In San Clemente, 200 Talk of Halting Spread of ‘Fungus’

In the quiet of a hillside church hall, about 200 people gathered Monday for a crash course exploring the increasingly violent nature of local gangs.

The authorities who delivered the message didn’t mince words, outlining an anti-gang strategy aimed at driving members into their own back yards.

“A fungus,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Davis, who oversees law enforcement in San Clemente. “If it goes unchecked, it will grow.”

“It’s trendy. It’s popular,” said Colleene Hodges, a county probation officer with a special gang unit.

On Monday, the city of San Clemente held its version of a gang summit at Our Lady of Fatima Church.

And the guest speakers, who ranged from an assemblyman to crime-prevention specialists, offered solutions and ideas that included expelling known gang members from school and enlisting community members to track the public movements of gang members in parks and parking lots.

Monday’s meeting was prompted by a spate of violence that included the Oct. 15 attack on 17-year-old Steve Woods, who died a month after he was speared in the head with a metal rod from a paint roller. Four teen-agers and two adults, whom police described as gang members and associates, were later charged in the killing.

Police launched a crackdown on suspected gang members in South County, resulting in dozens of arrests of mostly young men on charges ranging from narcotics possession to assault and battery.

The death of the popular San Clemente senior also led to a round of community meetings and demonstrations that included a march on City Hall to protest gangs and rising youth violence.

But in early November, there were three separate shootings in which two more San Clemente youths were wounded.

Monday, Sgt. Stan Jacquot, who supervises a special anti-gang enforcement unit, blamed the shootings on two Latino gangs. His special force consisted of eight deputies assigned to San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano. These officers interviewed gang members and took extensive notes about gang activity, including descriptions of suspected members.

Jacquot said that one of the gangs from the San Juan Capistrano area figured in the recent shootings because they were jealous of attention paid to the rival gang accused of being involved in the Woods shooting.

“They were looking for recognition,” Jacquot said.

He added that the two have a rivalry dating back more than 40 years.

To deal with the gangs, Lt. Tom Davis said, the city is going to follow an approach of preventing gang members from gathering in public areas. He said there would be “zero tolerance” for gang activity.

“If they’re going to gather, we want them to gather in their own house or back yard,” Davis said.

Several speakers gave suggestions to parents.

Hodges said parents should always know where their children are and who they are with. It is critical to start screening their children’s companions when they become social, as early as the second grade, she said.

“Who you hang around with is who you are,” Hodges said.