Provo set to unite against gangs
That was the message from numerous city government, school and law enforcement officials during a meeting Wednesday night at the Provo City Library.
Three dozen citizens and representatives, fed up with Provo's growing gang population, assembled to organize a gang reduction program sculpted after a federally established model. Cut out its complexities, boil it down and the five-year-old organizational model that Provo aims to emulate plainly charges state and private agencies to stop battling gangs on their own and to unite in a collective campaign against organized youth crime.
Societal bodies that supervise these troubled 10- to 24-year-olds right now are counterproductive to one another, said Bill Young, Orem police sergeant and Utah County gang specialist.
"I'm not saying that juvenile courts are to blame, but we have a dichotomy here where schools, police and courts aren't on the same page with these kids," he said.
Troubled youth, who are lost when they bounce separately from church assistance to school support to juvenile courts, may be tracked soon as they are guided through these partnerships.
Although at least a dozen different agencies turned up in support, only a handful of curious citizens attended the meeting.
"Some aren't taking this seriously," said Koki Cline, gang prevention coordinator for Provo School District. "I didn't either at one time. I used to make fun of Provo gangs."
His feelings, however, have changed since he's seen what local gangs are doing.
"It's serious," he said. "They are out there — right now — beating and shooting each other up, right here in Provo."
Gang denial is beginning to wane in Happy Valley and folks are starting to see the signs — literally.
"People are waking up," Karza said. "They are realizing all the graffiti means something and that gangs are here."
Provo may not be as gang ripe as other parts of the county, or even some parts of the state, but gang specialist and Saratoga Springs Detective Bruce Champagne put it in perspective by dropping startling statistics about Provo's culture being a nurturing ground for some deadly gangs.
"Provo has been known to be the jumping off point for a few of the state's most serious gangs," he said. "They can fly under the radar here."
What are they up to? Selling drugs and recruiting.
"A shotcaller (gang leader) once told me they are just in their preparation stages now," Champagne said. "They are gathering more members so they can wage war on other gangs later."
Karza and other leader said they hoped to get things off the ground by this summer but still need to work through a lot of the program's details, including the difficult part of funding it.
Congressionally enacted 34 years ago, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention was challenged to improve juvenile policies and practices. And last year it awarded a portion of $258 million to 13 U.S. cities for similar gang control.
"We just hope they see Provo as serious as it is," Karza said.
E-mail: jhancock@desnews.com
Recent comments
What are the demographics of these "gangs" in Provo and Utah Valley?
Omar | March 13, 2008 at 10:11 a.m.
They aren't here now. They've been here since I started teaching…
Provo Teacher | March 13, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
