Cops and Courts

7 responses so far ↓

• not given // May 23, 2009 at 7:27 pm

  All people need drugs, but why does methamphetamine appeal regardless of it’s extreme danger? I think the lack of distribution of non-social drugs in society, and they are subject to all sorts of regulation.

• Don Eggleston // Jun 10, 2009 at 3:00 pm

  I am pleased to see the rising concern about the creeping cancer of gangs in our town. (And neighboring towns also.) The influence of gangs on the fabric of our society has been increasing every year for at least the last three decades. In the interest of better understanding of the issue, I offer my experience.

  Gangs in Watsonville

  Thirty years ago I was teaching at Hall Elementary School in Las Lomas when several of my students’ older brothers committed what were later called the “Mount Madonna Murders”, a particularly nasty gang execution of several young boys. Since then, I have been working with some of Watsonville’s gang-involved youth and their families, mostly as a teacher at Renaissance High School and Watsonville High School, and a principal at New School, a dropout recovery program (http://www.newschool.pvusd.net).

  A gang counselor named Albino Garcia and I founded New School 15 years ago to help high school aged youth who were gang involved. After about five years of minimal success, I learned that we really couldn’t do much unless the youth wanted OUT of the gang/drug/street lifestyle. Living the “high life” pretty much guarantees that homework and consistent attendance at school are not a priority. At that point, we began to expect applicants to publicly proclaim that they did not “back up” any gang, and we required them to be, and remain, clean from drugs and alcohol, both of which we started testing for. From that point, the culture of the school began to morph for the better. We were no longer tying to make students change their “bad” (unproductive, if they really want a diploma) habits. We began to only accept students who could convince us that they wanted to stop gangbanging and getting loaded. At that point, we became the students’ mentors and advisors, as well as their teachers. I retired from New School this year.

  From my experience, I know that children are not born as “the bad seed”. They are products of their environment, just like you and me, and the environment they grow up in, families, schools, and neighborhoods, are the responsibilities of all of us adults. I would like to share what I believe are some of the environmental issues perpetuating gang problems here in Watsonville, and then offer suggestions as to what we can do.

  For the record, these are my opinions alone. Although I gained most of my experience while employed by the Pájaro Valley Unified School District, I am not speaking for the District.

  Issue #1: Community Perceptions

  First, we need to understand that gangs are domestic terrorists. They exist to hurt people, terrorize neighborhoods, and sell drugs. We should have ZERO tolerance for gang signs, gang graffiti, gang talk, and any glorification of gangs, as we see on TV and in music today. We need a public relations campaign, (like we have against tobacco), that portrays gangs as dumb losers and followers. ANY sign of gangs in schools needs to be dealt with much more seriously than we do now. Children, even in our elementary schools, are now wearing colors and intimidating other children. This has to stop. Gangs openly cluster in secondary schools and intimidate their “enemies” and other innocent students with gang slogans and challenges to fight. Anything short of a physical fight is often tolerated. When areas of public schools are controlled by different gangs, we are allowing children to sink further into gang thinking, until ultimately, it’s too late.

  There is a school of thought that encourages gangs to make peace. In my experience, this never works for long. It’s like making peace with the Taliban.

  A big factor (especially in Santa Cruz) in not cracking down on gangs is the fear of being branded a “racist”. Go figure! Gang values and goals are totally contrary to Mexican traditional cultural values of hard work, integrity and family. Some towns in the County have skinheads, and San Jose has Asian, black, and Samoan gangs. A person or group whose goal is to hurt people and commit crimes is a criminal, regardless of race. Mexican immigrants who live in gang-infested neighborhoods are much more likely to be the innocent victims of gang crime. I think it’s racist to allow predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods to be controlled by gangs.

  Three “institutions” actually create and tolerate the existence of gangs. First, there is the dysfunctional family, second the schools, and third the community, which includes especially the criminal justice system and the recreation department. Reducing the creation and influence of gangsters in our community is definitely possible, but it will take some creative thinking on the part of the citizens. Many of the suggestions below involve little expense to the taxpayers.

  Issue #2: Dysfunctional Families–Abuse

  “Hurt people hurt people.” In my experience, most (not all) teen risky behavior (drug use, binge drinking, early pregnancies, gang affiliation, suicide, eating disorders, vandalism, violence, and other criminal, antisocial, and self-destructive behavior), originates in unhappy relationships at home. The vast majority of “at-risk” students have been emotionally, physically and/or sexually abused. Many will eventually populate our prisons and the welfare rolls. Most commonly, what I saw in my 15 years at New School is that dad beats mom and the kids. The domestic violence abuse issues are about 80% correlated with alcohol abuse, and sometimes illegal drugs. Thankfully, sexual abuse of children is finally coming out of the closet. From my work with many counselors and the Survivors’ Healing Center, I estimate that over half of the students in continuation-type high schools are victims of sexual abuse. So, when I see an arrogant punky cholo strolling in the street or flashing colors, I try to remember where this antisocial self-hate came from. They have a reason to be angry. Every child is born innocent. “There but for fortune go you or I.”

  What can we do?

  1. Child abuse needs to be treated as a serious public health issue. If our society can nearly eliminate smoking in one generation through the dissemination of health information and peer pressure, we should be able to tackle the root cause of most violent crime, mass murders and even wars. Child abusers should be shunned at LEAST as much as tobacco smokers. John Walsh from “America’s Most Wanted” has it right when he calls adults who hurt children “dirt bags”.

  2. Organizations such as Defensa de Mujeres and Child Protective Services need to have many more resources to lower the community’s tolerance of abuse of women and children. Since most of this abuse occurs when people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, I recommend we fund these agencies through greater taxes on alcohol and the confiscation of drug dealers’ assets. As with smoking, money raised by the alcohol tax could also fund anti-gang and anti-child abuse campaigns.

  3. Healthy, responsible, caring men need to be involved mentoring other youth besides those in their own family, through coaching sports, Big Brothers, or just taking their neighbor or nephew under their wing. This a perfect project for churches. The payback for this kind of work is what gets you into heaven. Most men have no awareness of how important they are to children. A small expression of interest in a child often means a lot. This anti-gang initiative would cost nothing.

  4. Men need to be held financially accountable for their children. Santa Cruz County does a far better job in collecting child support than most counties, but much more outreach needs to be done to the recent immigrant community. Notice, for instance on daytime TV, when Dr. Phil, for instance has a mom and her out-of-control daughter on. There is seldom any mention of the missing dad. Children need fathers. Of the over 1500 students I interviewed for admission to New School, over 75% had serious issues around their fathers, ranging from dad being absent to dad having abused them.

  Issue #3: Dysfunctional Families—Time

  How do you spell love? “T-I-M-E.” The second most common reason for youth to be destructive is that mom, (and often dad, if he’s present) works two shifts to give the kids everything they want, when all the kids really want is their parents’ nonjudgmental time. Regardless of what the kids say, they may parrot TV’s ads, but they really want to spend time with people who love them. Often, though, since the father has disappeared and offers no financial (or emotional) support, mom is forced to work so much that her time with the kids is very limited, and the children don’t get enough guidance. They are, in some cases, raised in the streets.

  When I was teaching at Hall Elementary School, I had two boys whose parents were neighbors on Las Lomas Drive. Both families were from the same small town in Mexico and immigrated to the US at the same time. The Garcia parents always came to parent conferences, checked homework every day and even volunteered at the school when they could. Their neighbors never came to school, so I went to their home for parent conferences. There was seldom an adult at home, so the kids had no supervision. I never met the dad. There was dried dog poop on the living room floor, the TV was blaring, and the front door was always open. Over the years I have noted the progress of these two families’ children. The Garcia kids are all professionals and the boy in my class is now an elementary school principal! Most of the other family’s children have been to prison. The moral? It all starts at home.

  What can we do?

  1. I would like to see the parents of troubled students (starting in elementary school) mandated to parenting classes. Many schools and agencies offer excellent parenting programs, some bilingual, such as Family Wellness and “Cara y Coraz6n”, but the parents who most need the help seldom attend. They are only mandated to attend after they have been caught neglecting or beating their children or committed other crimes, or their children are convicted of crimes. By this time, the damage to children is already done. Most of the “at-risk” students can be identified in elementary school. It’s the parents of the little guys and girls sitting outside the principal’s office waiting to be disciplined who need the help. That’s the best time to intervene. Social service agencies, law enforcement and schools need to work more closely together to “motivate” these parents to recognize their family’s dysfunction earlier. The precedent is already there. PVUSD’s Child Welfare and Attendance office has taken parents of truant students to court and some truants are now losing their drivers’ licenses. Why not require parenting classes for the parents of students who are severe discipline problems? When these classes are taken seriously, they can dramatically improve the quality of family life for both parents and children.

  2. Many of the families I deal with get state and federal aid, (including subsidized housing). A withheld check would get the parents’ attention. I’m sure this would be (legally) difficult to arrange, but these parents need to be accountable for their children’s behavior. Parents are not doing their job if their children are failing in school. Most local, state and federal aid is intended to help poor parents raise their children. If they’re not raising them well, I say don’t pay them. Taxpayers do not want to subsidize the training of criminals.

  For the record, in my experience, all of these family issues: abusive males, substance abusing parents, and parents working long hours and therefore not being present for their kids are not correlated to class, race, or income. Wealthier families have more resources for hiding the results. They send their problematic kids to private schools and expensive treatment centers, and of course they don’t wear gangster uniforms, but they have their own antisocial, self-destructive “dropout” styles and behaviors. Although I have taught in all-Black and all-Chinese schools, I speak Spanish so most of my experience has been with Mexican immigrants, but the factors that create dropouts are at work in every school and community.

  Issue 4: Schools—Underfunding

  When I started teaching, California was #1 in per/pupil funding in the USA. For the last ten years, we’ve been at the bottom. It seems that every year it gets worse. This is difficult for kids, but also very demoralizing for teachers, who are always hearing about higher standards, bigger classes, lower budgets and layoffs. From what I hear from my friends still working in the District, it’s kind of like the aftermath of the ’89 earthquake—except there is another projected quake of the same magnitude next year. Staff is demoralized. It’s very sad, especially for children whose teachers are getting laid off and whose libraries are being closed. Currently, public education in California is on a starvation diet, and next year’s budget will surely reduce us to #50 in per/pupil expenditures. If voters don’t want free public education, let’s quit and start over. Every year having higher expectations and lower school budgets is unreasonable and illogical. Our public education system, which I believe is the foundation of our great democracy, is hemorrhaging.

  What can we do?

  1. California voters need to consider what kind of future (e.g. children,
  neighbors) we want to have. “Equal opportunity for all.” costs money. Among all the competing interests for my tax dollar, I put a top priority on children. According to the California Dropout Research Project (http://lmri.ucsb.edu/dropouts/),

  “Every year about 120,000 Californians turn 20 without a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, that group will cost the state $46.4 billion, mainly in lost earnings. The same group also costs taxpayers $3.1 billion in lost state and local tax revenues, and $3.5 billion in health care, $2.5 billion in crime and $400 million in welfare costs, or about $9.5 billion over a lifetime.
  A high school graduate, meanwhile, earns an average of $290,000 more during a lifetime and pays $100,000 more in taxes than a dropout, the study says.

  In other words, good dropout prevention SAVES society money. Taxpayers need to remember that public schools exist to educate responsible citizens, and that starts with character. If a youth’s first allegiance is to a gang, s/he’s not going to need a diploma. Our current approach of tolerating gangs in schools is very short-sighted.

  2. Aside from the total amount of funding is the question of consistency. Two years ago, after receiving and encumbering a budget from the state, Sacramento decided to cut New School’s budget by 10%. This forced us to lay off two part-time employees and made the year very difficult for the rest of the staff and students. What would a precipitous 10% budget cut do to your business or home budget?

  What can we do? The purpose of Proposition 98, passed in 1988, was to provide consistency and stability to school budgets. Our governor has ignored this mandate from the voters. If we are to have quality (let alone top-quality) schools, we must at least provide secure, consistent funding over time. I hope propositions 1A and 1B will stabilize California’s budget. Again, since alcohol and illegal drugs are integrated parts of most dysfunctional families, I propose a large tax on alcohol to help fund the social service functions and dropout programs of schools. I would also dedicate the coming tax on legal marijuana to schools. Since we have lottery money funding schools, we might as well continue with the “sin tax” for social good concept.

  Issue #5: Schools–”At-risk” youth are not going away.
  (I use Watsonville High School as an example here only because I worked there for one year. It’s a great school, but all schools that I know about have inconsistent and inadequate dropout prevention programs.) When 9th graders start at Watsonville High School and realize that they can choose to not return after lunch, some don’t. In the last 20 years, Watsonville High has had three different cycles of interest in these “at-risk” freshmen (most of whom have already been identified at their middle schools as “at-risk”). The first program was called HOLD, the second SWAS, and the third ALC. After several years, each of these programs evaporated. Of course, there are still plenty of kids who don’t come back after lunch because they’re getting loaded at one of the current “party-houses” in town, but we’re now in the low part of the cycle, and these students are pretty much unaccounted for. Soon someone will create a new program to deal with these students, many of whom are tomorrow’s criminals and teen parents. The unfortunate truth is that most schools don’t want these children, because they pull down test scores. The same problem exists in the District’s middle schools. At present, there are few options for middle school students who have burned their bridges in their school of attendance. Typically, they are transferred to another traditional middle school to wreak havoc there. When I ask my New School students where they went to middle school, they often respond with three or four school names. As a former school administrator, I do not fault the principals or the district administrators. These “at-risk” students need extra help, and that means they cost more to educate than the state pays. There is just nowhere else to cut, so these youth are often neglected.

  What can we do?

  1. The pendulum of educational practice has swung entirely to its peak on the testing continuum. The idea that schools should have a part in forming the character of the child has all but disappeared because of testing pressures. Remember, it was only a few decades ago that public schools dropped the “Citizenship” grades we all used to get. I understand the thinking that holds that schools can’t be saddled with the burden of correcting all of society’s ills, but there is no one else to do it (when the parents have abdicated). It’s like why people rob banks: School is where the children are. Schools need to remember that their purpose is not just to teach academics, but to inculcate positive citizenship values into our youth. Currently, elementary schools do have “overlay” anti-bullying programs, but I believe that universal cultural (not religious) values, such as integrity, persistence, punctuality, hard work, amiability, empathy, honesty and non-violence need to be infused in the k-12 curriculum. A great example of this is the Santa Clara “Character Education Program”. Most “at-risk” students need remedial work on understanding these universal cultural values, because in their world, (dysfunctional families and the streets) these values are not pervasive.

  2. Taxpayers (WE) need to recognize that it may be a little more expensive to serve troubled students, and develop dropout prevention programs that are permanent. We need another Renaissance High School, our excellent continuation school as well as a quality middle school program for students who have been expelled, possibly a ranch-type program which could be created by Probation and the School District. These students don’t need a fresh start at more of the same; they need a smaller, different school, away from the big schools. And that’s what the serious students in traditional schools deserve—a chance to learn free from disruptive students. When given a real shot at changing the direction of their lives, as we do at New School, many youth actually recover. Again, I propose that these dropout programs be funded through the alcohol and marijuana taxes.

  Issue #6: Community–Distrust of the Cops.

  There are “bad apples” for sure. Most WPD cops, however, can be trusted.

  What can we do?

  1. Help everyone understand that fighting crime without cops is like going to war without a weapon. Marches and speeches are nice to raise awareness, but they don’t stop much crime. So, my conclusion in this war to preserve safety in our streets and schools is to TRUST THE COPS AND COOPERATE WITH THEM. It’s that simple. Their job is to fight crime. If we don’t support them, we allow crime to infest our neighborhoods.

  2. Publicize (especially in Spanish) the WPD Anonymous Tip Line telephone number (728-3544), and emphasize the anonymous part. The main reason that crimes are not reported is the fear of retaliation.

  3. Protect those that DO cooperate with law enforcement against the bullies (drug dealers and gangsters) in their neighborhoods. Use ALL the city’s power (including housing regulations, permits, etc.), coupled with county probation, and school officials to bear down on drug houses and the homes of the bad actors that rule their neighborhoods with fear. The 100 block of Riverside, for instance, is completely controlled by “red” thugs (norteños), whereas the Marinovich neighborhood on Second Street is controlled by “blue” thugs (sureños). Many of my students and their parents know who the bad actors in their neighborhoods are. They should feel safe to report them, and the cops need the tools to take action. Last year, I witnessed the aftermath of a gang knife assault in the alley behind the 100 block of Riverside during the high school lunch hour. There were five witnesses, but only one brave lady would come forward to ID the perps. She covered her head with a towel, because she knew that her neighborhood was controlled by these thugs and that “ratting them out” (telling the truth) can be very dangerous.

  Issue #7: Community—Criminal Justice System.

  There is a dysfunction in the criminal justice system in Santa Cruz County. Many police officers are reluctant to arrest juveniles, or even take the time to document contacts with them, because they know that the DA will not file charges, and the judges will not convict. Likewise, for youth on probation, they are given WAY too many chances. The various county and city criminal justice agencies have different philosophies and as a result, most police officers don’t feel they have the support they need. This results in many unruly juveniles playing the system and frustrating many police and probation officers. The police often feel THEY are wearing the handcuffs. As an example, a few years ago a former student of ours, R— came by New School at our old Main Street site flashing a red bandana and challenging some of my students to fight. When the cops came, the sergeant was clearly frustrated, because R— had just gone to the police station and demanded that they return his bandana, which they had confiscated during a previous arrest. Since the judge had failed to place “gang terms” on this youth, the sergeant had to return his bandana. R— (who all the cops knew) was clearly “down” for red, and had been for years. That’s why we had dropped him from New School. But, somehow the system allowed him for years to sink further and further into the street life. Of course, R— is now in prison, but I wonder if he had felt real consequences for his gang affiliation earlier if that might have diverted him from the gang lifestyle.

  Agency policies are statistics driven, but the front-line people—cops and POs—do not collect statistics (i.e. document contact with minors) as often as they should, because they know from experience that the DA and judges will not follow through. The sad, unrecognized fact is that the longer these youth are allowed to continue with their self-destructive behavior, the less likely it is that they can be salvaged. In my experience, if a youth realizes at the age of 14 that gang banging or drug/alcohol use is causing him/her trouble, s/he has a much better chance of quitting than if s/he were to continue to use and “bang” until the age of 18.

  Every week, parents go to the Watsonville Police Station to ask for help with controlling their unruly teen. These are the children already in trouble, but there seems to be little help for them—unless the teen WANTS help, and most of them are happy running in the streets—until they commit a serious crime and get arrested. Even then, there seem to be few consequences.

  Gang involved youth know very well that if they commit a crime in Monterey County, they are in for hard time, whereas in Santa Cruz County, they are often let off with a slap on the wrist.

  What can we do?

  1. Elected and appointed officials, City Councils, Board of Supervisors, judges, and the DA need to work together to resolve this issue. The cops on the street need their FULL support. The criminal justice system needs to speak with one voice, and that voice needs to support the officers on patrol. This issue could be resolved at little cost to taxpayers if only all of the players could be on the same page. The recent crackdown on taggers is a great example of agency cooperation and the criminal justice system speaking with one voice. We can do the same with gangsters. Cops know the gangsters and drug dealers and where they live, but they don’t have the legal backup to do much about it.

  2. Judges and the District Attorney need to enforce already existing laws to make life more uncomfortable for the gangsters. Two laws immediately pop into mind:

  a. It is a violation of probation (and therefore a crime) for two youth on probation with gang terms to be together. Many young gangsters congregate together after school—for instance behind Ramsay Park—and cause a lot of trouble. I am quite sure that more than one of them is on probation with gang terms.

  b. “The area within 1000 feet of a school is considered a School Zone.” (Penal Code 653g) “Drug offenders, sex offenders, or gang members are not permitted in these zones.” (PC 626.85, PC 626.8, PC 13826.3) “Anyone in a physical fight in these zones will be arrested.” (PC 241.2) “It is illegal to loiter in these areas.” (PC 653g)

  Cops would arrest youth for these offenses IF the DA would prosecute and the judges would convict, but it often seems the kids have immunity.

  In other words, if the DA, judges, Probation, and the police agencies could get together to put the squeeze on the younger wanabe gangsters, perhaps fewer of them would become hard core.

  Issue # 8: Community–Neighborhood Safety.

  I met a principal at a workshop in Sacramento who runs a Community Day School (like New School) in Compton, a “bad” part of LA. I asked her how she dealt with students who “claim” gang membership (tattoos, colors, etc.). She didn’t really understand my question since in her area EVERY student has to pick sides, or s/he is not safe walking to school. In other words, in her neighborhood of Compton the streets are completely controlled by gangs, and youth must affiliate to survive. Most of Watsonville is not there yet, but we have to decide how bad we’re going to let it get. Some of my students’ families don’t even let their elementary age children go outside the front door without an adult. Low income youth deserve the same safety as others, but their neighborhoods are often controlled by gangs and drug dealers. Middle class people don’t see this, because most are oblivious to the signs. If you can read the graffiti in Watsonville, you will know that much of our town is claimed by one gang or another. I am including a map of Watsonville with current “turf” colored in. This map was created by several students from New School—formerly affiliated with both sides. As more and more of the voters in town live in semi-gated communities (with one road in and out), security in low-income neighborhoods diminishes. What I’m saying is that low-income neighborhoods BREED gangs because the thugs control the streets.

  What can we do?

  1. Ignore politics, and do the right thing. Concentrate police and other services in the areas of greatest need. The highest crime-rate areas should get enough police protection to equalize the crime rates around the city. Of course, this would take time and persistence to eliminate many of the bad guys in the poor neighborhoods, but why should innocent children be less safe in one neighborhood than another? (Check out the Megan’s Law map of Watsonville. Guess where the vast majority of the sex offenders live?) Everyone deserves equal protection under the law. View the crime statistics map on the city’s WPD website. Equalizing the crime rate in all neighborhoods would undoubtedly have other consequences. I bet many of the anti-tax folks would understand the need for better funding for police, probation, and recreation.

  2. In Watsonville, Chief Terry Medina and Captain Manny Solano have been trying to introduce “Community Policing”, where the police know their neighborhoods, talk to the residents, and residents can trust them for protection. This kind of trust is essential if police are to receive information about what’s really going on in every neighborhood. This is what it was like when most of us were growing up; when you could walk alone downtown at night. I believe this is the major factor that has kept Watsonville from turning into Salinas: Community Policing, and bilingual/bicultural cops. Community Policing costs money though, and that’s the reason it hasn’t been very well implemented so far—not enough officers. WPD needs more officers (with good “people skills”) to continue implementing the community policing idea. We still very seldom see a cop on foot downtown. Funding for police and school security needs to increase.

  Issue # 9: Community–Parks and Recreation Funding.

  The voters of Watsonville have repeatedly refused to fully fund recreation centers and libraries. In many of the low income neighborhoods, there are few safe, healthy places for youth to be after school. One of my students lives with four sisters in an apartment complex on Riverside Drive. All five of the girls have been “flashed” in the complex, and are thus not allowed outside the door alone.

  The City’s libraries and recreation centers provide safe space and relationships with responsible, caring adults for many of our kids, making gang affiliation and drug use less dominant in their world. In the last five years, I have seen the services of these public facilities diminish. As hours are cut, OUR youth spend more time in the streets. Time in the streets has completely different meanings on Brewington Avenue than it does on Lincoln St.

  Did you know that:

  1. At the Community Center in Marinovich Park on Second Street, the center of many violent gang fights over the last 15 years, all recreation programs have been closed down. Now only a computer center and the Environmental Science Workshop remain, and gang members and drug dealers are free do as they please in the park (right outside the preschool).

  2. At the Ramsay Park center, community organizations have to pay $25 to conduct a car wash. I understand that the facility recycles water, but I am concerned about this tax on the poorest in our community. Three years ago, New School had a carwash that earned $200 to help defray the cost of a student’s funeral, but we had to pay $25 to use the Ramsay facility. That’s a pretty big cut. Is this really what Watsonville’s taxpayers want when they vote for no new taxes?

  What can we do? I am in no way blaming the City or the Libraries or the Recreation Department. They need MUCH better funding. Middle class voters need to understand that low-income immigrants are not going away. (Of course the reason is that we—middle-class folks–refuse to do the “grunt” work in this town. This is one of the unintended consequences of our broken immigration system.) The experiences immigrant children have in their neighborhoods will help to shape them into either our neighbors or our burglars.

  Allowing dysfunctional families to abuse their children, and allowing schools, police, recreation programs and libraries to continue to be underfunded ensures that we will continue to produce our own homegrown terrorists.

  I hope these observations will spark some debate about long-term, integrated, community-wide, gang-abatement and our support of this valley’s youth.

  Sincerely,

  Don

  Don Eggleston
  Former Principal of New School
  301 Pleasant Valley Road
  Aptos, CA 95003
  831-722-7645

  PS: In 1960, Eddie Belleroe, a Cree Elder from Alberta, Canada, recalled a conversation with his aging grandfather. He asked: “Grandfather, what is the purpose of life?” After a long time in thought, the old man looked up and said “Grandson, children are the purpose of life. We were once children and someone cared for us; now it is our turn to care.”

  Attachment: Gang Map of Watsonville

• siats // Jun 20, 2009 at 3:48 pm

  Don Eggleston for president!

  Or mayor, or board of supes, or DA.

• siats // Jun 20, 2009 at 3:54 pm

  Had an idea about tying welfare checks to parenting class. Make it an administrative action a principle can take that requires the parent to pick up their check at/after the parenting class. That way you are not denying, just changing the process of collecting it.

  For parents not on welfare, have the county create a fine for not attending a required parenting class thats managed just like parking tickets. No registration, no license, is you don’t pay up or show up.

• Jemilo // Jun 22, 2009 at 1:02 pm

  First, thank you Don Eggleston. The information you provided is invaluable to starting change.
  Secondly, would you please forward what you wrote to every Legislator (CA especially), major newspaper, CNN, MSNBC and to Ron Owens with AM810? I think that what you have to say should be broadcasted to as many people as possible.
  I learned a lot from your posting and I am pretty sure I won’t be the only one. Knowledge is the best weapon out there. Also, people really need to understand that if they don’t report the crimes, they are letting the terrorists win (and yes I am in complete agreeance that gangs are nothing more than terrorists-just in our backyard). We wouldn’t put up with that in Iraq or Afghanistan, why do we here?

• Don Eggleston // Jul 19, 2009 at 1:34 pm

  After 33 years of working in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in central California as a teacher and principal of a continuation high school (http://www.newschool.pvusd.net), with a special interest in “at risk” children, I would like to share some of my thoughts about gangs and what we can do about them. First, two things I have learned:

  1. Children are not born as the “bad seed”. They are products of their environment, which means families, schools, and neighborhoods.

  2. Gangs are homegrown terrorists. They exist to hurt people and poison our community with drugs. Their goal is to control the community. For confirmation, go to http://www.youtube.com and punch in Watsonville (or the name of your town) and then “norte” or “sur”.

  Since our families, schools and neighborhoods produce these homegrown terrorists, I am offering some ways we can reduce our “harvest” of these criminals.

  Problem #1: Hurt People Hurt People

  In my experience, most (not all) teen risky behavior (drug use, binge drinking, early pregnancies, gang affiliation, suicide, eating disorders, vandalism, violence, and other criminal, antisocial, and self-destructive behavior), originates in unhappy relationships at home. The majority of “at-risk” students have been emotionally, physically and/or sexually abused. Many will eventually populate our prisons and the welfare rolls. Most commonly, what I saw in my 22 years in continuation education is that dad beats mom and the kids. The domestic violence abuse issues are about 80% correlated with alcohol abuse, and sometimes illegal drugs. Thankfully, sexual abuse of children is finally coming out of the closet. From my work with many counselors and the Survivors’ Healing Center, I estimate that over half of the students in continuation-type high schools are victims of sexual abuse. So, when I see an arrogant punky cholo strolling in the street or flashing colors, I try to remember where this antisocial self-hate came from. They have a reason to be angry. Every child is born innocent. “There but for fortune go you or I.”

  What can we do?

  1. Child abuse needs to be treated as a critical public health issue. If our society can nearly eliminate smoking in one generation through the dissemination of health information and peer pressure, we should be able to tackle the root cause of most violent crime, murders and even wars. Spouse abusers and child abusers should be shunned at LEAST as much as tobacco smokers.

  2. Organizations such as Women’s Crisis Support and Child Protective Services need to have many more resources to lower the community’s tolerance of the abuse of women and children. Since most of this abuse occurs when people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, I recommend we fund these agencies through greater taxes on alcohol and the confiscation of drug dealers’ assets. As with smoking, money raised by the alcohol tax could also fund anti-gang and anti-child abuse campaigns.

  3. Healthy, responsible, caring men need to be involved mentoring other youth besides those in their own family, through coaching sports, Big Brothers/Sisters, or just taking their neighbor or nephew under their wing. This a perfect project for churches. The payback for this kind of work is what gets you into heaven. Most men have no awareness of how important they are to children. A small, consistent expression of interest over time in a child often means a lot. This anti-gang initiative would cost nothing.

  4. Men need to be held financially accountable for their children. Notice on daytime TV, when Oprah, for instance has a mom and her out-of-control daughter on. There is still seldom any mention of the missing dad. Children need fathers. Of the over 1500 students I interviewed for admission to New School, over 75% had serious issues around their fathers, ranging from dad being absent to dad having abused them.

  Problem #2: How do you spell love? “T-I-M-E.”

  The second most common reason for youth to be destructive is that mom, (and often dad, if he’s present) works two shifts to give the kids everything they want, when all the kids really want is their parents’ nonjudgmental time. Regardless of what the kids say–they may parrot TV’s ads–but they really want to spend time with people who love them. Often, though, since the father has disappeared and offers no financial (or emotional) support, mom is forced to work so much that her time with the kids is very limited, and the children don’t get enough guidance. They are, in some cases, raised in the streets, and some streets are controlled by gangs and drug dealers.

  What can we do?

  1. Unless we want the state to take over raising these children, their parents must take the time to raise them well. I would like to see the parents of troubled students (starting in elementary school) mandated to parenting classes. Many schools and agencies offer excellent parenting programs, such as Family Wellness, Positive Discipline and “Cara y Corazón”, but the parents who most need the help seldom attend. They are only mandated to attend after they have been caught neglecting or beating their children or committed other crimes, or their children are convicted of crimes. By this time, the damage to children is already done. Most of the “at-risk” students can be identified in elementary school. It’s the parents of the little guys and girls sitting outside the principal’s office waiting to be disciplined who need the help. That’s the best time to intervene. Social service agencies, law enforcement and schools need to work more closely together to “motivate” these parents to recognize their family’s dysfunction earlier. The precedent is already there. Our school district’s Student Services office has taken parents of chronically truant students to court. Why not require parenting classes for the parents of students who are severe discipline problems? When these classes are taken seriously, they can dramatically improve the quality of family life for both parents and children.

  2. Many of the families I deal with get state and federal aid, (including subsidized housing, food stamps, WIC, etc.). Most local, state and federal aid is intended to help poor parents raise their children. Parents are not doing their job if their children are failing in school. If they’re not raising them well, let’s require parenting classes as a condition of benefits. WIC, for instance, requires mothers to view videos on good parenting to receive their services. At present, most of the social service agencies operate independently from law enforcement. I say, for the good of the children, these agencies should work together so that innocent kids have a healthy home. This precedent is already set with our SARB (School Attendance and Review Board). At monthly meetings, the most egregious truant students are brought before a collaborative group that includes social service agencies and law enforcement. When law enforcement gets involved, most parents stop playing the system and take more responsibility for their children. Taxpayers do not want to subsidize the training of criminals.

  For the record, in my experience, all of these family issues: abusive males, substance abusing parents, and parents working long hours and therefore neglecting their kids are not correlated to class, race, or income. Wealthier families have more resources for hiding the results. They send their problematic kids to private schools and expensive treatment centers, and of course they don’t wear gangster uniforms, but they have their own antisocial, self-destructive “dropout” styles and behaviors. Although I have taught in all-Black and all-Chinese schools, I speak Spanish so most of my experience has been with Mexican immigrants, but the factors that create dropouts are at work in every school and community.

  Problem #3: Underfunding of Education

  I know that this sounds like whining during the current budget crisis, but it must be said. When I started teaching, California was #1 in per/pupil funding in the USA. For the last ten years, we’ve been near the bottom. Next year we’ll surely be #50. This means that Californians “value” their children less than Americans in any other state. Is this really true?

  What can we do?

  1. California voters need to consider what kind of future (e.g. children,
  neighbors) we want to have. “Equal opportunity for all.” costs money. Among all the competing interests for my tax dollar, I put a top priority on children.
  Propositions 1A and 1B have failed, but I don’t think that means that California’s voters have abandoned public schools. Although it will take many years to recover from the damage already done, I am optimistic that eventually Californians will recognize that a quality public education program is the foundation of our economic recovery.

  2. Over the course of my career in education, as budgets are cut, dropout prevention programs are the first to go. According to the California Dropout Research Project (http://lmri.ucsb.edu/dropouts/), good dropout prevention SAVES society lots of money. Since “at-risk” students disrupt classes and lower test scores, many schools just want to get rid of them. Many school staff don’t want to admit that their school has a drug problem or a gang problem. These “problem” students are not going away, though, and the best solution is to provide creative, consistent programs that employ excellent teachers. These programs usually cost more money up front, but the payoff to society is huge.

  3. Taxpayers (WE) need to recognize that it may be a little more expensive to serve troubled students, and develop dropout prevention programs that are permanent. These students don’t need a fresh start at more of the same; they need a smaller, different school, away from the big schools. And that’s what the serious students in traditional schools deserve—a chance to learn free from disruptive students. When given a real shot at changing the direction of their lives, as we offer at New School, many youth actually recover.

  Again, since alcohol and illegal drugs play a big part in most dysfunctional families, I propose a large tax on alcohol to help fund the “social service” functions and dropout programs of schools. I would also dedicate the coming tax on legal marijuana to schools. Since we already have lottery money funding schools, we might as well continue with the “sin tax” for social good concept.

  Problem # 4: Many Students Left Behind

  High academic standards are great, but combined with diminishing resources, they have become the only focus of most schools. Character education and vocational education are almost gone.

  The idea that schools should have a part in forming the character of the child has all but disappeared because of testing pressures. It was only a few years ago that public schools dropped the “Citizenship” grades we all used to get. I understand the thinking that holds that schools can’t be saddled with the burden of correcting all of society’s ills, but there is no one else to do it (when the parents have abdicated). It’s like why people rob banks: School is where the children are.

  Likewise, with academic testing pressures and less money, vocational education programs have suffered. Schools now operate on the “Pour the information in to the brain and they spew it out later.” model. Students are not really expected to DO anything. This starts in elementary school. For example, as far as I know, we in the USA have the only schools where children are not expected to clean the classrooms.

  What can we do?

  Schools need to return to their original purpose of developing responsible, capable citizens, not just teaching academics. Currently, elementary schools do have sporadic “overlay” anti-bullying programs, but I believe that universal (not religious) values, such as integrity, persistence, punctuality, hard work, amiability, empathy, honesty and non-violence need to be re-infused in the K-12 curriculum as they once were.

  Most “at-risk” students need remedial work on understanding these universal cultural values, because in their world, (dysfunctional families, the streets, and prison) values are different. For instance, in the world of good citizens, “respect” means civility, truthfulness and kindness, but in the some families (and on the streets) “respect” means power through fear. Likewise, in my world, stealing is wrong, but in some families, it’s OK to take something if you need it. Another example is telling the truth. Many “at-risk” families expect children to lie rather than to “rat out” themselves or friends. My point is that many children live in families that “teach” antisocial values, and those values that children bring to school can be modified. Public schools exist to educate responsible citizens, and that starts with character. If a youth’s first allegiance is to a gang, s/he’s not going to need a diploma.

  Problem #5: “Gangs and Drugs Destroy Families”

  After interviewing over 1000 students to enter our (New School) dropout program, I know that between ½ and 2/3 of students in similar programs have substance abuse issues, usually alcohol and/or marijuana. These students came from traditional secondary schools where they were getting loaded and underperforming. Many were never caught.

  Just as we should have zero tolerance for gang behavior in schools, I would like to see a real zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol in our schools. Just like gangs, students that are “intervened on” about their substance abuse at the age of 14 are much less likely to turn into lifelong addicts than those who continue to use throughout their school “career”. Allowing students to be in school loaded is just ignoring their cry for help, and I believe that most classrooms in traditional high schools have at least one student under the influence in them. Teachers are unaware and sometimes turn a blind eye. Ask high school students if there are loaded kids in their classrooms.

  What can we do?

  1. Many secondary schools have been using “drug dogs” for years. We use them at New School. Twice a year, students leave their backpacks in the classroom for a “fire drill” and a highly trained dog and handler enter. If the canine smells something (alcohol, illegal drugs, gunpowder, it just sits down and the handler fills out a report for the school administrator. From there, it’s up to the principal. There are no Gestapo tactics. I can’t imagine that many parents would object to this serious attempt to really keep our schools “drug free”. Right now most schools have a “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” policy which is ineffective because addicts lie.

  2. I believe all “dropout” programs should offer urine drug screening (only about $5 each) at the request of parents. When administrators suspend students for disruptive behavior, parents should be able to purchase a drug screening kit for about $3 from the school. We have done this for 8 years at New School, and it is very effective in keeping our campus a clean and sober environment. More importantly, it helps us to identify youth who need intervention in their relationship with illegal drugs or alcohol before it gets to be a blind, self-destructive love affair. One dirty test calls for a parent conference and a strict contract. Students who test dirty a second time are dropped to a local substance abuse program, where they can focus on their sobriety, which is of paramount importance to their schoolwork and future life. Today many jobs require drug screening. School is a student’s job, and they can’t perform to their ability if they are loaded.

  Problem #6: Community–Distrust of the Cops.

  There are “bad apples” for sure. Most cops, however, can be trusted.

  What can we do?

  1. Help everyone understand that fighting crime without cops is like going to war without a weapon. Marches and speeches are nice to raise awareness, but they don’t stop much crime. So, my conclusion in this war to preserve safety in our streets and schools is to TRUST THE COPS AND COOPERATE WITH THEM. It’s that simple. Their job is to fight crime. If we don’t support them, we allow crime to infest our schools and neighborhoods.

  2. Publicize (especially in Spanish) the WPD Anonymous Tip Line telephone number (728-3544), and emphasize the anonymous part. The main reason that crimes are not reported is the fear of retaliation. Police often get little cooperation from bystanders who witnessed a stabbing or shooting, because they know that the gangs control the neighborhood, and they or their family be hurt if they tell the truth. Police are frustrated when witnesses don’t cooperate, but they don’t understand that if the police controlled the streets in that neighborhood, witnesses would be forthcoming. I can’t help but note the parallels here with the Taliban in Afghanistan. People will cooperate if they know you are staying and they will be safe.

  3. Protect those that DO cooperate with law enforcement against the bullies (drug dealers and gangsters) in their neighborhoods. Use ALL of the government’s power (including housing regulations, permits, etc.), coupled with county probation, and school officials to bear down on drug houses and the homes of the bad actors that rule their neighborhoods with fear. Many of my students and their parents know who the bad actors in their neighborhoods are. They should feel safe to report them, and the cops need the tools to take action. Last year, I witnessed the aftermath of a gang knife assault in an alley during the high school lunch hour. There were five witnesses, but only one brave lady would come forward to ID the perps. She covered her head with a towel, because she knew that her neighborhood was controlled by these thugs and that “ratting them out” (telling the truth) can be very dangerous.

  Problem #7: Community—Criminal Justice System.

  In my community, the various county and city criminal justice agencies have different philosophies and as a result, most police officers don’t feel they have the support they need. This results in many unruly juveniles playing the system and frustrating many police and probation officers. The police often feel THEY are wearing the handcuffs. As an example, a few years ago a former student of ours, R— came by New School at our old Main Street site flashing a red bandana and challenging some of my students to fight. When the cops came, the sergeant was clearly frustrated, because R— had just gone to the police station and demanded that they return his bandana, which they had confiscated during a previous arrest. Since the judge had failed to place probation “gang terms” on this youth, the sergeant had to return his bandana. R— (who all the cops knew) was clearly “down” for red, and had been for years. That’s why we had dropped him from New School. But, somehow the system allowed him for years to sink further and further into the street life. Of course, R— is now in prison, but I wonder if he had felt real consequences for his gang affiliation earlier if that might have diverted him from the gang lifestyle.

  The sad, unrecognized fact is that the longer these youth are allowed to continue with their self-destructive behavior, the less likely it is that they can be salvaged. In my experience, if a youth realizes at the age of 14 that gang banging or drug/alcohol use is causing him/her trouble, s/he has a much better chance of quitting than if s/he were to continue to use and “bang” until the age of 18.

  Gang involved youth know very well that if they commit a crime in Monterey County, they are in for hard time, whereas in Santa Cruz County, they are often let off with a slap on the wrist. As Jack Borges, a former Santa Cruz County Probation Officer said “Most people need to feel the heat, before they can see the light.” We need to “motivate” youth in Santa Cruz County to stay away from gangs.

  What can we do?

  1. Elected and appointed officials, City Councils, Board of Supervisors, judges, and the DA need to work together to resolve this issue. The cops on the street need their FULL support. The criminal justice system needs to speak with one voice, and that voice needs to support the officers on patrol. This issue could be resolved at little cost to taxpayers if only all of the players could be on the same page. The recent crackdown on taggers is a great example of agency cooperation and the criminal justice system speaking with one voice. We can do the same with gangsters. Cops know the gangsters and drug dealers and where they live, but they don’t have the legal backup to do much about it.

  2. Judges and the District Attorney need to enforce already existing laws to make life more uncomfortable for the gangsters. Two laws immediately pop into mind:

  a. It is a violation of probation (and therefore a crime) for two youth on probation with gang terms to be together. Many young gangsters openly congregate together after school in consistent hangouts with no consequences.

  b. “The area within 1000 feet of a school is considered a School Zone.” (Penal Code 653g) “Drug offenders, sex offenders, or gang members are not permitted in these zones.” (PC 626.85, PC 626.8, PC 13826.3) “Anyone in a physical fight in these zones will be arrested.” (PC 241.2) “It is illegal to loiter in these areas.” (PC 653g)

  Cops would arrest youth for these offenses IF the DA would prosecute and the judges would convict, but it often seems the kids have immunity.

  Santa Cruz County has been a national model for reducing the incarceration of juvenile offenders by using other methods, such as ankle-monitors and “treatment” programs. One of the unintended consequences of this policy is that juveniles feel that the law can’t touch them. Juvenile gangsters know that if they commit a crime in Monterey County, they will serve “hard time”, but not in Santa Cruz. This is partly because of a disconnect in the criminal justice system in Santa Cruz County. Law enforcement officers in this county do not get the “back-up” they need from the District Attorney, Probation and the judges because of different philosophies. If all of the players in the criminal justice system could speak with one voice (that supports the police officers on the streets), gangs would not operate with such impunity.

  Problem # 8: Community–Neighborhood Safety.

  I met a principal at a workshop in Sacramento who runs a Community Day School (like New School) in Compton, a “bad” part of LA. I asked her how she dealt with students who “claim” gang membership (tattoos, colors, etc.). She didn’t really understand my question since in her area EVERY student has to pick sides, or s/he is not safe walking to school. In other words, in her neighborhood of Compton the streets are completely controlled by gangs, and youth must affiliate to survive. Most of Watsonville is not there yet, but we have to decide how bad we’re going to let it get. Some of my students’ families don’t even let their elementary age children go outside the front door without an adult. Low income youth deserve the same safety as others, but their neighborhoods are often controlled by gangs and drug dealers. Middle class people don’t see this, because most are oblivious to the signs. If you can read the graffiti in your town, you can tell that some parts are claimed by one gang or another. As more and more of the voters in town live in semi-gated communities (with one road in and out), security in low-income neighborhoods diminishes. What I’m saying is that low-income neighborhoods BREED gangs because the thugs control the streets.

  What can we do?

  1. Ignore politics, change our paradigm, and do the right thing. Concentrate police and other services in the areas of greatest need. The highest crime-rate areas should get enough police protection to equalize the crime rates around the city. Of course, this would take time and persistence to eliminate many of the bad guys in the poor neighborhoods, but why should innocent children be less safe in one neighborhood than another? (Check out the Megan’s Law map of your town. Guess where the vast majority of the sex offenders live?) Everyone deserves equal protection under the law. View the crime statistics map on your city’s website. Equalizing the crime rate in all neighborhoods would undoubtedly have other consequences. I bet many of the anti-tax folks would understand the need for better funding for police, probation, and recreation.

  2. In Watsonville, Chief Terry Medina and Captain Manny Solano have been trying to introduce “Community Policing”, where the police know their neighborhoods, talk to the residents, and residents can trust them for protection. This kind of trust is essential if police are to receive information about what’s really going on in every neighborhood. This is what it was like when most of us were growing up; when you could walk alone downtown at night. I believe this is the major factor that has kept Watsonville from turning into Salinas: Community Policing, and bilingual/bicultural cops. Community Policing costs money though, and that’s the reason it hasn’t been very well implemented so far—not enough officers. WPD needs more officers (with good “people skills”) to continue implementing the community policing idea. Funding for police and school security needs to increase. Again, a large tax on alcohol, with the revenues going to crime prevention and suppression would help.

  Problem # 9: Community–Parks and Recreation Funding.

  The voters of our town have repeatedly refused to fully fund recreation centers and libraries. In many of the low income neighborhoods, there are few safe, healthy places for youth to be after school. One of my students lives with four sisters in an apartment complex downtown. All five of the girls have been “flashed” in the complex, and are thus not allowed outside the door alone.

  The City’s libraries and recreation centers provide safe space and relationships with responsible, caring adults for many of our kids, making gang affiliation and drug use less dominant in their world. In the last five years, I have seen the services of these public facilities diminish. As hours are cut, OUR youth spend more time in the streets. Time in the streets has completely different meanings, depending on the neighborhood.

  What can we do? I am in no way blaming the City or the Libraries or the Recreation Department. They need MUCH better funding. Middle class voters need to understand that low-income immigrants are not going away. (Of course the reason is that we—middle-class folks–refuse to do the “grunt” work in this town. This is one of the unintended consequences of our broken immigration system.) The experiences immigrant children have in their neighborhoods will help to shape them into either our neighbors or our burglars.

  Allowing dysfunctional families to abuse their children, and allowing schools, police, recreation programs and libraries to continue to be underfunded ensures that we will continue to produce our own homegrown terrorists.

  I hope these observations will spark some debate about long-term, integrated, community-wide, gang-abatement and our support of this valley’s youth.

  Sincerely,

  Don

  Don Eggleston
  Former Principal of New School
  301 Pleasant Valley Road
  Aptos, CA 95003
  831-722-7645

  PS: In 1960, Eddie Belleroe, a Cree Elder from Alberta, Canada, recalled a conversation with his aging grandfather. He asked: “Grandfather, what is the purpose of life?” After a long time in thought, the old man looked up and said “Grandson, children are the purpose of life. We were once children and someone cared for us; now it is our turn to care.”

  Attachment: Gang Map of Watsonville

• Jimi Doss // Jul 28, 2009 at 9:46 pm

  what was up with that last comment ?????? That was a darn thesis not a comment :)

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