Partnerships, parents needed in anti-gang effort
There is no one simple answer to the growing gang problem in San
Benito County, and there is no single approach that will solve
it.
With the death of a 14-year-old girl Saturday and numerous other
violent crimes occurring lately, the community is getting an
unfortunate wakeup call. If there is any chance of preventing a
continual and worsening turnstile of tragedy, then it is crucial
that local authorities and school leaders recognize the magnitude
of the problem, how deep it has become embedded into community
culture, and act upon it with even greater cooperation and
vigilance in the years to come.
Partnerships, parents needed in anti-gang effort
There is no one simple answer to the growing gang problem in San Benito County, and there is no single approach that will solve it.
With the death of a 14-year-old girl Saturday and numerous other violent crimes occurring lately, the community is getting an unfortunate wakeup call. If there is any chance of preventing a continual and worsening turnstile of tragedy, then it is crucial that local authorities and school leaders recognize the magnitude of the problem, how deep it has become embedded into community culture, and act upon it with even greater cooperation and vigilance in the years to come.
Hollister has, indeed, changed quite a bit over the years – as many other rural communities have, especially a town that is close to several urban centers. Part of that change has been a greater infusion of gangs and more active recruitment into the lifestyle. Hollister and county authorities have responded by focusing much of their attention on preventing and enforcing gang-related crimes, while law enforcement agencies, schools and other nonprofit organizations have done a good job of conducting programs aimed at troubled youths and sending messages early on that other alternatives will lead to better, more enriching lives.
The Hollister Youth Alliance, the Si, Se Puede! Learning Center and the county probation department, to name a few, have been active in launching and maintaining programs to direct kids along positive pathways.
Still, there is a lot of work to do, both in enforcement and prevention. Hollister has been gaining a reputation as a safe haven for some of the more notorious gangsters in the region, while the level of street activity has only increased through the years. There is more of a gang presence in Hollister, and there are more crimes to show for it, too, such as the shooting last weekend, a string of shootings the prior week and several armed robberies as well.
Of course, there is only so much police, schools and nonprofits can do. The hiring of a gang coordinator has been largely successful and resulted in garnering hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding, though it remains curious and discouraging that San Benito High School has declined to join the program by not allocating funds to the partnership.
Even with all of the effort under way and certain to continue, there is no magic bullet for success. There are many ingredients necessary to even start addressing the problem, which local authorities and groups have tried to do.
In the end, the greatest responsibility lies with parents in the community who absolutely must start taking their most important job in life more seriously.
