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| More fight forums, less crowd |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Thursday, 27 September 2007 | |
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It marked the second time in two nights that a fight forum had taken place, though the previous meeting drew about double the crowd. Patterson City Council organized the more recent forum. “Our children are being influenced by things they shouldn’t be influenced by,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told the crowd. “Drugs and gangs, and that’s the problem.” Others also had the chance to share their opinions, which ranged from trying to negotiate a gang truce on school grounds, to kicking every gang member out of school.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator All five council members were in attendance, as well as Christianson and Patterson Police Chief Tyrone Spencer. Patterson Detective Ed Meraz gave a presentation about local gangs before audience members got their chance to speak. “We are getting an influx of Bay Area gang members here,” Meraz said. Meraz’s presentation focused primarily on the Patterson gang the Runners. Police believe they instigated a brawl that broke out at the high school the morning of Sept. 19. After an unknown person triggered a fire alarm, about 15 people were involved in about six fights that broke out as more than 1,000 students were gathered on the high school’s lawn along Seventh Street. The Runners, a local gang of former Bay Area residents, are made up of several groups that had formed in western Patterson over the past few years, Meraz said. They tend to wear extremely large white T-shirts that are as long as many dresses. “They’re trying to take over the Heartland Ranch subdivision,” he said. “I have the reports to prove it.” Since the brawl, Police have arrested nine people they suspect were connected to the fight, the school has suspended eight students and another two have been expelled. Some people wanted all gang members removed from the schools, though Patterson Unified School District Superintendent Patrick Sweeney indicated that would not likely happen. “There’s lots of former gang members that are doing well in society,” Sweeney said. “You want them in schools because it’s the safest place for them.” Some said more than police and incarceration are needed to reach troubled youth. “Bringing in law enforcement only, doesn’t solve problems — sending them to a system that we know is broken,” local resident Sergio Cuellar said. Many people talked about more programs for youth, such as a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Patterson High School. One man suggested approaching gang members and negotiating that the schools be neutral zones. “Start an honest dialogue with actual gang members,” said John X Mataka, who is a part of a Modesto Nation of Islam study group. Chief Spencer was not a fan of Mataka’s plan. “We shouldn’t make concessions,” he said. Others spoke about their personal experiences with gangs. “I’m an ex-gang member and was heroin addicted for 30 years,” John Club told the audience. He talked about the difficulties of getting out of the gang and the drug lifestyle, especially for people without much money. “They have to pay, but can’t afford (drug rehab),” Club said. While many people said that troubled youth are the fault of the parents, one woman said her parents were attentive, but she still ended up pregnant by 14 and associated with members of a local gang. “My parents were no slacker parents,” Carmen Rico said. One parent showed up late to the meeting to relay what had happened to her son that night. “I came here to make you aware what was happening at my house while the meeting was happening,” she said. She talked about her son having a gun pulled on him while he was jogging that night because he had been wearing red Patterson High School shorts. By the end of the meeting more than 3½ hours passed, the crowd had dwindled and people were obviously tired. “We’re mentally drained,” Mayor Becky Campo said. Tuesday’s meeting was the last public meeting scheduled to address the brawl. At one point, on attendee commented that it was good to see all the people that showed up to the two forums, but it takes much more than attending a couple of meetings to create change. “How many people will come back tomorrow, and the next day and the next day?” asked Luis Molina.
To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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This has helped a lot of schools right here in our area. Let me know what you think.