The Project Hope Forum on Gangs

All Plainfield residents, except for a few who have their heads buried in the sand, are concerned with the recent rash of shootings in Plainfield.  So it was no surprise that a forum on the matter held this past Thursday evening (June 3, 2010) by an organization known as Project Hope drew a packed crowd.  Well over 100 people attended.  The format was a panel discussion  that included the Mayor, representatives of the Plainfield School District and the Plainfield Police Division who deal with gang issues, two Plainfield High School students (not gang members), and perhaps most interestingly, two adult gang members from the city of Newark.  These last two individuals are working to combat gang violence from within, and they had much important information to share with the public.  City Council President Annie McWilliams was in the audience along with Board of Education members Wilma Campbell, Renata Hernandez, and Rasheed Abdul Haaq.  Unless I didn’t see them due to the crowd being so large, there were regrettably no other representatives of the city government or the school district present.

One topic of discussion dealt with the fundamental issues of why some youths are attracted to gang membership.  There were no big surprises here.  The reasons include a poor family environment, lack of parental supervision, and a lack of love between parents and their children.  The need for identity and status and the lack of hope for participating in any other aspects of society also play a big role.  In addition, just living in a gang’s territory can lead to peer pressure to join, as well as the need for protection from other gangs who may assume that individuals are members of a rival gang just because of where they live.

One concern expressed was why the police don’t do more about the gang problem.  However, the police are already doing a lot more than the public generally realizes.  They know who the gang members are, where their territories are, and who is involved in gang-related violence, but they are hampered by the gangs code of no “snitching”, and the reluctance of witnesses to come forward due to fear of reprisals.  Gangs even use modern technology to their advantage by posting pictures of those who contact the police on the internet site Facebook.  Moreover, fear of going to prison is not a significant deterrent.  They can continue their gang involvement within prison without having to deal with the hassles of getting food, shelter, and medical care.

During the second half of the forum, questions and comments were invited from the public.  This resulted in a lot of intense discussion.  One concern was what a parent can do when their child becomes a gang member.  It was recommended that parents in this situation contact the police.  However, people who live in areas of gang activity have an inherent distrust of the police.  The mayor stated that parents can also contact City hall, but she did not supply any details such as whom to contact and what type of assistance they can expect.

It appears that the best chance for combating gang activity rests with the community, and one part of the community well situated to deal with the problem is the school district.  The difficulty here is that many teachers are not motivated to deal with the problem.  One youth member of the panel stated that, to start with, teachers need to have the respect of their students.  Also, both gang members on the panel stated that kids need to appreciate the importance of education and see it as leading to a better future.  Another thing the community can do is to provide more positive activities for kids after school and during their summer break.  Plainfield already has many opportunities in this respect, and perhaps these need to be better publicized to the kids on the street and their parents.

The forum concluded with thoughts on what to do next.  Many attendees suggested that a follow-up forum would help to further raise community awareness.  This would be a good second step in what appears to be a long journey.  Gangs have been around at least as long as I have, and it is unlikely that they will be eliminated as far as anybody can see into the future.  However, we need to do what we can to cool down the situation so the shooting stops before innocent people are harmed or killed.  We also need to do our best to provide a way out for those gang members who are looking for a better alternative.