No Efforts at Peace Seen Among Local Gangs : Violence: Unlike other areas in the region, there has been no effort here to curb conflicts. Meanwhile, shootings and assaults are up.

While police say gang truces recently have helped slow gang violence in other counties, Ventura County law enforcement officials say they are not seeing any similar peace-making efforts locally.

Gang members and police say there has been no attempt to hammer out a peace pact among rival gangs in this county.

And unlike some parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties where bloodshed has decelerated since gang truces have been imposed, Ventura County has experienced an outbreak of gang-related shootings and assaults in recent months, authorities say.

Gang truces “haven’t had any impact locally,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kim Gibbons who prosecutes major gang cases. “If anything, gang violence has been on the increase in Ventura County.”

Because of the relatively low level of gang activity here, police and some gang members say such peace treaties are needed less in Ventura County than in other counties. Nevertheless, police and community workers say they welcome all efforts to reduce gang warfare.

But gang members from Ventura to Santa Paula say they hold out little hope of ever hammering out peace treaties with their sworn rivals.

“We ain’t going to get along with nobody,” said Daffie, a 16-year-old Ventura gang member. “There will always be gang-banging. It’s the way I was brought up since I was a little kid.”

Added a south Oxnard gang member: “We hate them and they hate us. That’s just the way it is.”

That’s what gang members in other areas used to say. But over the years, as gang violence escalated and the carnage mounted, hated rivals began fashioning inner-city peace accords.

Early last year, the United Gangs Council organized a peace treaty among Orange County gangs that helped stem bloodshed in some areas.

And following the Los Angeles riots in April of last year, Crips and Bloods forged a truce that resulted in a dramatic reduction in gang killings in South-Central Los Angeles.

Most recently, the Mexican Mafia prison gang has ordered thousands of Latino gang members to put a stop to drive-by shootings or face the syndicate’s deadly wrath.

But while the edict has helped bring peace to some of Los Angeles’ most violent barrios, gang members and community workers say it apparently has had little impact in Ventura County.

“I haven’t heard anything like that here,” a Santa Paula gang member said. “From what I know, nothing has changed.”

But law enforcement officials and others fear that clashes among the county’s nearly 40 hard-core gangs are only going to get worse.

Police say that gangs are attracting younger members and growing more violent as they cross city borders to hit each other harder than ever before.

In cities and unincorporated areas patrolled by sheriff’s deputies, there were nine gang-related drive-by shootings in 1992 compared to three the year before. Gang-related weapon assaults doubled to 20 during that same period.

And in Oxnard--the Ventura County city with the most gangs and gang members--there has been a monthly average of about 19 gang-related shootings, assaults and other incidents so far this year.

In recent months, police say there has been an outbreak of gang-related violence.

* In June, a gunfight between rival gangs erupted during a birthday party in a quiet Thousand Oaks neighborhood, leaving one teen-ager dead and three wounded. The brawl spilled over to the parking lot of Los Robles Regional Medical Center where sheriff’s deputies had to be called to prevent further violence.

* In August, a shootout on a crowded Ventura beach was blamed on rivalry among Santa Paula youths, some with gang ties. Police estimate the number of hard-core members in the city’s five gangs has jumped from 49 in 1990 to 140 today.

* Last month, 21-year-old Ruben Hernandez was shot dead outside an Oxnard liquor store. Police say they believe that the drive-by shooting was gang-related, and gang members have hinted at retaliation.

“We just had one of our good homies killed,” said a member of Oxnard’s Colonia Chiques, regarded by law enforcement as the largest and most violent street gang in Ventura County. “That’s hard to take.”

Other members of the Chiques said they have little interest in calling a truce among rival gangs.

“We’ve never kicked it with no one else,” said Mike, a 21-year-old Chiques member. “Colonia has always stood on its own.”

Added 19-year-old Sharky: “It won’t happen, not the way things are going right now. It would be pretty hard. We’re used to not getting along with other vatos (guys).”

While police have heard little about peace-making efforts so far in Ventura County, they say they welcome any agreement that will stem further bloodshed.

“If it works, if it would reduce our share of violent crimes, that would be great,” said Sgt. Charles Hookstra, who heads Oxnard’s gang unit. “If it saves lives, more power to them.”

But some law enforcement officials expressed concern about gang truces imposed in other counties, noting that while gang members agreed to stop shooting each other, there was no letup in drug dealing and street crimes against community members at large.

“I certainly would love to see a truce,” said Lt. Bill Edwards, who heads the sheriff’s gang unit. “But frankly I would like to see them put up their guns forever.”

Community workers and others have attempted over the years to build understanding among rival gang members.

Oxnard-based El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, a countywide community service group, has brought members of various gangs together to talk about problems.

“A truce, I think, is something to pursue,” said Marcos Vargas, executive director of El Concilio. “Any effort to get young people, who are members of gangs, at least to talk to one another would be positive.”

In another effort, Camarillo resident Chuck Jordan has waged a campaign to persuade gang members to end drive-by shootings. Jordan’s 20-year-old daughter, Jennifer, was gunned down two years ago in a drive-by shooting outside her Thousand Oaks home.

“We have a chance to stop it in its tracks,” said Jordan, who calls his campaign Operation Permanent Cease Fire. “It has to be the gang-bangers themselves. They’re the only ones who can stop the insanity.”

In the end, gang members know that to be true. And while some doubt that the fighting will ever stop, they hold out hope that one day tensions will ease.

“I would like to think that could happen,” said a member of Santa Paula’s 12th Street gang. “I think it could work, but a lot of people have their eyes closed to that.”