This was in todays Press democrat...paper outta Santa Rosa.
Young recruits at fault?
Sheriff's captain says violence against people who wear red could be attempt to gain status.
The attacks on Petaluma residents wearing red may be the result of young gang recruits eager to prove their mettle, a Sonoma County sheriff's captain said Wednesday.
"Attacking someone wearing red is one way of showing dedication toward the gang," Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey, whose duties include oversight of the multi-agency gang task force, said the county has a growing number of sureño gang members, who claim the color blue.
Their rivals, the norteños, claim red.
None of the people attacked in Petaluma were gang members, police said.
McCaffrey said young sureños could be attacking "civilians" wearing red shirts or caps as an easy way to earn a name for themselves in a gang.
"More likely what you're seeing is sureño gangs growing in numbers and younger members trying to earn their bones," he said.
The most recent incident was Monday when a teenager wearing a San Francisco 49ers hat was accosted.
Two employees wearing the red uniform shirts of a Staples office supply store were attacked last month. In April, a 12-year-old boy wearing a red shirt was hit over the head with a skateboard.
Speculation about the cause of the attacks has included the notion that a crackdown in Santa Rosa -- once a norteño stronghold -- caused rivals to collide in the south county.
Santa Rosa police restored their gang unit a year ago, and reported 20 percent fewer aggravated assaults in 2006 than 2005, according to data released this month by the FBI.
McCaffrey said there would be more gang-on-gang attacks if stepped-up enforcement in Santa Rosa was the catalyst for violence in Petaluma.
"I'm not saying the theory is impossible," McCaffrey said. "But they're not attacking other gang members."
More likely, he said, is the change in demographics of Sonoma County's predominant gang networks.
About five years ago, norteño-affiliated gangs comprised about 60 percent of the county's approximately 3,000 gang members, McCaffrey said.
But the group, made up of mostly second- and third-generation residents, is losing ground to transplanted sureños from Southern California and Mexico, McCaffrey said.
Today, sureño-affiliated groups make up about 60 percent of gangs, he said.
As their numbers rise, younger members are vying for entry or status, he said.
The idea that stepped-up enforcement in Santa Rosa might be pushing gang members south was raised by Petaluma police and intervention groups discussing the recent attacks.
However, they say the theory is based on anecdotal evidence.
"As all of our agencies ramp up gang enforcement, it's common sense that some gangs will move to other jurisdictions," Petaluma Police Capt. Dan Fish said Wednesday. "They are feeling pressure. It's not quantitative. It's a common-sense thing. If you've got a water balloon and you push on it, it bulges out on the other side."
Ron Kirtley, executive director of Petaluma People Services, agreed, saying the theory has been a topic of conversation among juvenile justice workers and law enforcement.
He said the phenomenon might be too new for empirical data.
"There's a certain nomadic quality to gang efforts," Kirtley said. "They are always seeking to increase their territory and recruit new members. If things are getting more difficult in one area, it's not that unusual for them to branch out. This is an example of that."
Petaluma police said there has been no decline in the level of gang enforcement they are bringing to battle the problem, but say they are limited by finances.
The department has one full-time anti-gang officer and two detectives from the street crimes unit who spend time on gang issues, Fish said.
Santa Rosa, on the other hand, has six detectives devoted to gang-related work in a team that was created last summer, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Craig Schwartz, who heads the unit.
Schwartz said the goal is to reduce gang membership 50 percent over five years. Two more detectives are expected to join the group soon, he said.
As for whether the effort is forcing gang members into Petaluma, he said he has no evidence of that.
"I'd love to take credit for pushing gang crimes out of Santa Rosa," Schwartz said. "But I don't have the data to say that that's happening."
Meanwhile, in Petaluma, the idea of putting a sales tax on the ballot to pay for public safety has been floated by City Council members, but so far it has not materialized.
Until then, school resource officers will focus on gangs during the summer and beat police officers are cross-trained to spot and suppress gang activity, City Manager Mike Bierman said.
"We're making due with what we have," Fish said. "Certainly, at some point in the future, we will have a need for more than one full-time gang enforcement officer. But we have to do our very best job with the resources we have."
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or [email protected].
I dont bang,but if i wanna wear red and Im approached i will Kimbo one of these mufuckers mannnn.....and that aint no bigbosstalk!!!!
Young recruits at fault?
Sheriff's captain says violence against people who wear red could be attempt to gain status.
The attacks on Petaluma residents wearing red may be the result of young gang recruits eager to prove their mettle, a Sonoma County sheriff's captain said Wednesday.
"Attacking someone wearing red is one way of showing dedication toward the gang," Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey, whose duties include oversight of the multi-agency gang task force, said the county has a growing number of sureño gang members, who claim the color blue.
Their rivals, the norteños, claim red.
None of the people attacked in Petaluma were gang members, police said.
McCaffrey said young sureños could be attacking "civilians" wearing red shirts or caps as an easy way to earn a name for themselves in a gang.
"More likely what you're seeing is sureño gangs growing in numbers and younger members trying to earn their bones," he said.
The most recent incident was Monday when a teenager wearing a San Francisco 49ers hat was accosted.
Two employees wearing the red uniform shirts of a Staples office supply store were attacked last month. In April, a 12-year-old boy wearing a red shirt was hit over the head with a skateboard.
Speculation about the cause of the attacks has included the notion that a crackdown in Santa Rosa -- once a norteño stronghold -- caused rivals to collide in the south county.
Santa Rosa police restored their gang unit a year ago, and reported 20 percent fewer aggravated assaults in 2006 than 2005, according to data released this month by the FBI.
McCaffrey said there would be more gang-on-gang attacks if stepped-up enforcement in Santa Rosa was the catalyst for violence in Petaluma.
"I'm not saying the theory is impossible," McCaffrey said. "But they're not attacking other gang members."
More likely, he said, is the change in demographics of Sonoma County's predominant gang networks.
About five years ago, norteño-affiliated gangs comprised about 60 percent of the county's approximately 3,000 gang members, McCaffrey said.
But the group, made up of mostly second- and third-generation residents, is losing ground to transplanted sureños from Southern California and Mexico, McCaffrey said.
Today, sureño-affiliated groups make up about 60 percent of gangs, he said.
As their numbers rise, younger members are vying for entry or status, he said.
The idea that stepped-up enforcement in Santa Rosa might be pushing gang members south was raised by Petaluma police and intervention groups discussing the recent attacks.
However, they say the theory is based on anecdotal evidence.
"As all of our agencies ramp up gang enforcement, it's common sense that some gangs will move to other jurisdictions," Petaluma Police Capt. Dan Fish said Wednesday. "They are feeling pressure. It's not quantitative. It's a common-sense thing. If you've got a water balloon and you push on it, it bulges out on the other side."
Ron Kirtley, executive director of Petaluma People Services, agreed, saying the theory has been a topic of conversation among juvenile justice workers and law enforcement.
He said the phenomenon might be too new for empirical data.
"There's a certain nomadic quality to gang efforts," Kirtley said. "They are always seeking to increase their territory and recruit new members. If things are getting more difficult in one area, it's not that unusual for them to branch out. This is an example of that."
Petaluma police said there has been no decline in the level of gang enforcement they are bringing to battle the problem, but say they are limited by finances.
The department has one full-time anti-gang officer and two detectives from the street crimes unit who spend time on gang issues, Fish said.
Santa Rosa, on the other hand, has six detectives devoted to gang-related work in a team that was created last summer, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Craig Schwartz, who heads the unit.
Schwartz said the goal is to reduce gang membership 50 percent over five years. Two more detectives are expected to join the group soon, he said.
As for whether the effort is forcing gang members into Petaluma, he said he has no evidence of that.
"I'd love to take credit for pushing gang crimes out of Santa Rosa," Schwartz said. "But I don't have the data to say that that's happening."
Meanwhile, in Petaluma, the idea of putting a sales tax on the ballot to pay for public safety has been floated by City Council members, but so far it has not materialized.
Until then, school resource officers will focus on gangs during the summer and beat police officers are cross-trained to spot and suppress gang activity, City Manager Mike Bierman said.
"We're making due with what we have," Fish said. "Certainly, at some point in the future, we will have a need for more than one full-time gang enforcement officer. But we have to do our very best job with the resources we have."
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or [email protected].
I dont bang,but if i wanna wear red and Im approached i will Kimbo one of these mufuckers mannnn.....and that aint no bigbosstalk!!!!
