ROGERS — Authorities have identified about 30 street gangs in Northwest Arkansas, according to a Rogers police officer Tuesday.
Master Police Officer Jared Robinson of the Rogers Police Department presented a gang overview to participants at the open house for the Youth Bridge at The Rogers Clinic in the Center for NonProfits.
Robinson said street gangs in Northwest Arkansas can differ somewhat from gangs in other areas.
“Street gangs form mostly for protection from race or from other gangs,” Robinson said.
But the makeup of the community will determine the makeup of the gang in this area, Robinson said.
“If the community is racially integrated, the gang will be racially integrated,” Robinson said.
A gang task force, run out of the Police Department, kept gangs pretty well under control in Rogers — for a while, Robinson said.
FAST FACTS
Youth Bridge
Youth Bridge was founded in 1963 at Boyland, a ranch located in Winslow. The organization was a custodial-style facility that housed homeless and neglected teen boys.
Source: Staff Report
“Mainly in Rogers, gangs were nonexistent because of the Gang Task Force,” Robinson said. “Once they heard we weren’t there anymore, they came back. We just got a new police chief Monday. We’re waiting to see how things settle down.”
Gangs can be found anywhere, Robinson said.
“Gangs aren’t limited to just one area,” Robinson said. “They can be found in the big city or out in the country.”
Kevin Crow, director of the Rogers unit of the Boys & Girls Club, knows full well about gangs in Rogers.
“Actually, we just had our bus tagged,” Crow said.
“Tagging” refers to gang members spray-painting an area or object to mark it as their territory.
“As far as there being that many gangs, I wasn’t really sure,” Crow said. “But it doesn’t surprise me.”
Eighteen-year-old Juan Garcia, a student at Rogers High School and a member of the Boys & Girls Club, wasn’t surprised.
“I was aware of the number of gangs,” Garcia said. “You can see it on the fences. I don’t know that there’s that much peer pressure to join a gang.”
Garcia said gangs aren’t a problem at high school, then adds, “But there are some people who are questionable.”
Also during the open house, representatives from Walmart presented Youth Bridge with a $1,000 check.
A marketing team from Walmart, which is in partnership with Youth Bridge, also unveiled a new mission statement for Youth Bridge.
Youth Bridge provides a number of services to troubled Northwest Arkansas youth and families.