Quincy police warn of gangs

Signs and symbols should alert parents, police say

QUINCY — Gus Winter can show parents the warning signs about children and gangs.

Winter is a member of the Quincy Police Department and the school resource officer inside the Quincy School District. He often gives talks to parents about what they should know about gangs, and signs that their child might be leaning toward a gang.

Winter gave one such talk Tuesday night, during a "Gang Awareness Night" at Quincy High School. Winter said he gives these talks every chance he gets, and Tuesday hewas one of several speakers telling parents and students how to be alert about gangs.

Just because a child displays one or more of the signs, Winter said, doesn't mean that child is in a gang. Winter told parents to be aware, for example, if a child obsesses over a particular color of clothing.

"My mom wore one of these out in the fields," Winter said, holding a bandana for the group, "I sure hope to God she wasn't a gang member."

Winter brought with him several gang-related items. Lining the stage of the school's auditorium were jerseys and belts and hats with distinctive numbers and colors imprinted on them. Winter said that 90 percent of the items were taken from Quincy schools. He told parents that four gangs currently make a home in the Quincy area, each with its own color and identifying sign.

"Obviously just because a person is wearing that doesn't mean he is in a gang, you need to dig a little deeper," Winter said. "Pay attention."

Quincy Police Chief Bill Gonzalez has been on the Quincy Police Department for 28 years, and he said he's seen quite a few changes in town since he was growing up. Gonzalez said that the town has had two homicides in the last 10 years, both were gang related.

The police chief said that the first thing that came into his mind when his own family members got involved was denial. He added that gangs can impact people who are rich or poor, and could hit anyone.

"It's not an Anglo problem, and it's not a Hispanic problem, it's ours," Gonzalez told a crowd Tuesday night.

Gonzalez said one of the things the town needs to do now is step forward with gang prevention.

Since Winter first came to Quincy, he said gang activity in the area has fluctuated. He acknowledged that Quincy is better than some communities, but added that it is worse than others.

"Since I've been here its just been a roller coaster," Winter said, "it just goes up and down."

Tuesday's meeting was organized by Chris Trevino, who is a site director for Quincy's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, or GEAR UP. Trevino said he organized the event as a response to GEAR UP parents who wanted information on gangs in Quincy. The goal of this first meeting, Trevino said, was not only to provide information but also present outlets for parents concerned about gang activity.

Trevino also brought in Ray Horodowicz with Communities That Care, who talked about several workshops to help foster positive development and raise safe kids.

Trevino said things have changed a bit since he left high school a few years ago.

"There's been a few drive by shootings," Trevino said of recent years, "and that's fairly unheard of."

This first meeting was not a question and answer session, and Chris Trevino had parents write their questions down to address at a possible second meeting.

Quincy resident Dora Trevino also spoke to the group Tuesday. Her son was murdered by a gang member in 1999 in Quincy. She has always been involved in her community, but Dora Trevino has since given presentations on gang violence and spoken to state and national legislators on the issue.

Trevino said people should also focus on youth outside the city limits as well, saying that it's not just a community problem but outside the community as well.

She told parents Tuesday that she joined a group called Mothers Against Violence in America and wanted to become educated about what gangs were all about.

"Learn who your kids' friends are," Dora Trevino told the group, "and meet your kids' friend's parents."

Winter cited several statistics from a 2003 annual report on juvenile justice. With across the board juvenile arrests, Winter said that Grant County ranks eighth out of 39 counties. He also told parents that out of 43 towns with a population between 5,000 and 10,000 for juvenile arrests in Washington, only Union Gap is higher. Winter also cited, however, that Grant County showed a 14 percent decrease in juvenile arrests from 1998-2002.

Those numbers represent juvenile arrests across the board, not necessarily gang arrests. Winter said that high juvenile arrest numbers mean that officers are aware of problems and making the needed arrests.

Parents and teachers should also be on the lookout for gang signs and gang graffiti. Winter said that gang graffiti doesn't have to be confined to the street, and can even be found inside a school notebook. Winter's presentation included a slide show, and he showed notebooks and other pieces of paper with gang-related imagery.

The GEAR UP talk was presented in both English and Spanish, as Winter's talk was translated by Quincy Monument Elementary School Principal Ben Bazaldua.

Winter told parents to be on the lookout if their child obsesses over one particular color, or refuses to wear another color. The more signs a child shows, the higher chance that child is in a gang, Winter said. He also told parents to be on the lookout for certain behaviors, and should pay attention to statements like, "Dad, they're just my friends."

Many alarms might not trigger gang involvement, but tattoos can be a warning sign that a child is getting deep into gang activity. Winter cited specifically a tattoo of three dots on the hands or face. A gang member could also shave slashes into his or her eyebrows.

"It's just another way of showing your association without saying, 'Hey, I'm a gang member,'" Winter said.

Other presenters Tuesday night included J. Michael Olivero and Rodrigo Murataya, who came to the meeting from the Law and Justice Department at Central Washington University. Olivero said that people can be attracted to gangs if they are not confident in their ability to survive in conventional society. Gangs provide a sense of status, Winter said, adding that as parents," We need to teach children to respect themselves."

Olivero said gangs are not always from the impoverished inner city, and noted groups like neo-Nazis and surfing gangs. He added that gangs are not just in one place, but all over. Olivero also said that many gang members outgrow gangs as they get older.

"If a kid's still in a gang by his 18th birthday," Olivero said, "chances are he's not going to outgrow it."

Winter has been the Quincy School District Resource Officer for three years, and is the first person in Quincy to hold that job. Winter spends all his time in the schools, and said that despite the gangs, there are many more good kids out there.

"There's a whole lot more of them," Winter said.