Bakersfield Police say gang violence has decreased throughout the city and county since the spring. But the concern now among police and community leaders is keeping it down. Police say gangs started forming in Bakersfield in the late 70's and have really become a threat in the past few years. The problem reaches into all neighborhoods whether you know it or not. And now local organizations are pulling together and asking all community members to take interest and take action.
"I don't believe gang banging is gonna stop altogether, there's different trends," said BPD Officer Kyle Ursery with the department's gang unit. "When you start looking at the number of deaths, somewhere down the line, you've got to take some action," said Bernard Anthony, president of the NAACP Bakersfield chapter.
Community members and law enforcement agree, police work alone won't cut it. About a year ago organizations like the NAACP, Stay Focused Ministries and Stop the Violence, just to name a few, decided it was time to come together because fighting Bakersfield's gang problem was a task too big for one task force or a few individual community groups.
Now the organizations hold joint monthly meetings to collaborate. They've broken their focus into four areas: economy, faith, family and education. "We think one of the areas we can address the pre-gang members is to have a better education system in place, an education system that forces the parent to be involved," said Anthony. Anthony says intervention needs to start in preschool.
"Coming to junior high school I was hooked on heroin, I carried a 38 and I was in 8th grade and if you looked at me twice, I'd shoot you. That's the guy I'm going after manuel." Manuel Carrizalez with Stay Focused Ministries has lived the problem, so he's able to reach kids most at risk by relating to the pressures they feel. "You get involved with this lifestyle, it gets darker and darker and darker. I was one of the lucky ones that hit a wall and came back, it's not what you think man," said Carrizalez.
Revamping the education system is just one step these groups want to tackle. Reaching out to gang members and their families is another. "There's a lot of young men pulled into gang activities. When you look at the majority they don't want to be out there, they really don't, they got pulled into it, forced into it," said Anthony.
"Start em off while they're young. 'Cause I don't know what I was thinking. I wish someone would have come and told me something like that, maybe I wouldn't be the way I am. But I regret it." We spoke with a female Bakersfield gang member who says she's been in it so long she doesn't see a way out. Instead she uses her position to help police fight the problem from within as an informant. "I feel happy. Because we ain't really had no shootings , no drive-by's, no walk-up's. Because half of them dead, half of them in jail."
But these community groups are also struggling to bring opportunities to gang members, like her, who don't see an escape. They want to bring business and government officials to the table to work with those who see "gang banging" as their only option. "I want to encourage those that are watching, to make an impact, get out of the buildings, get out in the neighborhoods, knock on the doors and stay there. A lot of organizations aren't out there. You got to stay in the trenches, reach one child at a time," said Carrizalez. "we've got to build hope back in to the community. We've got to do something, it's crisis time," said Anthony. These groups say they're hoping this crisis can lead to hope, and that hope can lead to action.
Anthony says his goal is to get all of the programs and organizations working together to fight gang violence. If you're part of a group doing something about this problem, Anthony asks that you give the NAACP a call at 322-8370, so you can join forces with the other organizations.
