Mayor's Gang Prevention & Intervention Initiative

FY 2006-2007 Proposed Budget: $1,250,000

The City of Fresno is home to over 55 validated gangs, with over 6,000 members. While the Police Department arrests over 300 gang members each month, gang related violence continues to plague the City, with 60 gang related shootings and four gang related stabbings in the first five months of this calendar year. It’s obvious that Fresno cannot arrest its way out of gang violence. Ceasing the violence takes a new approach to this community-wide problem.

The Mayor’s Gang Prevention & Intervention Initiative is a comprehensive and multifaceted effort that is based, in part, on a successful program created by the City of San Jose which has resulted in a 52% decrease in youth violence and a 67% reduction in the number of youth admitted to Juvenile Hall in that city.

This Initiative addresses the complex and multiple root factors associated with gangs, crime and violence including, but not limited to, poverty, unemployment, discrimination, substance abuse, educational failure, fragmented families, domestic abuse, internalized shame, and the feeling of powerlessness. Gang crime and gang-related violence prevention is distinct from all other violence containment or suppression. Gang crime and violence prevention efforts are proven effective when focused on empowerment, educational and economic progress, and improved life management skills while fostering healthy communities in which people can grow in dignity and safety.

For the first time, the myriad of agencies, both governmental and non-profit, providing services in the war against gangs will come together to coordinate efforts. The five cornerstones of the Initiative are:

Prevention: Equipping at-risk youth to lead productive lives with skills, through education efforts, training and proactive outreach to provide alternatives to gang affiliation, violence and drugs.

Intervention: Working directly with gang-affiliated youth, encouraging them to reject violence, crime and gang affiliation by redirecting their energies into proven positive channels.

Suppression: Proactive law enforcement to directly address crime and street gang violence.

Rehabilitation: Providing ex-offenders and ex-gang members, both male and female, with social, educational, vocational, interpersonal and parenting skills that support successful reintegration into society and reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

Employment: Providing opportunities for gainful employment, reducing the perceived need for ex-offenders to return to gangs, crime and drugs in order to provide for their basic needs.

Within the framework of the Mayor’s Gang Prevention & Intervention Initiative exists The Mayor’s Gang Task Force for Prevention and Intervention Services. The Task Force is comprised of two bodies: the Policy Team and the Technical Team. The Policy Team will include both public and private representatives from local law enforcement, education, health, social services and community organizations. The purpose of the Policy Team will be to evaluate emerging trends and set policy direction, facilitate interagency collaboration and troubleshooting, and monitor the progress of the Technical Team. The Technical Team will include social service providers, community-based organizations and the faith-based community. The purpose of the Technical Team will be to implement the Policy Team’s direction, provide direct services to youth and their families, and to serve as a youth safety net.

A primary objective of the Task Force will be to provide recommendations for services based on this coordinated approach with a focus on developing a continuum of services based on the five cornerstones. Through grassroots organizing and public/private partnerships, The Task Force will assist at-risk youth, former gang members, and ex-offenders by developing stable collaborations among youth, parents, service providers, educators, and businesses. These collaborations will divert potentially dangerous gang involvement into more positive and productive educational, employment, and developmental paths. Simultaneously, these unprecedented societal partnerships create a new generation of leaders and role models who enrich their communities and enhance their viability.

The Mayor’s Proposed FY07 Budget contains $1,150,000 for this effort. Similar to the San Jose model, the City, through the guidance and direction of the Policy Team, will contract with private, profit/non-profit and governmental entities to provide services within each of the five cornerstones.

TASK FORCE GOALS:

The Task Force is an innovative public/private partnership dedicated to reducing gang and youth violence and its debilitating effects on the City of Fresno.

The overarching goals of the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Initiative are:

Reduce the number of gang-related crimes
Reduce the level of gang membership and activity
Mobilize the community into action to ensure that youth do not join gangs
Improve Community Capacity to address crime, violence, and gang activity

Identify resources, develop strategies, and design inter-agency programs which will improve services to youth that are gang involved or at risk of gang involvement