The problem to be addressed here is that of the increased amount of gang violence in Pueblo, Colorado in 2014-2015, but more specifically the involvement of juveniles participating in gang activity. Recent gang violence has resulted in seven of the thirteen homicides, and 94 of the 164 shootings in Pueblo in 2015. It has also been blamed for a number of drive-by shootings and other criminal activity. It is well known that throughout the country, juveniles are involved in gang activity. Pueblo, Colorado is no exception.
Pueblo, Colorado is in the south central area of the state. As of July 1, 2014, the estimated population of the city of Pueblo, Colorado was a little over 108,000, and according to the 2010 census, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino population was 49.8%.
Pueblo was once home to CF&I steel, which for many years was a major employer for the citizens in the area. Because of economic, political, and union issues, which will not be discussed here, many of the steel mills closed leading to increased unemployment among the population. The economy of Pueblo has not completely recovered after several years. While much has been done to improve the quality of life in the city, economic problems subsist. As of 2013, estimates of those living with an income below the poverty level in Pueblo was 17.8% compared to 9.3% statewide.
The first, and most important, is that juveniles deserve better than to be exposed to gangs and gang activity, and thereby, criminal activity. They deserve to grow up in a family in which gang behavior is not a part of their “heritage.” They deserve a life that does not “educate” them in the gang experience. They deserve a quality education. They deserve the right to play basketball in a park, or walk home from school without being threatened to be “jumped in.” They deserve to be able to go to a welcoming, warm home after playing in that park, where they can enjoy a decent meal, a family who loves them and supports them, and not be exposed to guns, drugs, and violence. They deserve their youth and childhood. They deserve the right to be a kid.
The second prong of the problem follows. Citizens deserve the right to feel safe in their own neighborhoods. They deserve the right to take a walk down their own street, walk their dog in the park, especially in the summer, which seems to be the peak season for gang violence, without the fear of becoming the victim of a drive-by shooting. They deserve to feel that they and their children will remain safe, not only in their homes and neighborhoods, but during a family outing, such as attending the Colorado State Fair which at least for now, has its home in Pueblo.
Change needs to come in the way of reaching out to youth in order to deter them from the temptation of gang activity. Change needs to come in the way of the citizenry getting more involved in the solution. If citizens are concerned, and rightly so, they need to be more pro-active in working with the resources within the community to find solutions to counter the problems. Change needs to come within the city government and police department. Instead of pointing fingers at one another, they must find ways to work together to combat the problem of gang activity, but more importantly, to address the problem of juveniles involved.
There are dozens of questions that may be asked by those who are looking from the outside. Such as: Why do juveniles become involved in gangs? What can be done to discourage juveniles from joining gangs? Why is gang activity suddenly on the increase? Is it due to the strain theory, such as hopelessness and poverty levels as mentioned above? Is it due to social learning or perhaps social and peer influence? Is it because of increased family dissociation? Why do juveniles become involved in gangs? What can be done to discourage juveniles from joining gangs?
What can the community do to curtail gang activity? Is the community doing enough? How can the community be encouraged to do more, and become more involved? Are the schools doing enough? Are the schools doing anything? Are higher drop-out rates, and therefore the school systems partly to blame?
What are the police doing about the situation? Are the police doing enough, and do law enforcement agencies in Pueblo have the available resources to “do enough?
Some answers to these questions follow, and many will remain unanswered. One obvious answer as to why youth become involved with gangs, is that is the only life they’ve ever known. Many come from homes in which at least one parent is a current gang member. A recent article by Christina Dawidowicz addresses the problem of youth in gangs, the reason for youth involvement, and possible interventions. It speaks to the experiences of a former gang member, Mark Salazar, and Chad Jeffries, a detective with the Pueblo Police Department and Task Force officer with the Southern Colorado Safe Streets Task Force. According to the article, Salazar, a former gang member, explains that “For many kids, it’s the only way of life they know, a culture many are born into” (Dawidowicz, n.p.). And according to Jeffries, quoted in the same article, “ but some of them, their entire family’s been involved in criminal street gangs.”
If the community is really sincere about the problem of youth involvement in gangs, the citizens must take a stand, and be pro-active, instead of just sitting back and complaining about the problem. In the article mentioned above, “Jeffries said the issue with street gangs is not a police department issue, but a city-wide problem. He said to solve it, the community needs to work together” (Dawidowicz, n.p.).
Additionally, the Pueblo police department is experiencing problems in dealing with the increasing gang activity. A report by Kyla Galer (n.p.) indicates that a number of police recruits are resigning before ever being assigned to the force. She writes, “As of last week, four have officially resigned, andone more recruit is contemplating whether or not to continue.” This of course, results in money spent by the city to train recruits which will not be realized in man-power. With less law enforcement man-power, the department is finding itself spread too thin to combat the increase in gang activity. Gayler writes, “Police support the DA’s proposal for a half-cent sales tax that would go towards hiring more officers. But with months and months of training before recruits hit the streets, that only helps Pueblo in the long run, not right now” (n.p.)
The Pueblo Chief of Police has also recently come under fire. Either late in 2015, or early 2016 (no date was specified), Chief Velez received a “no confidence” vote by members of the police union, according to a report by KKTV.com (n.p.) It cites a rebuttal dated January 8, 2016, by the union to Velez’s response. The rebuttal states, “We would like to point out that the gang problem in Pueblo has been here since the early 1990’s. However, we agree that recently the problem has become worse. The decision by Chief Velez to reduce the four man gang unit to a single Detective in the Pueblo Police Department Gang Unit has certainly not been in the best interest of public safety.” (Velez, incidentally, resigned as Chief from the Colorado Springs Police Department after a no confidence vote five years ago).
Thus some of the questions above have been addressed, but certainly not answered altogether satisfactorily.
Alinsky’s Twelfth rule states, “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. You cannot risk being trapped by the enemy in his sudden agreement with your demand and saying ‘You’re right-we don’t know what to do about this issue. Now you tell us’” (130).
If families, the community, including schools, the police and local government wish to “attack” the problem of juveniles involved in gang activity, they must come up with better solutions than are being implemented at the present. All must work together to “brainstorm” to develop solutions that are viable and legitimate.
While there is no real “enemy” to the problem, it could be conceived that the foe is that of apathy, or those that want to see others take responsibility for solutions to the problem. Those involved cannot just sit back and say to each other, “You’re right-we don’t know what to do about the issue.” All parties must be pro-active in finding realistic and successful ways in which to combat the enemy, which in this case, is a senseless waste of youth and potential.
Works Cited
Alinsky, Saul D. Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic (Practical) Primer for Realistic Radicals. New York: Random House, 1971. Print.
CityData.com. Poverty Rates in Pueblo, CO, 2013. Web.
Dawidowicz, Christina. SPECIAL REPORT: Street Gangs Growing Problem in Pueblo. Colorado Springs: Fox21.com, 2105. Web.
Galer, Kyla. Pueblo PD Sees Unusually High Number of Recruits Resign. Colorado Springs: KKTV.com, 2016. Web.
KKTV.com. Local Police Union Responds to Pueblo Chief. Colorado Springs: KKTV.com, 2016. Web.
U. S. Census Bureau Quick Facts. Pueblo (city), Colorado, 2015. Web.
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