Othello discusses gang information

OTHELLO — Information about gang activity in Othello was discussed at the Gangs in Schools Task Force meeting Thursday.

The task force is a group of officials organized by the state of Washington who gather information about communities in an effort to make suggestions to the Legislature about anti-gang laws.

Director of Spokane Public Schools Dr. Wendy Bleecker gave the group of roughly 60 people, an update about the suggestions they are making to lawmakers.

There were seven suggestions. She said any suggestions for legislation involving a ?funding need were most likely not going to pass into law due to the difficulty in obtaining money.

Bleecker said revising the definition of gang activity, used in schools to help identify incidents involving gang-related activity, is a priority. She said currently incidents are documented by the nature of the incident but do not include if they are gang-related.

She said many school administrators urged the need to establish a 1,000 foot trespass zone, applicable to anyone who was previously trespassed from the area due to gang activity. The zone would extend past the school campus to prevent gang members from jeopardizing the safety of other students and to prevent them from recruiting.

The task force also suggested the state provide funding for school-based gang intervention programs.

They are also requesting money for students who are in transition from school to other programs, such as gang intervention and drug intervention. There is a need for funding because more people and programs need to be involved in the student’s transition away from gangs.

The task force also hopes to create a standard school policy to prevent gang activity.

They are also requesting funding for more anti-gang training workshops within the school.

The final suggestion included creating a Web site where information about youth involved in gangs can be shared between several agencies including schools, law enforcement, metal health and juvenile court.

The task force groups are meeting within the next few weeks to discuss the suggestions to determine how to propose them to the Legislature, Bleecker said.

Schools in Spokane are working to rewrite their policies on what to do with a student who commits a gang-related act in school, she said. They are trying to rewrite the policy to simplify it so other schools throughout the state can use it. It would include where the student should go to school, if mental health should be involved and what type of action should be taken with the student.

Bleecker said the goal is to keep the student in school but also to keep other students safe, because sometimes they are put at risk by having a gang member in the school.

She said it’s also important to increase communication between schools, juvenile court, mental health and law enforcement, in case one agency deems a student a threat. Often times, agencies aren’t allowed to share information about someone if they are under 18 years old.

She recalled an incident where an agency decided a student was a threat but didn’t report it to the school. Shortly after, the same student came to school with a loaded gun to kill a teacher, Bleecker said.

Adams County Juvenile Court Administrator Dave Gowan presented a slide show to the audience about information pertaining to Othello. The slide show had information about gangs and featured photos of gang graffiti, gang members and their children young enough to be in elementary school flashing gang hand symbols.

He said there are a number of risk factors that can push a youth toward joining a gang.

The factors include social deficits including health, welfare and social skills, a lack of a strong family presence, failure to attend school, poverty, child abuse and neglect, poor parental supervision and interaction and a lack of opportunities to meet their needs.

Often times gang members become truant students, Gowan said. Truancy tends to lead to more problems including graffiti.

Graffiti is found on homes, pubic bathrooms, schools and fences throughout Othello.

He said there are several reasons why youth join gangs.

They feel protected and sometimes it’s a chance for them to be with their friends or family members who already joined gangs, he said. They feel a sense of belonging and also see it as a way to make money through various crimes.

Family is an important gang deterrent, Gowan said.

He said parents must pay attention to their kids, attend their school activities and take an active role in their lives, limit the amount or type of TV programing they view, get them involved in church or other positive organizations, get to know their friends and set a good example of what they should aspire to be like when they are adults.

During the slide show he showed photos of Othello youth under age 10 who were flashing gang symbols with their hands.

He also showed a family photo of a man, woman and a baby girl.

He said several years ago when the man and woman were juveniles, he dealt with them in juvenile court and they were active with gangs. They continued to be active with gangs and now their pregnant teenage daughter is also active with gangs.

Gowan said there are several actions that must be taken to prevent youth from joining gangs.

He said parents must be active with their children, gang activity can’t be tolerated in the schools, law enforcement must not tolerate illegal activity and courts and probation officers must keep strict supervision on youth within the criminal system.

Gowan said there are several prevention and intervention programs in place.

Gang members are subject to room checks through the court system. The checks often lead to the discovery of bandanas, firearms, knives and brass knuckles.

Law enforcement and probation officers engage in gang training, he said. The community must paint over graffiti as soon as it is discovered to prevent other rival gangs from painting their own symbols over it. Electric home monitoring is also a form of prevention, he said. Getting at-risk youth involved in community service projects also acts as a deterrent.

Warning signs a youth could be involved with a gang:

• Admits to socializing with gang members
• Has unusual interest in gangster music, movies
• or Web sites
• Has belongings with gang symbols drawn
• on them
• Possesses excessive, unexplained cash,
• clothing or jewelry
• Has a weapon
• Develops a criminal history with police
• Flashes gang symbols
• Wears a distinguishing color, such as red
• or blue
• Withdraws from family and regular friends
• Stays out late
• Drug use
• Uses gang slang
• Has unexplained injuries stemming from fights