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Fayette DA: No tolerance for gangsTue, 01/22/2008 - 5:18pm
By: John Munford
At Monday night’s NAACP forum on gang activity in Fayette County, not everyone was pleased with the get-tough attitude local officials are placing on gang activity. 
To keep gang activity from taking hold in Fayette County, District Attorney Scott Ballard said gang members need to be dealt with as examples to send a message that gang activity won’t be tolerated. “There’s an awful lot of violence associated with street gangs,” Ballard said, adding that he didn’t want gangs “to take a foothold here.” One citizen decried the fact that all seven youths arrested for engaging in gang activity in a recent fight at Fayette County High School were black. The remark set off some catcalls in the crowd. “I can’t afford to let Fayette County develop a gang problem,” Ballard said. “I’m only one part of the solution. By the time it gets to me, all the other efforts have failed.” A teenage girl asked Ballard if throwing someone in jail is the best thing for that individual. Ballard replied that he has to worry about the safety of the community as a whole and not just the outcome for any one person. “My responsibility is to enforce the laws to keep people safe,” Ballard said. Ballard said his office will prosecute adult gang members with felony charges that carry as much as 15 years in jail for adults and between one and five years in detention for juvenile offenders. The goal, he said, is to send a message that gang activity is unacceptable in Fayette County. Ballard said the public needs to be aware of the consequences of gang activity. “Once the crime has been committed, and it’s gang activity, it’s too late,” Ballard said, adding that he would not “hold back” on prosecuting gang members for criminal activity. As to gang-related incidents in schools, School Superintendent John DeCotis said that the numbers have increased from 14 all of last year to 15 so far this year. He added that the incident has cut across ethnic backgrounds. “It hasn’t been just one group of students,” DeCotis said. Some of the incidents involved gang-related dress or the writing of gang-related symbols on notebooks and textbooks, Decotis said. In some cases the students are immediately suspended and the parents are contacted. Most parents contacted in those scenarios are supportive, DeCotis said. “Unfortunately not all of them are, and some of them give us a hard time,” the superintendent said. The Rev. William Brown, who works with gang members through his ministry in DeKalb County, noted that one of the main problems is that many gang members come from single-parent homes, raised by their mothers but lacking discipline and love due to the absence of their fathers. “Fathers, that’s the missing element here,” Brown said, noting that youths from such homes are often mad at police officers because “they’re father-angry kids.” “Most of them are just love-starved kids,” Brown said. He also said that law enforcement can’t handle gang problems on their own and parents should also play a key role in preventing gang activity. “Mothers, you don’t need a search warrant to look in your child’s belongings,” Brown said, drawing applause from the crowd. “... Men, your presence will make a difference.” Brown said single parents in particular shouldn’t feel isolated but it would help for parenting skills classes to be offered. Today’s kids, he noted, will play their parents against their teachers, he added, so it’s incumbent upon teachers to make sure that parents feel welcome at school. Parents, Brown said, “should look at their homework even if you don’t understand it. You need to show the interest. That’s the whole point.” “I don’t think you have a hardcore gang problem like in DeKalb County,” Brown said, adding that prison time may be part of the problem as “the criminal gangs come out of the prison system.” “We can’t lock up every kid who shows a tendency towards gang activity,” Brown said, adding that he once was “a gang banger” and was fortunate enough to change his lifestyle. Fayette County resident Dave Simmons, who is running for sheriff, agreed that parents are key to the solution of gang activity. “Many times we as parents have been too lenient,” Simmons said. “It’s very important that mom and dad be more concerned with being a parent than a friend to their children. Simmons, who worked gang detail with the Detroit police department for a number of years and is now retired from law enforcement, said some of the worst gang activity in the area came from some of the most affluent suburbs of Detroit. Simmons commended Fayette’s law enforcement personnel for being on top of the issue and working “to bring the peaceful, tranquil life back to Fayette County.” Alice Jones, who volunteers her time with at-risk youth, said it’s incumbent upon parents who divorce “to band together to nurture your children and to give them love.” Jones said churches must also be a part of the solution to the gang problem, arranging counseling sessions and providing positive outlets for children. “We’ve got to work effectively together to educate our children,” Jones said. Jones said there are a number of positive outlets for youth offered in the community, including the NAACP Youth Council, the Association of Village Pride and the Jack and Jill group. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Sam Sweat said the school system needs more parental involvement at the middle and high school levels when students begin to address issues of sex, alcohol and drugs. He added that the school system offers a mix of extracurricular activities for students to participate in. Lt. Jennifer Michel of the Peachtree City Police Department agreed, adding that Peachtree City also has a number of sports and recreation activities for youth. Peachtree City schools also benefit from the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance and Education) program for fifth-graders operated by the police department, Michel added. “At the middle school and high school age they’re trying to figure out who they are,” Michel said. “We’re such a big impact on who they’ll be later on in life.” Simmons said that today’s youth need adults to get involved with them and “give them something to look forward to.” Simmons said that one of the ways Detroit responded to the issue of gangs was to create sports leagues to give kids something to do when they weren’t in school. Brown agreed that part of the way to address the problem is by “nurturing” the youth. Sweat said that one middle school principal who has contacted parents about gang activity with their children said “a lot of parents are in denial and give the principal a hard time, saying my that’s not my son or daughter doing that.” DeCotis said the school system is planning to have meetings at each high school for parents of middle and high school students to teach them the warning signs of what to look out for in possible gang activity. Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton said he agrees with the aggressive approach to prosecuting gang members for participating in gang activity. “It lets gangs know that you’re not going to tolerate that behavior,” Heaton said. Lt. Michel also noted that she is available to counsel with children at parents’ request, even if they don’t want their child charged with a crime. She also noted that Fayetteville police offer the same service to parents. Heaton and Michel agreed that having school resource officers in local schools is a big help towards combating gangs. Officials were also questioned about how individuals stepping forward with information on gangs would be protected. Ballard said that with no witness protection system offered by the state, the best that can be done is to make sure the gang members are put in jail by prosecuting them to the fullest extent in court. Michel added that in some cases the information can be used anonymously by police to build a criminal case without the person even testifying. She also noted there are several ways to anonymously provide information to police, including a crime tip phone line. At the same time, both Michel and Ballard said that combatting gang crime may involve people stepping up to testify in court if there is no other way to get the necessary evidence. “We can’t do it without the help of the community,” Michel said. Heaton said gangs often thrive on intimidation tactics. “If we allow them to thrive and be coercive by intimidating the public, we’d better get set for having more serious gang problems than we have now,” Heaton said. If witnesses report the intimidation and coercion, those charges can be added to a gang member’s criminal case, Heaton added. “It takes the community as a whole to stand up and say we won’t tolerate their presence here ... and we’ll put them in jail,” Heaton said. DeCotis said that administrators do not divulge the name of any student who provides information about gang activity. The administrator must follow up on the situation using that information, he added. Simmons said he has a video he used to show gang members up in Detroit that features several gang members who were paralyzed after they were shot in gang-related incidents. He offered to come show the video to any group in the community. “Young people don’t understand what it’s like to be shot,” Simmons said. Rep. Virgil Fludd, R-Tyrone, said he wants to see the county commission spend more to support activities in parks and recreation. Fludd also was critical because he didn’t hear how officials would address “a wannabe gang member ... or a could be (gang member).” His remarks drew some applause from the audience. Ballard replied directly to Fludd, saying his intention was “to take a harsh stance on any gang activity whatsoever and not make a distinguishment.” “My intention is to make an example of anybody who gets involved in gang activity,” Ballard said. login to post comments
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