TARBORO DOES AND DOESNT HAVE GANG PROBLEM By John Carson, Staff Writer The word strikes fear and dread into communities. Unfortunately, it is a word that has been uttered with growing frequency around Tarboro. At no fewer than three community meetings over the past two months, the word has been brought up in discussing youth issues around town. The word? Gangs. While the word brings a specific set of images and thoughts to mind, the reality in Tarboro is far, far different. According to town law enforcement, the local issue is an enigma – there is and is not a gang problem. “Does Tarboro have gangs? Yes,” Tarboro Police Chief Damon Williams said. “But then, so do all communities. However, we’re not talking about traditional, well-established gangs like Crips, Bloods and others. “What we have are non-traditional gangs.” Williams defined non-traditional gangs as any group of youngsters who come together for a single purpose, which he quickly added was usually a “bad” purpose. One of the biggest differences between traditional and non-traditional gangs, he pointed out, was attention. Traditional gangs, which often times operate in very business-like fashions, try to avoid spotlights and purposely being on law enforcement’s radar. “Non-traditional gang members look for attention as a way to prove themselves,” Williams said. Much of the local gang activity has revolved around attempts to emulate perceptions of traditional gangs. However, Williams added that perception is based predominantly on what youth see on television and revolves heavily around the gang lifestyle of the 1980s. The issue proved problematic for Edgecombe County Public Schools officials at the start of this school year. After rumors of non-traditional gang activity circulated over the summer, school officials requested assistance from Tarboro Police for an increased presence at Tarboro High School during the first month of school. While complying with the request, Williams said the school system had unknowingly played a major role in hindering local gang activity through reconfiguration. He said the addition of Martin Millennium Academy and shift of Pattillo Elementary to a legitimate middle school, as well as charter school North East Carolina Prep School, have helped with the problem by spreading students out. “It has gotten a lot of kids away from certain influences, and the overall problem is not as bad,” Williams said. Admitting there has been “some violence” connected with local gang activity, Williams added his department wasted little time and took control of the situation. The measures taken to deal with the problem, which crested over the summer, have seen significant results despite there still being established criminal initiation rituals. “Since the arrest of a few integral parties, a lot of gang activity has subsided,” Williams said. “We’re not here to lock everybody up. Sometimes resolution to gang problems came from taking the kids to their parents and making them aware. “Still, the reality is that some have to be removed.” Therein lies much of Williams’ belief the local gang issue is non-traditional in nature. Many of those who have been involved with local gangs are also non-traditional gang members. Many come from stable, structured home lives as opposed to the traditional concept. Whereas much of traditional gang activity revolves around literally surviving in an unsafe and unsavory environment, locally the reasons behind becoming a gang member are far less sinister. “There is no stronger pressure than peer pressure,” Williams said. “Virtually all kids want to be part of the group and socially accepted.” That is why much of the gang problem has been resolved by making parents aware of their child’s involvement. However, there is another area where improvement and understanding of the overall issues involved are needed to correct current problems and prevent ones in the future. “We have to take responsibility for young people,” Williams said. “We can’t entrust dealing with these and other problems to schools or law enforcement. It is up the community to take a direct hand. “This is a community problem, and the community needs to get involved to be proactive. Parents need to know what their kids are doing.”
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:46:18 +0000
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