It comes as no surprise that a pair of recent shootings in Springdale may have been the result of gang activity. After all, the phenomenon of groups of disaffected young men coming together in criminal enterprises is an old one. But those shootings almost two weeks ago, which left one person dead, two wounded and another in jail on suspicion of murder, may be a troubling indication of an increased level of violence.
Right here in prosperous, peaceful Northwest Arkansas, gangs have made themselves part of the landscape. While the local gangs (sometimes referred to as "trouble groups") may have only tenuous connections to more nefarious national or international crime organizations, they still pose a threat to local communities. Just because their activities aren't directly connected to a larger criminal enterprise doesn't mean that they're just some misguided boys trying to find their way. These gangs appear to be involved in some serious crimes.
What’s the point: Springdale officials are taking the right approach in dealing with recent gang-related crime.
There have been numerous serious incidents over the last few years in which gang affiliations have played some sort of role. From thefts of weapons to brawls with police to (of course) drugs, these crimes are troubling, though still relatively rare. But they do occur.
And they are nothing new. Any police officer can tell you not only who many of the gang members are, but the names and characteristics of the various groups.
Educators in the region spend lots of time on programs in elementary and middle schools attempting to discourage the kind of activities and behaviors that might lead a child closer to gang involvement. And they enforce strict rules on dress to limit the outward appearance of gang affiliation.
Springdale Police and the city administration deserve credit for not sugar-coating the recent shootings. They acknowledged publicly that gang rivalries likely played a role. They've also responded by stepping up enforcement by reactivating a crime suppression unit in hopes of heading things like this off before they happen.
Other communities in Northwest Arkansas also have taken steps to address gangs, both recently and in the past. Kelly Cradduck, now sheriff of Benton County, has been talking about the signs of gang activity for years and once led a unit in the Rogers police department aimed at curbing it. And, he started a gang unit in the sheriff's department when he took office in 2013.
It's not clear that any of those early interventions did anything to slow the development of gangs. But that's not a knock on those who tried. As noted earlier, groups of young, poor and bored men have been organizing themselves into criminal gangs for generations. As the population of the region grew, so did the likelihood that gangs in some form or another would develop. It's folly to think that "keeping them out" was an attainable goal.
By the same token, pretending that gangs aren't here, or that they are somehow less threatening because they are homegrown, is not a winning strategy for law enforcement, schools or local communities, either. The best course forward is to do what the Springdale police department and city administration is doing: Face the problem head on with honest and reasonable assessment of the risks.
Commentary on 03/24/2015