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Pantagraph EditorialMonday, April 7, 2008 12:42 AM CDT
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Mixed approach needed to attack 'hybrid gang' issue
By the Pantagraph Editorial Board
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The so-called "hybrid gangs" of youths around the Twin Cities that have been engaging in petty crimes and pellet gun attacks might not raise as many warning flags as the drug-dealing adult gangs that use real guns.

However, to the victims of their thefts, beatings and intimidation - victims who are often the same age as the young hybrid-gang members - the danger is real.

And, without action, the danger is likely to grow. Victims may turn to other gangs for protection - or form their own gangs - if they don't think police will keep them safe.

Plus, with warmer weather and summer approaching, more youths are likely to be on the street looking for something to do. Too often, that "something" means trouble.

Police already are reporting an increase in arrests and complaint calls involving juveniles. That is likely to worsen once school is out and youths have more unsupervised time on their hands.

The threat posed by these groups of young thugs should not be underestimated. Like an untreated wound, the problems these gangs present can fester and become more serious.

And like such a wound, they are generally easier to treat in the early stages when they are small.

Bloomington Police Chief Roger Aikin said Youth Impact, the intervention program from which the city pulled its funding last year, wasn't helping enough people.

We don't know whether that is true. However, if programs such as Youth Impact aren't working, it's time to find another.

No single approach is likely to work. Instead, the problem must be attacked on several fronts.

Police need to keep pressure on members of the hybrid gangs, treat the crimes seriously and arrest lawbreakers when warranted.

The line between law enforcement and harassment can sometimes be thin. Keeping on the right side of that line is important to retain the trust and respect of everyone in the neighborhood.

Social service agencies need to provide alternatives to gangs to keep young people busy and out of trouble.

Sports can be an important outlet, but not all young people are interested in sports. Youths who are not in gangs deserve safe havens.

Positive role models also are important to help show young people the right path to follow.

Parents should be among those role models. They also should provide adequate supervision and discipline.

Compared to Chicago - where 20 school-age children have been killed so far this year - our problems are small. But that does not lessen the importance of tackling the problem while it remains small.

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Reader comments on this story - 5 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

old biker wrote on Apr 7, 2008 9:23 PM:

" The space in time that we're currently occupying tells youth, all people actually, that the sort of behavior displayed by the "hybrid gangs" is acceptable. Our leaders have failed us, authority in general is a joke. Lawyers will make your life absof******lutely miserable if you do anything meaningful to protect yourself or your property. We coddle young offenders because they have a bad homelife, they didn't eat right as toddlers, their self esteem is low, they're fat, they're minority, they're majority (but feel threatened) they don't have the advantages that other kids do, and on and on and on. It's a load of crap we're being fed. Some of it also is just attitude. Similar to what "Realist" displays in his/her post. "I'm tough and I'll hurt you. yeah, yeah, yeah.

So..what to do? I don't know. This IS where we are. We've all helped create this societal monster. I guess we'd better tame it or cage it or kill it...Have a really nice day.

"

Realist wrote on Apr 7, 2008 7:24 PM:

" Mixed approach? How about consequences for your actions, by parents and law enforcement. As long as the reward is more than the punishment, the behavior will continue. I still invite these punks to my neighborhood, I don't use a mixed approach to deal with this kind of crap, I use the 1 method. I invite any gang member out to my place, and I'll introduce them to my method. "

wewest wrote on Apr 7, 2008 10:05 AM:

" If we as a city a let these gangs to keep going, then when they get older they will have no problem using real guns and much more violence.Where are the parents?
These are little kids that the parent should be responsible for.If the parents can not handle these kids then maybe social service should. "

Gallows98 wrote on Apr 7, 2008 9:43 AM:

" To Pinko: If you would read the news every day instead of just once in a while, you would have seen the article on hybrid gangs. It's actually nothing to make fun of. It's getting to be a serious problem. The youngsters involved in these hybrid gangs doing what most consider to be minor crimes are only one step away from the adult gangs with more serious problems for the community. The letter writer is right in that something needs to be done to stop kids from becoming involved in gangs. "

Pinko Commie wrote on Apr 7, 2008 2:00 AM:

" Hybrid gang? Is that like a Prius car club? I think they should have the right to get together but I'm not sure why they need to be violent. "
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