IRVINE : Forum About Gangs to Be Held at School
Sierra Vista Middle School will present a forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday about the history of ganglike activity in the city and ways parents can help prevent their children from becoming interested in gangs.
The forum is in response to inquiries from parents who want to know more about gangs, said Jean Mylen, principal at Sierra Vista. The school and the neighboring Northwood community have seen an increasing amount of graffiti, sparking the heightened awareness of gangs, she said.
“Personally, I don’t think we have a real gang situation in any of our schools, not compared to other districts at least,” Mylen said. “But we do have an interest (in gangs) among our kids.”
The walls at Sierra Vista Middle School have been marked with calligraphylike graffiti, which janitors wash off immediately, she said. The graffiti apparently is drawn by students mimicking gang actions, she said.
Tuesday’s forum is aimed at parents of children attending Sierra Vista Middle School as well as those with children in elementary schools, Mylen said. The speaker will be Irvine Police Officer Eric Bianchi, an expert in gang activity.
The main purpose is to let parents know what gang-type activity is going on and how best to combat it with their children, she said.
Sierra Vista Middle School is at 2 Liberty in Irvine’s Northwood community.
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