Norman: A wake-up call for Arlington on youth gangs

Arlington, don't ask how bad the criminal youth gang problem is in your city. It is way, way worse than you want it to be.

Be proud of the new Dallas Cowboys stadium and the coming Glorypark development. The ballpark, the Texas Rangers, Six Flags and other Arlington amenities are still grand reasons to brag.

But you'd better learn about these names also, because they are a part of your life, too: UTG (Untamed Gorillaz), BHD (Bustin Heads Daily), Lynch Mobb, FYC (a name not printable here), Infamous Asians, Latin Kings, Mexican Klan Locos, Aggtown Locos, South Side Thugs. That's a short list of Arlington criminal gangs. There are more.

No matter where you live in Arlington, do not believe that your children are immune from the influence and danger, the pervasive threat, of these youth gangs. They spread their culture of violence and crime throughout the city.

It will not stop until you make it stop.

Your school board and your new superintendent, Hector Montenegro, recognize the gang problem. They focused a large portion of their May 1 school board meeting on it and organized May 3's all-day Community Summit on Gang Intervention Strategies.

They know that something has to be done. Teachers, principals and other district employees face gang issues every day, and they have to learn how to keep themselves and their students safe. They have to learn how to begin to combat the problems that gangs bring.

Bowie High School Principal Darrell Sneed told trustees that his most dreaded time of the week comes at 8 a.m. each Monday when he meets with the police officers assigned to his school. The question to be answered at that meeting is this: What violent acts happened over the weekend that might cause reprisals at school that day or that week between gang members or their friends or relatives?

Your mayor and City Council know about crime in the city. At their meeting Tuesday, they added $2.6 million to the 2007-08 budget, in part to hire 13 more police patrol officers.

In a speech at the opening of the May 3 community summit, Mayor Robert Cluck spoke frankly: "My wish for Arlington is that we, as a community, eradicate this problem."

By the end of the day, it was clear that it will take much more than wishing. It will even take more than hiring additional police officers.

Police action -- even arrests, convictions and prison time -- doesn't stop gangs.

Lisa Womack, a former Arlington police officer who is now police chief in Elgin, Ill., said it best: "We don't want to get to the point where the first time we address a gang issue is when they are committing a crime."

Womack and Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman said repeatedly that there are three parts to a successful effort against gangs: prevention, intervention and suppression.

Suppression is when a crime has been committed and the police arrest somebody. Such people are off the street for the time being, but even if they go to prison, they're back after a few years -- further schooled by having been a member of a prison gang. Bowman said many gang members who were sent to prison during the crackdowns of the 1990s are coming back on the street today, toughened by the experience.

Prevention and intervention are the steps that can have a serious impact on gangs, and police need community help with that.

Intervention is when somebody -- a parent, a teacher, a coach, a community volunteer -- notices that a kid is going astray, hanging out with the wrong people, showing telltale signs of gang influence, and when that somebody knows enough and cares enough to say something, to pull that kid back to a better path.

Prevention can simply mean giving kids something better to do than join a gang. It can also be as complex as the myriad things needed to lower the dropout rate in our public schools.

Prevention and intervention are the steps that Arlington must take to fight gangs.

School district officials are drawing up an action plan from the suggestions that arose from the May 3 summit.

High school students at the summit, some of them former gang members, said what's needed are more after-school activities, recreation opportunities, even the chance to participate in activities other than sports, such as auto mechanics or bicycle repair. They said Arlington needs public transportation so that kids who don't have cars can get to these activities.

Arlington should be familiar with some of those suggestions. They were included in the planned spending for a proposed sales tax to provide money to fight crime. Voters turned down that idea in November.

But Arlington must find ways to make these things happen.

If we don't, we'll be making life easier for leaders of the Untamed Gorillaz, Bustin Heads Daily, Lynch Mobb, Aggtown Locos, South Side Thugs and all the other gangs that find fertile ground in Arlington.

What to watch for

Police warn parents and others to be aware of signs of potential gang involvement among young people. Their warning is very blunt: "Gang activity will lead to gang violence."

Although there is no comprehensive list of gang indicators, here are some clues:

Graffiti on book covers, bags or clothing. Watch for gang symbols, slogans or drawings on personal items.

New group of friends. Gang members hang out with gang members.

Gang colors. Specific colors of clothing, bandannas, hats, bead necklaces and beads in hair are all used to denote gang affiliation.

Shaved eyebrows or slits in eyebrows. Slits are used to represent numerical designations related to the gang.

Nicknames, street language and hand signs. Gangs use specific language and hand signs to communicate.

Discipline problems at school. Fights and other offenses against family members or others often are a part of gang life.

Unexplained income. Gang members get money from criminal activity.

Source: Arlington Police Department gang unit brochure, "Gang Awareness"

Gang-related episodes

The Arlington school district has identified 15 episodes in which its students were involved in gang violence. Only two of these events occurred in a region targeted for help under a federal grant. The episodes in which a student was killed are indicated by white circles.

1 July 2007: One student/gang member killed in shooting during gang fight at Green Oaks Boulevard and Texas 360.

2 September 2007: One student killed in shooting at Sam Houston homecoming house party in 3000 block of Prairie Hill Lane. Several students involved.

3 October 2007: Student arrested at Juan Seguin High School for bringing handgun to school.

4 November 2007: Shots fired, but no one hit, during gang fight at Seguin High after school. Many students involved; only one arrested.

5 November 2007: Gang fight among high school students at Farrell Elementary after school. Student cut and stabbed by samurai sword. Several students involved; five arrested.

6 January 2008: Gang shooting across from Bowie High School involving students from Mansfield Timberview High School.

7 January 2008: Gang retaliation shooting at apartment party in 2000 block of South Cooper Street injures one current student, one former.

8 February 2008: Retaliation fight at house party in 300 block of Pointer Place. One male former student, two females from South Grand Prairie High injured.

9 February 2008: One student and two dropouts injured in shooting after rival gang members moved into apartment complex in 2500 block of Henderson. Suspects are three dropouts. Police found an AK-47 assault rifle at the scene.

10 February 2008: Student injured in drive-by shooting at his home in 7800 block of Decoy Drive.

11 March 2008: Gang retaliation shooting at Burger King on Matlock Road, Mansfield. Shots fired into a crowd, but no one hit.

12 March 2008: Student shot after planned fight results in shots fired during a house party at 2400 block of Springridge. Multiple students involved. One student and one dropout arrested.

13 March 2008: One hour later, one dropout killed in retaliation shooting at same party. One dropout arrested and charged with murder. One current student, one dropout shot at as they drove off.

14 March 2008: One person shot during multiple gang fights at private party at Meadowbrook Recreation Center. An unknown number of students involved.

15 April 2008: Two former students wounded in drive-by shooting at Gibbins Road and Gibbins Court. The suspect is an Arlington schools dropout.

Source: Arlington school district

MAP: Gang epidosdes. STAR-TELEGRAM