A 15-year-old Hollister boy was attacked Monday by nine rival
gang members in our city. Incidents such as this are no longer
merely ‘wake-up calls’ for our community.
A 15-year-old Hollister boy was attacked Monday by nine rival gang members in our city. Incidents such as this are no longer merely ‘wake-up calls’ for our community.
They have almost become monthly reminders that little old Hollister is not the safe, gang-free haven it once was. Furthermore, these incidents have become reminders that our community needs to get to the root of this plague.
First, we must face up to reality: We have a serious gang problem that needs to be addressed from all sides. Solving this problem will take a multi-pronged approach.
This isn’t something that can be solved just by hiring more police officers. That would be like trying to treat a gunshot wound with gauze.
We need to get down to the root.
Preventing gang violence will take a community effort from law enforcement, educators, churches and families.
The Hollister teen who was stabbed six times on Monday told police that he had no plans to quit the gang life. This provides a frightening example of just how deeply entrenched some of our local youth have become in gangs.
It is also a sign that gang prevention efforts need to target younger kids. Gang prevention efforts coupled with gang awareness education must start early.
When it comes to prevention, our families, churches and service organizations must lead the charge.
Ideally, gang prevention and education should start in the home. Families can be a powerful tool, but families can also fail. Children learn from their parents, and if they grow up in a home where mom and dad are both gang members, they have little chance.
When families fail, churches and service organizations must be there to help out. Organizations such as the YMCA, the Hollister Youth Alliance, the local gang task force and many others have shown us that providing activities for youth can steer them away from gangs.
Here, churches also play a key role. Church youth groups can prove to be a strong moral compass outside the home for our city’s teens.
Schools also play a role in prevention. Educators need to make sure that youth not only learn about the dangers of gangs, but also about the alternatives to gangs. In addition to teaching youth about the dangers of gangs, our schools must also provide opportunities for young people to succeed in the classroom and in life.
Although law enforcement cannot solve the gang problem alone, it plays a huge role in curbing violence.
Police officers, sheriff’s deputies and probation officials all work together to catch criminals and take guns off our streets. Their efforts must be bolstered by the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office. Gang members convicted of crimes, especially violent crimes, should be subject to harsh sentences. Those sentences should serve as deterrents to others.
Our community is already working hard to solve gang problems. But Monday’s stabbing should be a reminder that there is still much work to do. We need to be continually seeking out new strategies, honing prevention programs and working to prevent tragic death and violence.
Only by working together as a community can we ever hope to rid our fair city of gangs.
