Community ‘think tank’ to address ongoing problem
POLICE HDQRTRS. — A new approach to quelling gang violence in Santa Monica is the most comprehensive the city has seen in years, Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. said this week.
The City Council-backed plan calls for a community meeting early next year, with participants from local businesses, as well as religious and nonprofit organizations. The meeting will be directed by City Hall, and also include representatives from the police department, school district and community college.
“What I think is more comprehensive is the attempt to bring more voices to the table to discuss the issue, to actually see if responsibility for different components needed for success can be identified,” Butts said.
“Basically this is going to be a forum where different viewpoints are going to be heard, different materials are going to be put forth for people to consider. The context for the problem is going to be presented, from a policing perspective and from a community health perspective,” he added.
The eastside Santa Monica Pico neighborhood long has been the most violent and crime-plagued area of the city, and the Santa Monica Police Department has overseen a host of efforts to reduce gang activity in it.
Following a midday shooting in front of Edison Elementary this fall, Butts was the target of criticisms from some elected leaders and residents, who complained of a perceived disconnect between police and residents. The tenor of those comments changed dramatically at a meeting of the City Council last week, though some residents who praised the new plan also said it was long overdue.
“For the longest time, as far as I can remember, we’ve been talking about doing something in the Pico neighborhood. Finally were doing something about it and were not just talking about it,” said resident Ana M. Jara, one of more than a dozen members of the public to speak on the issue. “I am a believer that it does take a village to raise a child, and this is definitely the beginning of that village.”
Daniel Jordan, a resident of the Pico neighborhood for the last 48 years, agreed. Jordan said he didn’t want the current Pico youths to repeat mistakes he made.
“I’ve been to the state, been through the county, been through all the systems — federal, state, county — did all that,” Jordan said. “I come back to my neighborhood, been away for years, I come back and it hurts me. It hurts me... If you listen to these kids, they’re crying for help. They don’t have anybody to go to.
“I’m asking you guys as a City Council, what are you guys going to do? How are you going to help my youth? Stop giving them a negative, think of a positive to give them,” he added.
Others who spoke to the council had a different message. Darrell Goode, a representative from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), said his group frequently logs complaints about police officers in Venice and Los Angeles, but rarely do they receive negative comments about Santa Monica officers. Still, Goode said gang violence needs to be addressed.
“I grew up in this community,” Goode added. “I’ve been here all this time and it’s sad — I’ve forgotten many of the names of the funerals I’ve gone to. It’s been so many.”
The City Council set aside $10,000 to host the community working session sometime in late January or early February, according to city documents. The next steps to be taken towards reducing gang violence in Santa Monica will be hammered out then. Community leaders agreed the issue needs to be approached on every possible level, including parenting, early childhood education, nutrition and addressing poverty.
“I really see this is as an important step forward,” City Councilman Richard Bloom said. “This is extraordinary for the community to coalesce around a common agenda and I hope that that is what happens. There’s always potential in a process like this that division can occur and I think it’s really important for us all to commit here tonight to work together to end this problem, because we won’t end it if we end up being divided on it.”
No matter how much the city and police do, parents and children need to take responsibility for their own actions, City Councilman Herb Katz said. Katz also emphasized his support for creating more jobs, pointing out he has had paying work since the age of 12, which kept him on “the straight and narrow.”
City Councilman Kevin McKeown took the opportunity to push for more affordable housing, saying the city’s poorest residents are being forced out of Santa Monica due to escalating rents.
“We have to understand that by the time a young man is on the street holding a gun, we’ve already not done our job,” he said. “Look at the demographics of how we’ve lost Latino and black youths in the last census period. It’s clear we’ve been failing to provide the housing they need to remain in their own community.”
After suggesting that one person be appointed to oversee the issue, City Councilman Bob Holbrook praised work already being done by Santa Monica police. The department operates under what’s called a “Neighborhood-Centered Policing” model, with high-ranking officers assigned to work with specific neighborhoods. Holbrook said the proposed plan for a community meeting, detailed in a staff report prepared by City Manager Susan McCarthy, would build upon the department’s ongoing efforts.
“Many people in the community believe that gang violence and related crime has been the job of the police department... and this report talks about and discusses all the ramifications that can cause gang violence,” Holbrook said. “It really talks I think about a fresh start. Let’s all start (at) the same place. We’re trying to solve this problem. It’s not in the Pico neighborhood. It’s in our Pico neighborhood.”
McCarthy agreed to assume the role of point person of what she called a gang violence “think tank,” adding the city will try to coordinate efforts with State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, who also plans to host a meeting on the issue. One challenge, McCarthy noted, will be sustaining interest.
“There is no single entity or individual or organization that can make an impact on something that is a broader societal problem,” she said. “This is an effort to tap the knowledge and the energy of the broader community, which is what it’s going to take to make it end here.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 23, 2004. Read the original PDF.