People in a position to do something about Hollister’s growing
gang problem are now planning with a sense of urgency.
Since a story in The Pinnacle two weeks ago about the local
increase in gang violence and Gilroy’s efforts at fighting it,
there has been a law enforcement summit to discuss the problem,
vows from the new San Benito D.A. to crack down, and calls for
action from influential members of the Hollister City Council.
People in a position to do something about Hollister’s growing gang problem are now planning with a sense of urgency.
Since a story in The Pinnacle two weeks ago about the local increase in gang violence and Gilroy’s efforts at fighting it, there has been a law enforcement summit to discuss the problem, vows from the new San Benito D.A. to crack down, and calls for action from influential members of the Hollister City Council.
Additionally, Hollister Mayor Brian Conroy and Council Member Tony Brusica have scheduled a ride-along with members of Gilroy’s anti-gang taskforce to understand the resources the city has devoted to unsettling gang members. For the first time, Hollister officials are asking for help from neighbors in Gilroy, which collects gang intelligence and uses law enforcement pressure to unsettle alliances.
Law-abiding citizens across the South Valley should be relieved that San Benito County officials now recognize the urgency. Gang influence does not stop at county boundaries. When gangs gain a toehold in a community – as the rise in graffiti and assaults and the incidences of drive-by shootings show has happened – it’s hell getting them out.
The problem in San Benito County is that for too long local officials have looked the other way as incidental reports of crimes associated with gangs have accumulated – reports that could have shown a trend early on. The Hollister Police Department says it does not have the resources to track gang-related crime, as other agencies do. That must change immediately. To that end, Hollister Council Member Pauline Valdivia has asked the chief for an accounting of his resources and an assessment of the problem by next month.
This is not a situation that ignored goes away. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat published a story Sunday about Sonoma County’s current gang crisis. As the population grew by 20 percent over the last 12 years, membership has grown 12-fold – from 265 members to 3,200, creating what the sheriff there calls “the most significant issue” the county will face “in the coming years.”
Sonoma citizens must wish now that they could turn back the clock to 1990. Likewise, local officials must get a handle on the problem before it grows further.
Officials in San Benito County are just now heeding the warning signs. It will take a concerted, community wide effort to make an impact – and it must include prevention efforts aimed at elementary-aged schoolchildren.
Ignoring gangs hands our community over to young terrorists. We, as community members, must together look for ways to keep that from happening. Part of our obligation must be to keep pressure on our elected and appointed officials so they will make fighting terror in our community a priority.
