Legislature(2005 - 2006)Anch LIO Conf Rm
10/24/2006 10:00 AM House JUDICIARY
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Gangs in Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
Anchorage, Alaska
October 24, 2006
10:12 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Lesil McGuire, Chair
Representative Tom Anderson
Representative John Coghill
Representative Pete Kott (via teleconference)
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Les Gara
Representative Max Gruenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Nancy Dahlstrom
Representative Bob Lynn
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: GANGS IN ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
PHILIP TAHTAKRAN, Staff
to Adam B. Schiff
Congressman
U.S. House of Representatives
(Address not provided)
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments and responded to
questions during the overview regarding gangs in Alaska.
GARDNER COBB, Captain
Anchorage Police Department (APD)
Municipality of Anchorage (MOA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments and responded to
questions during the overview regarding gangs in Alaska.
PAUL HONEMAN, Lieutenant
Anchorage Police Department (APD)
Municipality of Anchorage (MOA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments and responded to
questions during the overview regarding gangs in Alaska.
DEAN R. WILLIAMS, Member
Community Youth Violence Gang Response Team ("the Team")
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments and responded to
questions during the overview regarding gangs in Alaska.
MAO TOSI, Founder
Poly Pride Club
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments and responded to
questions during the overview regarding gangs in Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR LESIL McGUIRE called the House Judiciary Standing
Committee meeting to order at 10:12:43 AM. Representatives
McGuire, Anderson, Wilson, Coghill, Kott (via teleconference),
and Gara were present at the call to order. Representative
Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in progress.
Representatives Dahlstrom and Lynn were also in attendance.
^OVERVIEW: Gangs in Alaska
10:12:52 AM
CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the only order of business would be
the overview regarding gangs in Alaska. Specifically the
committee would hear about the various efforts currently
underway to deal with gang violence, and about the state's role
in addressing this issue.
10:14:25 AM
PHILIP TAHTAKRAN, Staff to Adam B. Schiff, Congressman, U.S.
House of Representatives, relayed that as Legislative Director
and counsel to Congressman Schiff, who represents a number of
communities in the Los Angels area, he has had the opportunity
to examine the issue of gang violence and work on legislation
that will crack down on criminal street gangs, which continue to
proliferate in communities across the country. In the city of
Los Angeles, there are more than 700 gangs with a combined
membership of over 39,000 individuals, and during the last five
years, there were over 40,000 violent gang-related crimes,
including close to 1,500 homicides and over 15,000 felony
assaults; in the last few years the Los Angeles area has
experienced an epidemic of youth violence that is rapidly
spreading from the inner cities to the suburbs.
MR. TAHTAKRAN said that [a 2002 national survey] estimated that
there are over 731,000 gang members in 21,500 gangs in over
2,000 major cities across the United States. Although concerns
about gangs and gang-related violence were initially isolated to
inner-city urban areas, the concerns today have shifted to
include violent gang activities that have moved into rural and
suburban areas; the increased activity and migration of violent
California-based gangs have only heightened these concerns about
the spread of gangs. One of the most notorious of these gangs
has now surfaced up and down the East Coast of the nation, in
areas such as Long Island, New York, the Washington D.C. area,
and even Charlotte, North Caroline.
MR. TAHTAKRAN said that although gang-related crime has
traditionally been a state and local law enforcement issue, with
the federal role limited to grant programs to state and local
law enforcement and community-based agencies, as gangs continue
to migrate geographically, increase in sophistication, and
expand the types the illegal activities they engage in - such as
money laundering and complex drug enterprises - Congress has
expressed new interest in the issue. Recognizing that the gang
problem is no longer a local issue but a national one requiring
a national strategy, anti-gang legislation has been introduced
in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
MR. TAHTAKRAN mentioned that one such piece of legislation
introduced by Congressman Schiff - H.R. 970, the Gang Prevention
and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005 - is a bipartisan bill
intended to increase gang prosecution and prevention efforts by
bringing together federal, state, and local law enforcement,
providing them with new tools to combat gang violence, and
making available new funds to keep kids out of gangs to begin
with. He relayed that this legislation is virtually identical
to legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Feinstein and Hatch
in the last Congress that has since been reintroduced.
MR. TAHTAKRAN explained that street gangs are increasingly
focusing on "full service" criminal enterprises in the
neighborhoods where they reside, showing increasing levels of
sophistication, and exhibiting characteristics common to
organized crime. Since gangs will likely continue to expand
their criminal enterprises in new ways and places throughout the
country, new and creative ways to attack this problem are
required. In 2002, the city of Los Angeles announced that it
would begin going after street gangs in the same way law
enforcement brought down traditional organized crime figures
using the federal racketeering statute, RICO - Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Title IX of the
federal Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 - to its full
capacity.
MR. TAHTAKRAN noted that the RICO was designed to prosecute
organized crime, with mafia-style organizations in mind, and
that the Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005
would create a similar tool, but one tailored specifically to
violent street gangs by criminalizing violent crimes in
furtherance or in aid of criminal street gangs. The most
lucrative criminal enterprise for street gangs has been the
retail distribution of illicit narcotics, and the aforementioned
legislation would attack this aspect of the problem by making
murder and other violent crimes committed in connection with
drug trafficking a federal crime. Street gangs also engage in a
host of other criminal endeavors, and the use of firearms is a
major feature of gang-related violence, with gang members far
more likely than other delinquents to carry and use guns; the
aforementioned legislation increases penalties for criminal use
of firearms during crimes of violence and drug trafficking.
MR. TAHTAKRAN said that the legislation also allows for the
detention of persons charged with firearm [crimes] who have been
previously convicted of crimes of violence or serious drug
offenses. These new federal crimes and tougher sentences are
aimed at deterring violent gang-related crime, and at
encouraging greater cooperation between prosecutors and gang
members who are facing long jail sentences, such that this
cooperation could lead to the identification, arrest, and
prosecution of other gang members. These are important steps
towards successfully tearing down criminal gang networks, and
they are strongly supported by a host of law enforcement
officials who are seeking tougher sentences as a way of stopping
gang-related violence.
MR. TAHTAKRAN said that unfortunately, gangs have strong links
to the nation's youth; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
has reported that 819 juvenile gang-related killings occurred in
2003 - up from 580 several years before - and law enforcement
agencies report that the problem is getting worse. The nation's
youth are being held hostage by gangs; gang involvement takes a
heavy toll on adolescent social development and life-course
experiences, with the end result often being continued
involvement in criminal activity throughout adolescence and into
adulthood. In order to prosecute an entire gang, it is
sometimes necessary to prosecute multiple defendants in the same
case, including juvenile gang members. The aforementioned
legislation proposes a limited reform of the juvenile justice
system (JJS) in order to facilitate federal prosecution of 16-
and 17-year-old gang members who commit serious acts of
violence.
MR. TAHTAKRAN relayed that the legislation also provides more
resources to bolster the fight against gangs and attack the
problem at its root; H.R. 970 authorizes approximately $650
million over the next five years to support federal, state, and
local law enforcement efforts against violent gangs, including
the funding of witness protection programs and intervention and
prevention programs for at-risk youth. Funding for federal
prosecutors and FBI agents is also increased under H.R. 970 so
that coordinated efforts against violent gangs can be improved.
MR. TAHTAKRAN said that Congressman Schiff strongly believes
that tough deterrence and enforcement measures must also be
coupled with crucial prevention provisions, and that "we can pay
now or we can pay later." A small amount of prevention funding
invested now can save a lot down the road. Consider that when a
juvenile is incarcerated in California, for example, it costs
the state $90,000 per year; investing a small amount on the
front end in tested, research-based programs that keep kids out
of trouble makes a lot of sense, both in terms of dollars saved
and lives saved. Although Congress has acted on anti-gang
legislation, there is hope that in the near future further
comprehensive anti-gang legislation can be agreed upon and
enacted.
10:23:56 AM
MR. TAHTAKRAN, in response to questions, said that H.R. 970 is
tailored towards existing prevention programs, though states may
apply for grants for programs that have demonstrated results -
the emphasis on the national level is that such funding be given
to tested, research-based programs; that he is not familiar with
the specific use of counseling to divert children from gang-
related activities, however the benefits of reaching youth of
middle-school age is strongly supported by evidence; and that
[states] must rely upon the experts to decide which programs are
working and have demonstrated results.
CHAIR McGUIRE remarked that prevention programs often face a
lack of future funding regardless of the benefits they provide.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG raised the issue of possibly providing
tax incentives to law enforcement personnel who buy homes and
then live in neighborhoods with a high incidence of gang-related
activity.
MR. TAHTAKRAN, in response to questions, relayed that he would
provide members with additional information on the Gang
Resistance Education and Training Projects Program, and that
research regarding early childhood development has not been
specifically tailored to find links to gang-related activity.
10:36:54 AM
GARDNER COBB, Captain, Anchorage Police Department (APD),
Municipality of Anchorage (MOA), highlighted his past and
current duties with the APD, and made use of a PowerPoint
presentation to illustrate information about the nationwide gang
problem, common definitions, a history of [Anchorage's] gang
problem and what it looks like today, some concerns about the
current responses being undertaken, and some possible solutions.
Referring to the PowerPoint's illustration of statistics
provided by the FBI's 2005 congressional testimony, he noted
that those statistics have given rise to concerns at the APD
regarding the levels of violence and sophistication of weapons,
and the number of rounds being exchanged between different
groups.
MR. COBB pointed out that although there is a state definition
of what constitutes a gang, under that definition a girls'
soccer team could qualify; the difference between a girls'
soccer team and a street gang, he surmised, is that a street
gang demonstrates a pattern of criminal activity. The federal
definition of a street gang is very similar to the state
definition, but there is no definition - either state or federal
- that defines exactly what a gang member is. The APD's Intel
Unit has looked at different policies and criteria from around
the country, and has tied these into possible criminal activity
in order to "validate" gang members or gang associates.
MR. COBB explained that the term, "gang-related" refers to any
crime that involves a gang member or gang associate - regardless
of whether he/she is a victim, a suspect, or a witness; whereas
the term, "gang-motivated" refers to a crime committed for the
benefit of the group. Anchorage, for the most part, experiences
gang-related crime, which is engendered by the same things that
youth have been fighting over for years; the difference now is
that the participants are not finding simple resolutions any
more and are instead simply resorting to gunfire. He then
indicated that his PowerPoint presentation was illustrating some
of the different gangs operating nationwide, gangs that local
groups in Anchorage are claiming allegiance to or affiliation
with, and mentioned that many gangs start recruiting new members
at the middle-school level. Sometimes recruitment is the result
of an older gang member coming to Alaska and actively seeking
new members, and sometimes it is the result of local youth
getting involved in gangs while in middle school.
10:44:21 AM
PAUL HONEMAN, Lieutenant, Anchorage Police Department (APD),
Municipality of Anchorage (MOA), in response to a question,
relayed that under state law, someone under the age of 16 cannot
be in possession of a firearm unless he/she is with a parent,
and that under federal law, licensed gun retailers and dealers
can't sell firearms to anyone under the age of 21.
MR. COBB said his position is that the APD is not concerned
about law abiding citizens having guns, but is very concerned
about youth and others involved in a gang lifestyle having guns;
the APD feels it would be nice if it had the latitude within the
city limits to ensure that such people can't get anywhere near
guns of any kind.
MR. COBB spoke briefly about the types of gangs present in
Anchorage, and gave members time to read some of the slides in
his PowerPoint presentation. He said the APD doesn't use the
term "wanabe" because one is either a gang member or a gang
associate or one is not. Every city with a population of over
250,000 has a gang problem, most similar to Anchorage's. He
indicated that "Intel" is very important, allowing the APD to
know what groups are out there, who members are, and who
leadership is. The APD's primary mission is suppression, and
although intervention and prevention is an important part in the
solution, the APD must "get these thugs, that have no regard for
human life, off the streets, out of the community, for a
considerable amount of time so the intervention/prevention part
of it can work," he added.
MR. COBB, in response to a question, opined that the majority of
intervention/prevention efforts should begin early, particularly
given that he has seen gang recruitment occurring at the
elementary school level; by the time most kids who've been
recruited as gang members reach high school, they are set in
their behavior patterns and only a life changing event can break
those patterns.
MR. HONEMAN added that community condemnation of gangs is one of
the strongest messages that can be sent. Currently, gang
members who are injured or killed are martyred in the community,
and the community must now send the message - via parents,
stronger laws, longer sentences, and community groups - that
gangs and gang violence [will no longer be tolerated].
MR. COBB said that there are several reasons people have for
belonging to a gang, most not so noble. Referring to statistics
on validated gang members and gang associates outlined in the
PowerPoint presentation, he noted that the APD currently has
only one Intel analyst but hopes to gain more. In response to
questions, he indicated that part of the reason for the
prevalence of the more virulent strain of the gang problem is
because a gang lifestyle has become culturally ingrained, and so
it probably won't be stamped out in his lifetime. However, a
two-pronged approach to eradicate the problem will do much to
decrease gang violence and increase control over the problem.
The APD's School Resource Officer (SRO) Program has been
instrumental in the APD's response to the gang problem and
ensures that specific instances of gang violence don't spill
over into the schools.
MR. COBB relayed that he's been told by prosecutors that it
would be difficult to prosecute recruiters under the existing
statutes pertaining to contributing to the delinquency of a
minor. Referring to a PowerPoint slide, he said it illustrates
the timeline of Anchorage's gang problem, noting that the
initial reaction "from the powers that be" was to not
acknowledge that there was a gang problem, and to refuse to use
the term "gang" in relation to the violence that was occurring.
Regardless of this approach, gangs were forming and gang-
violence was occurring. The APD at one time formed a gang unit,
and although though it got enveloped in the federal safe streets
program, it was effective in tamping down the violence. As a
result, the APD took its eye off the issue for a bit, and this
was a mistake because the level of violence rose again.
MR. COBB said that the federal program pretty much ended when
[the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001] occurred, as most
of the resources for that program got diverted. The APD started
the SRO program in 2003; the Intel Unit began operating in 2004;
and the current campaign [and methodologies] against this
problem began in the spring of 2005. Although gangs will go out
of business due to internal strife or pressure from law
enforcement, they will often just form other groups.
11:04:24 AM
MR. COBB showed slides illustrating two particularly violent
gangs in the Anchorage area and a summary of the crimes they're
responsible for, the different types of gangs in the Anchorage
area, the particular terminology being used, the differences
between predatory gangs and scavenger gangs, and the things that
prompt most gang fights. He noted that scavenger gangs - those
gangs most common in Anchorage - are more dangerous than
predatory gangs because their reactions to any given
circumstance are impulsive and emotional; in general, scavenger
gangs don't have formal leadership or goals. He relayed that
Anchorage's gang problem cuts across all racial lines except for
Alaskan Natives; showed slides of local gangs and their tattoos,
graffiti, and "colors"; and spoke of some of the difficulties of
dealing with particular gangs such as Asian gangs and white
supremacist gangs.
MR. COBB relayed that these days gang members who resort to
using firearms are shooting to kill, and showed more slides
illustrating local gang members and evidence of gang activity,
and slides illustrating the APD's efforts to curtail the gang
problem, such as the Intel Unit, SROs, and applying for grants.
In response to comments and questions, he spoke further about
the school safety officer program and SRO program, the duties of
those officers and the benefits they bring, and how the SROs are
currently deployed.
[CHAIR McGuire turned the gavel over to Representative
Anderson.]
MR. HONEMAN provided additional information on SROs.
MR. COBB, in response to other questions, indicated that some
gang members that are of school age are still attending school,
and spoke about the APD's focus on truancy issues, how truancy
programs can have a gang-prevention effect, and possible truancy
legislation, adding that having sufficient resources is a
critical component of successful prevention/intervention
programs.
[Representative Anderson returned the gavel to Chair McGuire.]
11:25:28 AM
CHAIR McGUIRE raised the issue of children being suspended from
school for bad behavior, and how suspension seems to be
rewarding students for such behavior by allowing them to stay
home and possibly get into further trouble. She suggested that
students who are suspended ought to be forced to come into
school to serve their suspension period.
MR. COBB said that although the concept of doing something like
that is a good one, funding for such a program would be an issue
as would security - the kids who are still in school must be
protected from those who've been suspended for violent behavior.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG asked whether SROs could be used to
deal with the issue of bullying in the schools.
MR. COBB relayed that the APD could do more on that issue if it
had more staff, because current staff are already stretched, and
mentioned some of the things that are already being done.
MR. COBB then showed slides illustrating statistics regarding
the activity of the Special Assignment Unit between 9/1/05 and
9/30/06 as that activity pertains to state felony charges,
federal charges, misdemeanor charges, guns seized, drug
seizures, recovered stolen vehicles, and other significant
incidents. He showed a slide illustrating the school issues
that students in California face now as compared to what they
faced in 1940, and added that the gang problem isn't going to be
easily solved - without a paradigm shift in [America's] culture,
this problem won't go away anytime soon.
MR. COBB relayed that with the National Integrated Ballistics
Information Network (NIBIN), shell casings from different gang-
related shootings can be tied to one gun. He reiterated that a
two-pronged approach is what is necessary: getting violent gang
members out of the community, and intervention/prevention. To
effect the former, the APD uses the federal system a lot because
gang members are actually taken out of the community for 5, 10,
15, or 20 years, whereas local and state laws don't actually do
that; also, the sentences applied to gang members at the local
and state level are often insufficient. Furthermore, the lack
of sufficient resources is a major issue for the criminal
justice system; consider, for example, law enforcement hands the
district attorney's office hundreds, sometimes thousands, of
felony cases, but the judicial process in Anchorage can only
handle about 26-31 such cases per year. And although some steps
have been taken to address this issue, a lot more still needs to
be done, he concluded.
CHAIR McGUIRE asked whether it makes sense to spend resources on
rehabilitation efforts.
MR. COBB indicated that it can, but not for those that commit
violent crimes and show a pattern of doing so; therefore,
perhaps "a three-strikes law" should be considered. In response
to a comment, he pointed out that being part of a gang is not
against the law; rather, it is the criminal activity that gang
members and gang associates engage in that the APD tries to
focus on.
11:42:33 AM
MR. COBB, in response to a question, offered that there are
probably several reasons why crimes involving gang members and
gang associates are under-prosecuted, and acknowledged that the
APD's system must be changed because it is no longer working
sufficiently with regard to the gang problem.
MR. HONEMAN added that the APD makes about 300 arrests per week
and so the district attorney's office must perform a sort of
triage when deciding which cases to prosecute, and so it will do
what it can to clear its calendar simply out of self
preservation. In response to a comment, he noted that when a
gang member or gang associate is shot or goes to jail, he/she is
often seen as a martyr.
MR. COBB reiterated that although the APD's major mission is
suppression, intervention/prevention is just as important and
needs the same level of resources.
REPRESENTATIVE GARA suggested requiring forfeiture of a vehicle
when kids 18 years of age and under have a certain type of
firearm in the vehicle even if they all claim that they don't
own that firearm.
MR. COBB indicated the APD would consider that option.
11:48:31 AM
MR. HONEMAN relayed that the APD would be providing the
legislature with legislation recommendations. For example, he
noted, [HB 184] recently changed state law regarding carrying
concealed weapons such that the MOA's [stricter] municipal law
was invalidated by state statute; if a particular area of the
state has a more serious problem regarding gang violence
involving firearms, it ought to be able to craft its local laws
so that it can deal with that more serious problem.
MR. COBB reiterated that the district attorney's office needs
more funding, and opined that the vast majority of kids will
benefit by intervention/prevention/rehabilitation programs, but
not those kids who are already killing people; one of the
problems with the federal system is that it doesn't deal with
juvenile gang members/associates. Community efforts with regard
to effective intervention/prevention need to be supported
because that component is just as important as the suppression
component. The statutory definition of what constitutes a gang
also ought to be updated, because hopefully soon there will be
some real consequences for being a gang member, and when that
happens law enforcement across the state will need a definition
that all can use and understand. He also suggested retooling
some of the current laws, and instituting new laws such as the
aforementioned "three strikes" concept and a RICO-type statute.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG suggested making certain activity in
certain areas result in heightened penalties, and having certain
areas be subject to heightened enforcement efforts.
MR. COBB indicated that that concept will be considered further
along with other suggestions.
MR. HONEMAN pointed out, though, that the law should be enforced
equally across the state and that all people are entitled to the
same protection under the law.
MR. COBB also pointed out that gang-related violence is not
confined to certain areas.
MR. HONEMAN referred to a pamphlet produced by the National
Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) that has relevant information
about what steps communities and parents can take regarding
gangs.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG mentioned that a few of his
constituents have been victims of gang-related violence.
MR. COBB concluded by referring to the aforementioned nationwide
statistics and said of Anchorage, "People shouldn't be afraid to
send their kids to school or go out in the street, but if we
don't get a handle on this it's clear where we're heading."
CHAIR McGUIRE said it is important to recognize that the
concerns and fear regarding gang-related violence is spread
throughout Anchorage, and remarked on the importance of forming
partnerships to combat this problem.
12:10:49 PM
DEAN R. WILLIAMS, Member, Community Youth Violence Gang Response
Team ("the Team"), after relaying that he also works as a
Juvenile Justice Superintendent at McLaughlin Youth Center,
explained that the Team was created in 2005 by Mayor Begich and
tasked with giving him recommendations regarding Anchorage's
youth gang problem. The Team issued a report in June of 2006,
available in members' packets, outlining what it felt would be a
good start toward the suppression and intervention/prevention
pieces of a solution. After that report was issued, the
American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) expressed
interest in assisting Anchorage, and he and several others
attended an APRI-sponsored conference that dealt with the issue
of how cities and communities are addressing certain issues,
gang-related violence among them, through innovative and
community-based approaches.
MR. WILLIAMS observed that currently in Anchorage there is a
strong collaboration among the lead agencies regarding what must
be done to address this problem from both the suppression side
and the intervention/prevention side. He explained that one of
the Team's recommendations is to establish an interagency
coordinating network on youth-violence issues that would work
across jurisdictions to oversee efforts made by all the agencies
and organizations involved. Although there are a lot of great
ideas on how to combat gang-related violence in Anchorage, there
currently isn't any way to monitor or coordinate efforts, and so
establishing a steering committee will help Anchorage get a
handle on all the efforts being made. And although there may be
some cost associated with establishing a steering committee, if
it is not done, then Anchorage could face getting very few
results for a lot of money.
12:17:30 PM
MR. WILLIAMS noted that the Team recognized that truancy is an
issue, and he concurred with Chair McGuire's points regarding
students who are suspended from school and a possible school
suspension program. Kids getting into trouble while they are
suspended or while they are truant is not a school problem,
however; rather, it is a community problem, and programs to deal
with such issues would really benefit from a steering committee.
MR. WILLIAMS relayed that another main issue the Team is working
on pertains to very serious offenses committed by juveniles that
fall under the automatic waiver law. The problem is that
current law allows 14- and 15-year olds who commit very serious
felony crimes to either go through the juvenile justice system -
and then not be tracked or supervised once they reach the age of
18 - or through the adult justice system via automatic waiver;
this dual-sentencing law has led to cases where similarly-
situated defendants are being treated completely different.
Furthermore, defense attorneys are doing everything they can to
prevent the automatic waiver from being applied. He indicated
that the Team will be addressing this issue further.
CHAIR McGUIRE expressed interest in hearing the Team's final
recommendations regarding the current dual sentencing law.
MR. WILLIAMS, in response to comments, relayed that one of the
Team's main recommendations is to ensure that there is a plan in
place to deal with kids who are suspended from school for
misbehaving; currently all such kids are treated the same by the
school system, and there isn't yet a good community system in
place to deal with those kids that could be helped somehow. He
mentioned that research indicates that low attachment to school
and a propensity to drop out increases a child's inclination to
participate in gang activity and other delinquent activity. In
response to further comments, he mentioned that a key point -
and one the steering committee will be working on - is to have
an agreement among all agencies regarding how to get kids into
intervention/prevention programs, because at this point there is
no oversight of the various program options out there, nor is
there a good triage or filtering methodology in place.
CHAIR McGUIRE suggested that peer mediation programs also be
considered.
12:42:44 PM
MAO TOSI, Founder, Poly Pride Club, relayed that some of the
Anchorage gang problem was starting right around time he was
going to high school and had it not been for his involvement in
sports he too might have become part of that problem; several of
his friends at the time did become involved in gang activity and
some of them are still in jail. He is now raising a family, has
founded the Poly Pride Club - which exists in two [high schools]
and numbers about 100 members - and he is seeking every resource
possible to help the kids in his clubs take pride in who they
are and be successful, both in school and out of school.
Unfortunately, most of the kids are high risk with regard to
gang involvement, and financing is a large issue.
MR. TOSI relayed that he doesn't have as much time as he'd like
to devote to the kids, nor do the clubs have a specific room to
meet in. Club members, the majority of which are Polynesian,
engage in some cottage industry to help raise funds, and as a
former NFL professional, he acts as a role model and assists the
kids by tutoring them or training with them, and the first hour
of the clubs' gatherings is devoted to study hall.
Unfortunately, a lot of kids find it more interesting to be out
on the street looking for trouble than to be stuck in a
classroom, and so he must find ways of gaining their interest;
he surmised that he'd have more kids in his clubs but for a lack
of funds that could be used to expand the clubs' activities.
MR. TOSI relayed that it is imperative to raise the kids'
expectations of what they are capable of and build their
confidence and business skills. One of the things he's done is
gotten the kids to start playing chess, which has gotten them to
start thinking things through and planning ahead. He noted that
younger siblings are influenced by what their older brothers and
sisters are doing, and one of the points he has made with the
kids in his clubs is that they must be tolerant of people
regardless of their race, because in order to be successful in
life, one must be able to see past such differences.
MR. TOSI pointed out that kids today are quicker to jump
directly from arguing to shooting than when he was in high
school, and remarked that suspensions are resulting in kids
getting into a cycle of trouble and violence because they're
just hanging out on the street instead of being someplace where
they can engage in some constructive activities.
[Throughout this final presentation, Mr. Tosi and legislators
briefly discussed possible ways for him to raise funds and/or
incorporate his club as a non profit organization.]
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 1:08 p.m.
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