Gangs are more than the graffiti on the wall.
Gangs are a culture of drugs and alcohol, violence, intimidation and retaliation.
That’s what Det. Shannon Todd and Det. Lisa Schwerin of the Newark Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team taught the Citizen Police Academy last Wednesday.
The Special Enforcement Team’s main focus is to suppress gangs and narcotics.
So what kinds of gangs are there in Newark?
The most active gangs in Newark, much like the rest of the Tri-City, are Norteno gangs that associate with the color red and the number 14.
There are two sets of Norteno gangs in town: Young Newark Locos and Crazy Newark Pitz (CNP). Most Norteno gang members are Hispanic, but it is not uncommon to see someone of a different race in a Norteno gang.
Some Sureno gangs are in the Tri-City, particularly in Fremont. Some known sets are the Psycho Wicked Surenas, an all-girl gang, and the Surenos Pocos Locos. Surenos associate with the color blue and the number 13.
The rivalry between the Sureno and Nortenos stems back to prison days when southerners (or Surenos) formed the Mexican Mafia. To retaliate, the northerners (or Nortenos) formed Nuestra Familia, which means "Our Family" in Spanish.
Bakersfield is the general line between the territories of the Surenos and Nortenos. Most Hispanic gangs from Northern California are thus associated with Nortenos while gangs south of Bakersfield are more likely to be Sureno gangs, officers said.
There are many reasons behind why people join gangs. Some possible reasons are learning disabilities, school failure and truancy, having no involvement in positive activities outside of school, having friends or peers who are delinquent, involvement in petty theft and behavioral disorders at a young age and coming from a low-income home.
Officers said that parents play the most “pivotal role” in keeping children away from gangs and that support from families, schools and police is needed to deal with gang issues.
Gang members often listen to gang-influenced music and watch gang-related videos and movies, and officers urge parents to look for these kinds of signs if gang activity is expected.
The community can get involved is by removing or reporting graffiti. Volunteers with the Graffiti Abatement team are often known for getting rid of the writings on the walls. Email anti.graffiti@newark.org to learn how you can join their efforts.
Police also encourage residents to report suspicious activities, suspicious people loitering and questionable activities, particularly in parks such asand parks.
To report problems, call 510-578-4237. Anonymous tips can be called into the police department’s Anonymous Tip Hotline can call 510-578-4965.
The general attitude toward the gang situation was that it wasn’t a major problem because it affected only “those people” in “those areas.” Although this was not a complete or accurate picture, it was a commonly held belief and it enabled a large section of society to look the other way and not deal with the issue. It’s not an easy thing for many communities to admit they have a gang problem. It can damage the reputation of the community or city, create a negative stigma and even affect property values. No one wants it in their backyard. The most responsible and effective measure is to accurately assess the problem. http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/gazette/vol70n2/gang-bande-prob-eng.htm
In those days, Newark had the lowest vandalism rate for any city it's size in the state of California,- MUCH lower,- and we were proud of it. The cost of insurance for school districts was climbing rapidly in those days. The city of Newark had the lowest rate of juvenile crime for any city near it's size back then, and we were proud of it. Look up those facts and see it for yourself. Wealthier cities had families who could afford to give their kids more, and sometimes that "more" was money to experiment with drugs, etc. When the lake and other areas of higher income went in, the crime and vandalism rates in Newark rose. Of course it was blamed on the low income sections right up until our school superintendent and chief of police pointed out that it was the kids from more affluent families causing the problems. They were the ones able to provide their kids with BB guns to shoot the ducks on the lake with, sometimes missing and blowing holes in someones windows and damaging cars, etc. And it was those kids who had the wherewithal to buy "pot" and other drugs. Most of these studies and reports kind of ignore facts like that.
You have to spend a lot of money to do these things. Where is the money coming from?
2002 Certificates of Participation On August 1, 2002, $9,925,000 principal amount of Certificates of Participation (COPs), 2002 Silliman Community Activity Center/Old Town Fire Station Project, were issued to fund construction of the swim facility at the Activity Center and a fire station in the Old Town area. Lease payments are due annually on June 1 until June 1, 2032. Interest at rates of 2.0-5.0% are payable semi-annually on June 1 and December 1. 1998 Certificates of Participation On June 1, 1998, $5,000,000 principal amount of Certificates of Participation (COPs), George M. Silliman Community Activity Center Project, were issued to finance the acquisition of land and construction of the Activity Center. Lease payments are due annually on June 1 through June 1, 2027. Interest at rates of 5.0% are payable semi-annually on June 1 and December 1.
Today you will be hard pressed to find any job outside of the trades that doesn't require a degree.
Rick, I consider you a very good family man, excellent father, and the potential to be a leader in school affairs. I did not vote for you for city council because you seem to be concentrating your efforts on school affairs which come under the School District,- not City Government. In addition, I don't see much in the way of recognition for the far way this city has come , nor do I see any positive steps you would take to find ways to improve on the good things. It wasn't that long ago that the section of Mayhews from Cherry St to the rr tracks was nothing but a mud hole, and the same is true of other residential streets. Major improvements were made. Those things are the affairs of the city. We used to have to go to Fremont or Hayward to shop. Dave Smiths administration brought us a shoping center and new business.
I have not passed judgment on years passed at all. I question a City Council that I have seen in the past 2 years.discuss any issue for more then 5 minutes and never voted against the town managers recommendation. To quote Adlai Stevenson "Our indictment of this Administration is not with a lack of loyalty, but with a lack of judgment; not with the absence of good intentions, but with a failure of foresight"
I have never indicated that I think more police could solve the criminal activity in Newark and to the best of my knowledge neither Sucy nor Luis think that way. All thhree of us are strong advocates of an active Neighborhood Watch Program to support a fully staffed police department to prevent crime as opposed to trying to solve crimes after the fact. Since I know how much you care about these things I assume that you have an active neighborhood watch program in your neighborhood.Do I assume correctly? I do read CCGPN and for the most part agree. Well gee whiz Rick,- would you rather see the city council sit and argue with each other for a few hours at meetings, instead of agreeing with the City Managers recommendations? Those recommendations usually involve a great deal of study of the situations, not just something pulled out of a hat. The council knows what's on the agenda, study the issues themselves, and vote accordingly. What's wrong with that? It's a given also that hindsight works more effectively than foresight. I wonder if Adlai Stevenson knew that.
for the record, when I see cost estimates I usually mentally double them for two reasons. By the time the work gets started, the costs have gone up, up, up! And being paid by the taxpayer who everyone knows has a never ending supply of money to dip into (ha ha), the bids automatically are higher than a business would have to pay for the same thing. At least that's the way it seems to me.