Prince George’s County officials are planning to address the county’s gang problem as part of a wider effort to curb violence after a bloody January that saw 16 homicides. A two-hour public forum scheduled by the school board Tuesday is being billed as a “call to action” for the community to respond to the outbreak in killings this year. Police say some of the slayings may be related to gang or neighborhood crew violence.
Forum on youth violence When: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Where: Northwestern High School, Hyattsville
| Who: Sponsored by the Prince George’s County Board of Education. Those scheduled to attend include Prince George’s School Superintendent William Hite and State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks. |
“The MS-13 and the Bloods, they have a presence here and they are a problem, we’re doing our best to deal with them, but we have more of a presence of the local neighborhood gangs than anything else,” said Sgt. George Norris, the supervisor of the 17-member Prince George’s County Police Gang Unit.
The neighborhood gangs — or crews named after streets and neighborhoods — are “heavily involved” in the county’s drug distribution, robberies, carjackings and homicides, according to a 2009 report of the county’s Youth & Gang Violence Task Force.
About 2,800 gang members and their associates live in the county, Norris said. But he cautioned not to assume that there has been an increase in gang activity, despite the 2009 report showing 1,800 gang members then. “I think there’s an increased amount of awareness by not only law enforcement, but by the community as a whole,” he said.
Third District Councilman Eric Olson, who headed the Youth & Gang Violence Task Force, said he hopes to introduce legislation in the next few months that would create a permanent committee to prevent gang violence.
Olson said the creation of such a committee has been in the process since the task force released its 2009 report, which made 23 recommendations including establishing a permanent panel.
“Across our region and across the nation, unfortunately, there are young people who are finding their ways to gangs,” Olson said. “And we need to make sure that we’re reaching young people while they’re young, providing self-confidence, character building — those types of things to limit the appeal of gangs.”
Panel discussions will be held at the Tuesday forum on topics like bullying, youth violence and gang trends, said Amber Waller, the school board member who organized the forum.
