Experts reflect on gang problems

By Katie De Boer
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

The College of Liberal Arts hosted a seminar Thursday in the student Union where four authors spoke on violent urban street gangs. Diego Vigil, Jose Lopez, Tom Hayden and Luis Rodriguez, each an expert on gangs, gave a 20-minute lecture of their views and relations on the serious issue affecting a number of minority and poverty stricken societies today.

The team of experts recognized a continuing problem among individuals, police efforts and a disgrace among minorities as a leading cause of the continuing violence in gangs. In all reports the highest percentage of an individual's initiation into gangs is between the ages of 14- and 15-years-old.

All four men found kids joining a group known to have a reputation, good or bad, giving them a purpose to belong to some kind of family. The mere interaction of members, listening to one another's problems and sharing each other's trials and tribulations give teens a drawing card to become a banger. The harassment kids face can be rooted from home, school, work or peer relationships. The idea of gangs providing their members and family members with protection from other gangs as well as any other perceived threats may be true but can get people killed.

Jose Lopez has been working on the research of gangs for about 20 years. He defined street gangs as three individuals recognized as a common group by a name, symbols or nickname.

He also stated groups such as the mafia, syndicate or taggers are not gangs. He mentioned characteristics to identify members as fashion, individual tattoos or identities.

Diego Vigil, a 1962 CSULB graduate and expert on gangs grew up on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1950s and was conscious to the surrounding hard-core street gang scene. Although he had never been involved in a gang he found it important to help the war on poverty. He quickly examined and laid forth the process of gang migration — the appearance of the same gangs in other parts of the United States and sometimes other counties. Crips, Bloods, Surenos and Nortenos in other parts of the US or countries is not always the result of deportation or physical migration but also due to cultural migration, via mass media images, television, movies and music. There is clear evidence Los Angeles based gang members have transported gang identies to other cities. Vigil closed by advising that parents and education are the closest connection and protection in saving their children from involvement.

Cops are usually considered gang experts but as Lopez finds, can also have positive and negative effects on gangs. First, cops work on the streets and deal with poverty and violence. Second, cops are able to swear on the stand on their findings. However on the other end, cops are able to testify only on what they see when called to the stand, not what really might have taken place. Lopez said cops mostly operate on personal beliefs and can dominate the favor of a conviction. There is a common suspicion that all people involved in gangs are violent and guilty.

Lopez advises parents and adults to "tell the truth to youth and treat early teenagers as an adult" and they will listen and learn how to recognize from right and wrong.

Tom Hayden, another gang expert, mainly focused on the economic value gangs have in the country — especially those in California. He stated Measure A on the November ballot in LA County may be devastating to the programs such as rehabs and clinics. According to the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, Measure A is a proposal would hike the Los Angeles County sales tax by half a cent to hire 5,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies. Hayden states 15 percent of the money will go to social programs but not a dime to programs such as rehabs or clinics to help survivors or gang activist programs. On the defense LA County finds the gang problem is better solved with more law enforcement.

The final speaker of the afternoon, Luis Rodriquez, said that all people need to find spiritual meaning in life. Rodriquez, a former gang member, has become a gang expert in hope to clear others from the urban street gang life. He says it is the whole community who needs to get involved; law enforcement, neighborhoods, children and parents joining gang awareness or peace programs in hope to change kids' minds on involvement.