MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS NEEDED TO STEM
GANG VIOLENCE IN COUNTY
--- Experts Shed Light On County’s Gang Problems And Concur That Focus Must Be On Prevention---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2007

Contact: Rose Vinci, Legislative Aide, (914) 995-8434

Pictured Left to Right: Legislators George Oros, Vito Pinto, Bernice Spreckman, Bill Burton, Lois Bronz, and Clinton Young

In reaction to an increasing number of violent incidents related to gang activity in the county, County Legislator Bernice Spreckman (Yonkers), Chair of the Generational, Cultural & Ethnic Diversity Committee (GCED), and County Legislator Bill Burton, Chair of the Public Safety & Security Committee, convened a joint meeting to hear from some experts on what can be done to stem the violence.

“Yonkers and Mount Vernon have held many meetings on this topic but I wanted to find out what we as county legislators could do to help our communities bring about some positive changes,” Spreckman said. “After hearing these experts, it’s clear that there’s no single solution to the complex problem and that our best bet is more programs that focus on preventing a child from joining a gang in the first place.”

County Board Vice Chair Clinton Young Jr. (Mount Vernon) said the public perception that gangs are made up only of adolescents and young adults was incorrect. “The membership has gotten younger and younger,” Young said. “To prevent children from becoming gang members, early school-based programs must be available.”

Jim Bostic, director of the Nepperhan Community Center in Yonkers, noted that the perception that gangs exclusively consist of high school students is wrong. “The reality is that gang leaders are typically between the ages of 17 and 24,” Bostic said. “Often those gang leaders can be in jail and still calling the shots.”

According to the Westchester district attorney’s office, there are 37 gangs in the county.

“Gang leaders are effective in recruiting youths because gangs fill a void in their lives,” said Marlene Furtick, director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau. “They tell young people ‘you get to be a member of a family,’ which can be particularly attractive to some youths in families where both parents are working one or two jobs to make ends meet. The kids want to feel those family ties, like someone is looking after them.”

Bostic said the reasons why youngsters join gangs are varied. “Some kids join a gang to establish a reputation,” Bostic said. “Others join out of fear of becoming victims of violence outside of school if they don’t join.” Bostic commented that the lack of opportunities for those coming out of jail pushes some to affiliate with a gang. “Mr. Bostic, I need a job. Can you help me?” Bostic has often been told. “Reentry programs for youths must be made available,” he said.

Andrew Grascia, a criminal investigator in the county district attorney’s office, said that just getting a job doesn’t solve the problem in all situations. “Often, a person can make more money on the street dealing in illegal activities than through a regular job,” he said. “There are too many variables to determine if one program would work for all.”

“One thing is certain, we cannot arrest our way out of this situation,” said Grascia. “Programs to prevent 'at risk' youths from joining gangs are effective deterrents but when seeking solutions, it’s important to keep in mind that every community is different so the solutions will vary from one community to the next.”

Grascia said that many communities with gang problems are not confronting them. “The number one recruiting grounds for gangs are schools,” Grascia said. “However, because of political pressure and public pressure, many residents do not want to admit that there are gangs in their areas because they want to present a positive image of their school districts.”

Demosthenes Long, deputy commissioner of the county Department of Public Safety, said there is no cookie cutter approach to effectively counter gang violence. He noted some innovative methods and programs in both the public and non-profit sectors are effective.

Furtick pointed out two effective county Youth Bureau programs as examples---the Power of Peace, which provides conflict resolution instruction, and Step Up, which targets African-American and Hispanic youths at risk of joining a gang.

“Every entity in the community, including non-profit agencies such as his center, government, schools, businesses and parents, must play a roll,” Bostic said.