in the world, and they’re living within our borders. ”
One of the biggest obstacles of addressing gang violence, Forbes said, is identifying the problem.
“ People are scared to admit to having a gang problem because parents might start pulling their kids out of school, ” he said. “ Some police departments and sheriff’s offices say, ‘ We have a gang problem, but we don’t want to mess up any of our current funding. ’ You usually get a different answer from each person you ask. ”
Forbes said one of the most dangerous gangs currently in operation is the MS 13 — a gang that originated in El Salvador.
“ It’s not just murders anymore, ” he said. “ They’re cutting off heads and arms, they’re car jacking people, raping women and trafficking drugs. Some of their initiations are murdering innocent people. ”
“ The recruitment process has also changed, ” he said. “ They’re recruiting people as early as second grade. They’re getting them involved in petty crimes early on that evolve into violent crimes down the road. One of their largest recruitment engines are jails. They’re also recruiting people in the military. ”
Between 50 and 80 percent of gang members, Forbes said, are illegal aliens.
“ They have a temporary protective status, which applies to eight countries around the world, ” he said. “ That means, if you’re here illegally, there’s nothing you can do to get deported. ”
Forbes said the key to ending gang violence is bringing down the network by increasing public awareness and gang intelligence, enforcing prosecution for drug trafficking and supporting harsher punishments for gang-related activity.
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