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October 19, 2007
Residents of North Richmond neighborhood updated on gangs
WWBT-12 has details on a meeting between city officials and residents of the Providence Park community (located east of Chamberlayne and Laburnum in Highland Park). Police report that there are some 650 members of 50 different gangs in Richmond, and some of those gangs may have played a role in at least two violent incidents that made headlines recently. From the news report:
Dozens of neighbors from Richmond’s Providence Park neighborhood got a frightening lesson on the gang activity that’s taking place right in their own backyards.
At a public meeting yesterday, Richmond police said there are 50 gangs in the metro area, with no fewer than 650 members total. The meeting comes in the wake of two violent incidents in the Northside neighborhood.
Police told parents it was up to them to keep their children from joining a gang.
Richmond police increased their patrols in the city last week - a move they say has decreased crime in Providence Park.
Officers at the meeting encouraged neighbors to be their eyes and ears and to committed to reporting suspicious activity to the proper authorities.
Richmond has a gang problem. This should not be news to anyone.
Although gang activity might be responsible for more than its fair share of criminal activity in the city, particularly street crimes, many of the serious violent or property crimes are simply not gang related (and a good proportion of the violence that occurs by gangs is between gangs).
The only ones that can prevent young people from being seduced by gang membership are parents or familial authority figures in a child’s life. The police and indeed the criminal justice system and most “other” authority figures are nearly completely ineffective in preventing a child/juvenile from joining gangs.
Likewise, the only people who can really affect crime rates are the residents of Richmond. The police have some effect, but its small and not nearly as much as most people think.
If you don’t believe me, consider this fact: Across the country the average police officer in an urban police department spends less than 40% of his/her time on crime patrol and in many departments, it is as low as 10%.
There are many reasons why this is (paperwork, regular training, 3-shifts per day, etc…) and you can be sure that the average RPD officer fits these numbers.
It justs sounds like you want to write off the troubled youth in Richmond as hopeless! There are many ways the community with the family can help young people turn away from gangs.
I love my city too much not to be involved.
Not writing them off at all. Sure there are many ways to try to help, and I am all for it, but you have to realize just how little the overall effect that help has on turning juveniles away from gangs.
Overwhelmingly, those who turn to gangs come from single parent households, particularly female headed.
Sadly, those single mothers also tend to be paid much less (compared to men) for their work, be more socially isolated and marginalized, and often have more trouble handling/parenting a male juvenile child.
I applaud that you are involved and I wish that more people were. I too am involved, but in a diff way.
And it’s certainly not “unneeded”. It’s just that when we are talking about what best prevents children from turning toward gang life, OVERWHELMINGLY, it is having a strong parent/parents that are committed to rearing and properly socializing their children.
This is not to say that the parents of juvey gang members do not care or love their children, they most certainly do. It’s just that they tend to come from less advantaged neighborhoods in Richmond, are working harder and longer for far less pay (and thus are not around to stop the child from the seduction of gang membership), and simply just do not have the resources.
I hope you realize how seductive gang life is to juveniles. They turn to it because it offers up protection on the street, the promise of familial bonds that might be lacking in their home lives, and the lure can simply be thrilling. But the downside is once a juvenile is in its grip, it’s very hard to get them back before they run afoul of the law.
I see you have thought this out quite a bit. And we agree on many points. You are right - the family is key.
Regardless, I see your stance as a giving up. Do you have direct experience with at risk youth? Or with youth at all? Are you a parent?
People are people. There is no guarantee that a child will turn out the way you want him or her to, no matter the environment. Juvenile crime is not just a problem for poor urban areas. The biggest heroin bust ever in this city was in a rich west end neighborhood at Goodman high school.
I think why I keep writing back is because your tone seems to suggest that youth violence is inevitable and in great proportions in the city.
I disagree. We have millions of children in this city, and only a few offenders. Yes, this is dangerous and to be noted!! But, most people tend to overlook to success stories. I have lived in a “high crime area” of the city for 15 years and I have seen so much progress, simply because the people here care.
However, I do think we just experienced a “mini” gang feud. We can use this opportunity to communicate with and protect children. And our communities.
Though it might sound like I am giving up, I’m not. I am just well versed in crime issues in general and in Richmond, particularly. I work in a profession that deals with these issues directly. No, I am not a parent, just an uncle, but I have had extensive dealings with at-risk youth (and criminal adults) over the past 15 years and the social problems that they face.
I see your point as well concerning the success stories. I know there are numerous success stories in Richmond and around the country, but overall it still pales to those who get caught up in gang life or street crime, which either leads to their death or prison and this is the sad reality of it all.
You are exactly right, however, there are no guarantees about children and how they’ll turn out, irrespective of economic status or family structure etc…, but low socioeconomic and single parent households are the most at risk of having their children succumb to gang membership and the violence associated with street life.
This is simply fact. One that many of us, including you I see, want badly to change, and indeed, work very hard to change.
But you make a great point about juveniles in the west end. Crime is certainly not limited to poor neighborhoods. It knows no age limits, geographic, race, gender, or economic boundaries.
Yet, while nearly all juveniles are involved in some sort of crime at some point (they are deviant not to be), including status offenses (such as drinking smoking, breaking curfews, etc…) and actual criminal activity (burglaries, robberies etc…), overwhelmingly, they grow out of it when they enter adulthood.
You might be surprised to know that a bit over 50% of the violent and serious crime in the US is committed by those under 30 years old, with juveniles responsible for much of that 50%. In fact, anywhere between 50 and 60% of all crimes by juveniles are committed by only about 7% of juveniles with 3% being responsible for upwards of 70% of all serious violent felonies.
Thus, while juvenile crime is widespread, affecting nearly every juvenile at some point, only a small percentage are the kind of active, repeat offenders that need help the most.
Thank you for the thoughful reply.
My pleasure. I appreciate your thoughts on the matter, they were insigtful.
We can continue this conversation the next crime incident that makes the NRN.