LA HABRA : 80 Attend Forum on Gang Problems

More than 80 residents, community leaders and representatives of the schools, Police Department and local churches gathered this week at La Habra City School District headquarters to discuss efforts to combat the city’s gang problem and to organize a community task force to increase prevention and suppression measures.

The forum was the second meeting organized by the school district since an exchange of gunfire last month at Las Lomas Elementary School. Although school was not in session and no one was injured, the incident shocked school officials and the community into action.

Sgt. Mike Moore, who heads the Police Department special investigation unit that deals with gangs, estimated that 325 gang members and “wanna-bes” have been identified in La Habra. However, Police Chief Steve Stavely said the number must be kept in perspective. “That’s 300 of them versus 56,000 of the rest of the population. And it’s relatively small compared to the total crime picture in the city.” But community activist Rose Espinoza echoed the feelings of the audience when she said: “It doesn’t matter at what level we’re at. A gang is a gang, and we have to do something about the problem now.”

Much of the 2 1/2-hour session was dominated by police, elementary and high school officials and community activists giving brief presentations on what they were doing to keep youths from joining gangs.

Most community and church groups have been offering after-school tutoring to elementary school children and teaching parents skills in dealing with their children’s social development.

Elementary and middle schools are teaching an intensified self-esteem and anti-gang courses, in addition to expanding the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program to include kindergarten through sixth grades, not restricting it to fifth grade. Involvement in after-school clubs is also being pushed at the junior high level.

But these strides have not been sufficient, many in attendance said. They said that gang activity is on the rise while residents--not the city--have been slow to respond.

“You in the community had better open your eyes. Your neighborhood can be taken. Mine was within one year,” cautioned a resident of the Grace-Pacifica area, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.

She and others repeatedly thanked the Police Department for their efforts, which have included solving three of four gang-related homicides committed last year and responding more quickly to residents’ calls about suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

Those who attended Tuesday’s meeting filled out cards that will be used to help organize a community-based anti-gang task force, according to schools Supt. Richard Hermann. The task force will be introduced at the next meeting, to be held sometime in the next month.

Mayor James Flora, who attended the forum, said he was encouraged by the turnout.

“I think a big key (to solving the problem) is whether the community can work together,” Flora said. “The city and police can do only so much. Where better to circumvent these problems than in the neighborhoods and in the home.”