Finding Community Answers to Gangs

Faith in the Public Square
Lompoc Record
July 8, 2007

It should come as no surprise to anyone living in Lompoc that there are gangs in this town. Just in case you've not been aware of the problem, several well attended and publicized Town Hall meetings have made the issue harder to ignore.

Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, the community's political, educational, and even religious leadership has been noticeably absent, which suggests that there's still a lot of denial going on.

I will confess that this most recent Town Hall (June 26), at which I moderated the public discussion period, was my first, and as far as I know only two other clergy were in attendance at this meeting, which focused on finding solutions to the problem.

Having spoken at earlier events, law enforcement was present, but it stepped back this time and let others have a turn. While law enforcement has a significant role to play in suppressing the city's gangs, they're not, by themselves, the solution. The real answers will come as the community as a whole acknowledges the problem and together seeks proactive solutions.

The old saying, “You can pay me now or you can pay me later,” fits our situation very well. Any solution to Lompoc's gang problem will prove costly. The question is, at what point do we wish to invest the money. We can always build more prisons, but is this the wisest way to go?

At that June 26 meeting, members of the community got to talk about both prevention and redemption. They talked about making programs and resources available that will make a difference in a young person's life - education (and tutoring), music, the arts, dance, theater, sports and recreation. They spoke of finding ways of educating young people about the consequences of their choices - one person who'd been in prison volunteered to talk to kids about the downside of making bad choices.

And they also talked about redemption, because some young people will end up in gangs and even in prison (for them, educational and job opportunities will be essential to making a new life). Ultimately, focusing on prevention is more cost effective and more rewarding than building prisons.

Finding solutions requires that we first understand why young people get involved in the first place. At one level the answer is pretty simple: “We want to belong and feel safe.” Gangs provide these benefits, but at a significant cost. A gang offers lonely young people a sense of identity and family. It also offers them a sense of power, though that power is often expressed through violence and intimidation. The downside to this is, of course, the possibility of prison and even death at an early age.

Yes, the police and the courts will play a significant role, and they require our support, but the true solution requires the input and involvement of businesses, schools, government, nonprofits, and the faith community (a group of us are already talking about how we can get involved in the solution).

Returning to the issue of cost - knowing that education, athletics, music and the arts, job training, all cost money - we must recognize that the state won't always be providing sufficient funds and that many families whose children are the most vulnerable don't have the resources to pay for such activities. Since this is true, we will have to look at alternative ways of paying for and providing such programs. Beyond the basic financial situation, there is need for space. We talked at the last meeting about providing a youth center (perhaps the old hospital?), and I know my congregation is talking about making our space available, small as it might currently be. We'll also need volunteers to tutor, coach, supervise, and mentor young people. And of course we'll need someone to bake cookies!

The earlier we get to these young people the better. Yes, high schoolers in gangs can be redeemed, but it's much more difficult and more costly to get them out than to keep them out. It won't be easy, but it's not an impossible task, and the reward is beyond measure.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (http://www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at http://pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com and may be contacted at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

July 8, 2007