BUENA PARK : CSUF Senior to Lead City Gang Program

A 23-year-old Cal State Fullerton senior has been hired to head a pilot program to prevent gang activity in the city and the Buena Park School District.

Edmund A. Hernandez II, a criminal justice major, said his priority is to “assess the needs of the community,” including identifying the number and types of gangs in the city.

Hernandez has been accompanying police on patrols to learn more about the city.

“When gangs enter a area, they leave their mark. You can tell how much activity there is by the amount of graffiti. They use it as a bulletin board or newspaper,” he said.

Raised in what he referred to as a barrio in Placentia and Anaheim, Hernandez said he was exposed to gangs, drugs and violence all his life. The product of a broken home, Hernandez and his younger brother lived with their mother, becoming what he called typical “latchkey kids.”

Providing a proper role model is one of the first programs Hernandez wants to institute in Buena Park.

“I want to show kids that the normal way of living is working and being responsible. I want them to see that the norm is not gang activities,” he said.

“The positive Hispanic role models tend to separate themselves from the barrio once they achieve status. I want to convince them to give back to the communities they came from. If they don’t, then the barrio will just remain stagnant and disorganized.”

Because the pilot program is funded for only one year by the local schools and city, much of Hernandez’s time will be spent on researching grants and funding to extend the program.

Until resources for funding are found, Hernandez is spending most of his time getting acquainted with the community.