More than 100 people showed up at a gang task force meeting this
week to vent their frustration about graffiti splashed across town,
violence erupting in their neighborhoods and a desire to curb the
spiraling problem.
Hollister – More than 100 people showed up at a gang task force meeting this week to vent their frustration about graffiti splashed across town, violence erupting in their neighborhoods and a desire to curb the spiraling problem.
Organizers of the Wednesday night meeting in the Veterans’ Memorial Building asked the community to identify the scope of Hollister’s gang problem.
“We need to know what is happening, where it’s happening and how it’s affecting your life,” Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller said.
After splitting up into seven small groups of 15 to 20 people for about an hour, the entire group reconvened and facilitators covered the highlights of the brainstorming sessions. Groups talked about the prevalence of gang graffiti, drive-by shootings, a fear of reporting gang violence to the authorities because of possible retaliation and where gang activity is centered.
Officer George Ramirez, one of the bilingual facilitators, said a member of his group suggested taking the meeting’s location to an area more rife with gang activity.
“People live in areas where, because of (gang activity) they don’t want to leave their house after dark – so change the location of the meeting,” Ramirez said.
Miller said information like that is exactly what he was looking for.
“That really struck me. You shouldn’t be afraid to come out of your own house,” he said Friday. “I’d like to see us have our next meeting in that direction (the west side of town) for more participation.”
Officer Rosie Betanio, also a bilingual facilitator, said members of her group identified the area of Central Street to Hawkins Street and Westside Boulevard as hot spots for gang activity. But 90 percent of her group said they were not afraid of gangs, but were concerned about gang activity.
Some people focused on why they thought Hollister had a gang problem – such as a lack of family support systems and a lack of activities for kids.
Miller said the people who talked about reasons for gang violence and solutions to the problem helped to identify what they believed the problem to be. A comment about the amount of graffiti on school property shows someone believes there is a gang problem at the schools, he said.
The 10 members of the gang task force will meet Dec. 1 and pool their notes taken from the different groups, which is when Miller said he’ll have a better idea of how big the gang problem is in Hollister.
Jose Ibarra, manager of student support services at San Benito High School, said the high school is one of the centers of gang activity but law enforcement doesn’t have control over activities to curb it. Although school officials know who is involved in gang-related incidents during school hours or after school, authorities don’t follow up, which can lead to ongoing problems, he said.
“Another incident occurs involving the same individual, and if it had been taken care of two weeks ago this person wouldn’t have been involved in that incident,” he said.
Ibarra said he was raised in Salinas, which is battling a major gang problem, and he sees a disturbing similarity between the two cities.
“We’re justifying why things are not being done, but what’s going to happen in the end is what’s going on in Salinas,” he said. “I want to be optimistic… but I see it getting to that point.”
One Hollister woman talked about Hispanic youth who live in neighborhoods full of gangs, and the pressure they feel to be part of that life.
“A lot of kids don’t want to be a part of it, but you have to assimilate just to survive,” she said.
Gilroy resident Harvey Delgado, who attended with his pastor who lives in Hollister, said he was in a prison gang for 15 years and that much of the gang problem stems from children being inundated with the wrong idea about gangs.
“Nobody tells them the negatives and the consequences,” he said. “Somebody’s got to tell these young people what it’s about. They don’t even understand it.”
Miller said the gang task force advisory board will set a date for the next community meeting at its meeting Dec. 1, which is at 5pm at the City Council chambers. The meeting is open to the public.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
