Protecting the city’s youth is a top priority
CITYWIDE — While some consider them small steps, city officials — with the help of various community partners — have made discernible strides towards addressing the root causes of gang violence by providing more after-school programs, enhancing relationships between police and residents, and improving aesthetics through enhanced graffiti removal and other projects, according to a report by City Hall.
The report found that new opportunities for collaboration between action partners are emerging, creating a more coordinated and comprehensive approach. However, as opportunities arise, a number of barriers and limitations will need to be resolved by the community as a whole.
The City Council requested an update on efforts by community partners — including the school district, the chamber of commerce, the police department, neighborhood groups and the faith-based community — as part of an overall review of an action plan adopted in April 2005, following a drive-by shooting that left two dead.
A string of shootings over the summer and the death of a 15-year-old Santa Monica High School student last year prompted city officials to re-focus their attention on gang violence.
Protecting the city’s youth is expected to be of utmost interest this Wednesday, when city officials meet with residents of Sunset Park at a town hall forum to discuss crime prevention. The event will be held at Grant Elementary School at 7 p.m.and is expected to feature council members Herb Katz and Richard Bloom,Pat Brown Institute policing expert Tiffany Lim and a representative from the SMPD.
“I think what you are seeing is real grass-roots organizing and cooperation. People are really wanting to feel empowered,” said Michael Gutierrez, pastor of St. Anne’s Catholic Church, which is in talks with City Hall, the chamber and the school district on creating a new job training and teacher home-visitation program for at-risk youth.
“I think the city, really right now, is trying to work toward something that can be effective,” said Gutierrez, who has seen six of his parishioners, ages 19 to 26, die within the last two years as a result of gang violence. “There is a sense that this is happening, that there is momentum being built around this movement for change. I’m feeling good about that at this time.
State Sen. Sheila Kuehl sponsored a series of community meetings in 2005 to address youth violence. Out of those meetings came an action plan with three strategies,“Bring it home,”“Make it work,” and “Keep it safe.”
As part of the plan, city officials have completed extensive reviews of social services provided so that better coordination could be established.
Along better delivery of services, City Hall enhanced programs offered to the community with the opening of Virginia Avenue Park, according to the city staff report.
Full programming at the park began in January of 2006, offering a variety of no-cost programs to youth, adults and seniors. The Teen Center there includes a recording studio and computer lab, and with the help of the Pico Youth & Family Center, teens and young adults have also been encouraged to participate in conflict resolution and job training.
This winter, city staff will unveil the Night Bridges program for older youth, following concerns about a lack of programs for those who are out of high school and at risk of joining a gang. Night Bridges is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide life skills training to youth and parenting classes for adults. The program is expected to compliment the host of other programs funded by City Hall, which dedicates roughly $6.7 million each year to 28 nonprofits serving Santa Monica.
A key component of the action plan is education. By keeping youth in school, they are more likely to succeed later in life and remain free of negative influences.
“I’m feeling like anything can happen, like anything is possible.”
A youth resources team was formed in November to provide collaborative case management and support to youth who have been or at-risk of being incarcerated. That team includes the SMPD, Virginia Avenue Park staff, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, PYFC and principals at Olympic High School and the Community Day School, which was created in September 2005 and now serves 21 high school students who face expulsion or are returning from a juvenile detention center.
Santa Monica College continues to provide regular financial aid and college workshops at Virginia Avenue Park, Santa Monica and Olympic high schools, according to the city staff report. Additionally, SMC has partnered with John Adams Middle School to provide college visitation and field trips to encourage students to apply.
Looking to enhance communication between the SMPD and residents, city officials have continually promoted involvement by Pico residents in the police department’s Citizens Academy. Youth from John Adams Middle School were also paired with dogs at the animal shelter as part of K-9 Connection, a program that aids teens in becoming responsible members of their community by focusing on goal setting, personal accountability and personal motivation. Students train the dogs during a three-week course.
Through Academia Communidad, officers continue to interact with Spanish-speaking residents to help them become familiar with the role of law enforcement and how the SMPD functions. The program is intended to foster long-term relationships with Pico Neighborhood residents.
Officers have also held informal barbecues at Virginia Avenue Park and are currently working with city staff to develop protocol to better inform residents when there are incidents of violence in the community and when youth are arrested or interrogated at the park.
In addition, all officers received cultural competency and diversity training through the academy and the Museum of Tolerance. The SMPD has also responded to calls for more minority officers to reflect the racial make-up of the community. Since 1991, the number of Hispanic officers rose from 14 percent to 27 percent, while the number of African-American officers jumped nearly 50 percent. The number of Asian-American officers tripled.
To make neighborhoods safer, City Hall has placed greater emphasis on appearance. The City Council last year approved $250,000 in street lighting improvements for the Pico Neighborhood, adding 90 new alley lights, and another $200,000 for enhanced graffiti abatement and various alley and sidewalk repairs. Trash hauling has also been increased to keep alleys free of debris.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT A major challenge is getting other municipalities involved in a regional effort to end gang violence. Santa Monica is home to only a handful of gang members, according to police, however, the city is exposed to violence because of outsiders coming in looking for targets of their aggression.
During a town hall forum at St. Anne’s earlier this fall, representatives from Culver City and Inglewood were invited to attend, but none showed up, raising concern amongst elected officials and community members about the difficulty in collaborating with neighboring cities.
“We feel very confident about the activity to implement these strategies in Santa Monica, but the real challenge is to replicate these initiatives throughout the region,” said Jared Rivera, executive director of LA Voice, an organization that works with churches across the region on issues affecting parishioners.
Communication will be key, as will the willingness to put egos aside for the sake of the youth, said Irma Carranza of the Pico Neighborhood Association, which has recently joined with Friends of Sunset Park to better coordinate efforts.
“We really have to make sure that we, the partners, talk to each other,” Carranza said. “We just found out at a meeting two days ago that the chamber of commerce is starting a job development program. We had no idea. It would be more helpful for everyone if we all just talked with each other to see what we are doing and how we can help one another.”
Carranza said trust, or the lack thereof, is still an issue that needs to be addressed by both the community, SMPD and City Hall. However, with the arrival of new police Chief Timothy Jackman, who starts Dec. 11, Carranza is hopeful.
“There has been some progress, but we would like to see more consistent, institutional implementation to show the community there is respect and there is a willingness to collaborate,” she said. “I think the shootings this summer showed we have a lot of work to do, and with the new police chief coming in, we are excited about the opportunity for new leadership and we are looking forward to have an in-depth dialogue around what community centered policing really means.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 4, 2006. Read the original PDF.