City Shops for Group to Run Anti-Gang Project

Jaime Barba admits that his attitude when he was growing up in the “Del Sol” area of South San Diego was “pretty much wrong.”

The 19-year-old would often find himself in trouble at school for fighting, and he often ran afoul of the law while hanging out with his neighborhood pals.

“That’s how I was--never liked to be told what to do,” Barba said. “I didn’t like rules, period.”

Counselors from the city’s anti-gang task force, called the Street Youth Program, helped Barba, however, and with their help he avoided getting into further trouble. SYP counselors shared Barba’s experiences and background, and this impressed him, Barba said.

But SYP’s effectiveness has been challenged and the program will be discontinued Jan. 30. City officials say it is badly run, a claim that has angered former SYP director Ramon (Chunky) Sanchez, who has been demoted to a counselor.

Sanchez said city officials who canceled the program don’t understand the culture of the street and incorrectly base their ideas about how to combat street violence on police suggestions.

“I honestly believe that people downtown don’t know what is going on,” said Sanchez, who was stung by criticism of his former leadership of SYP in a 22-page city report released last week.

In the report, SYP was cited as having a lack of leadership and direction, which had diluted the program’s effectiveness. SYP counselors complained that they were often unaware of their duties and that the program’s goals were not clearly understood, according to the report.

These complaints were made to a San Diego Police Department intern assigned to evaluate the $300,000-a-year program.

Dorene McLaughlin, a University of San Diego student working toward a master’s degree in counseling, conducted the three-month evaluation, which consisted of interviews with the nine-member SYP staff.

The report also maintained that Sanchez didn’t spend enough time managing staff members, who were often not accountable for their time on the job.

City Manager John Lockwood said that it was this lack of accountability that persuaded him that a change was needed.

“I don’t want to fault anyone personally, but what is needed is a community-based organization that has better administrative facilities, “ Lockwood said, adding the city is seeking an outside agency to run the program.

Sanchez bristled at this suggestion. “I always knew where (the counselors) were,” he said.

Sanchez said he was most disappointed that the youths being helped by SYP now wouldn’t have a person to turn to because they would not want to deal with police.

SYP was started in 1982 and was designed to place street-smart counselors, who had something in common with gang members, in areas such as Barrio Logan and Southeast San Diego, where gang violence was prevalent.

Barba said he was helped by SYP counselors who persuaded him to stay out of trouble.

An SYP counselor “knows exactly what I’m talking about,” Barba said. “I can talk to him real good. He understands everything I talk about. He gives me an answer because he knows what’s up.”

“I don’t like talking to juras (police),” Barba said. “Some of them are cool; I can talk to them, but not about personal problems or anything like that.”

This attitude is significant because youths like Barba need people they can relate to, Sanchez said.

Lockwood said that the agency selected to replace SYP will be required to have an affinity with life on the streets in order to develop a good rapport with street youths.

Until SYP is replaced, the city will assist street youths who need help by referring them to local community service agencies.