Workshop to Begin Tackling Gang Violence

By Lookout Staff

February 18 -- When the City, along with State Senator Sheila Kuehl, holds its first Community Workshop on Gang Violence next weekend, it will begin tackling an issue that may be as elusive as it is deadly.

The workshop February 26 at John Adams Middle School -- which is expected to draw some 200 participants -- is the first step in a focused community effort to reduce gang activity in Santa Monica in general, and the Pico neighborhood in particular, according to the meeting’s organizers.

A recent poll by the City found that 22 percent of Santa Monica residents rated gangs as a serious problem, while 37 percent of Pico residents viewed it as serious.

The workshop will allow stakeholders -- youth, parents, clergy, neighbors, educators, youth workers and organizations -- to come together to seek common ground and hear experts from the trenches reflect on proposed strategies for the community, City officials said.

“Every individual and partner agency involved in this work must feel a personal sense of responsibility if we are to succeed locally and regionally to keep our youth out of gangs and our neighborhoods safe,” said Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor.

“Gang violence has touched all of our lives either directly or indirectly,” said Sen. Kuehl, who will facilitate the experts’ discussion of community strategies brainstormed by workshop participants.

“To be successful in stemming the violence, we must forge true community solutions,” Kuehl said.

While the facts are clear -- between 1989 and 1998, 22 youth lost their lives on Pico streets -- it is unclear how many gang members reside in the Pico Neighborhood, which claims the highest concentration of young people in the city.

Police officials blame the violent crime that has plagued the neighborhood on a small number of repeat offenders, and past incidents show that some of the violent acts involve gang members from outside Santa Monica, according to a three-part series published by The Lookout. (PART I: A World Apart; PART II: On the Front Lines; PART III: Youth and Street Violence)

While estimates among officials and residents vary, four to five rival gangs are thought to be operating on the Westside, including the Culver City Boyz, the Venice 13 and the Santa Monicas, according to those familiar with gang activity.

Confirmed panelists at the workshop include gang expert Blinky Rodriguez, educator Bill Martinez, behavioral scientist John McDonald, youth violence prevention expert Leah Aldridge and former State Senator Tom Hayden, author of Street Wars and the Future of Violence.

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at John Adams Middle School, 2425 16th Street, in Santa Monica. Breakfast and lunch, child care (age 5 and up), Spanish translation and free parking will be provided.

A second workshop will be held March 12 at the same location to shape a community action plan. For more information, call 310-458-8301 or visit www.StopGangViolence.smgov.net