Thursday, Apr. 17, 2008

Violence stirs sadness, resignation

Weekend's brazen gang shootings leave neighbors feeling helpless

Gang-related shootings last weekend in Modesto and Turlock left a bystander dead and two gang members -- a 13-year-old boy and a man from Newman -- in the hospital, authorities reported.

The shootings were in public places: a street corner, near a gas station and outside a movie theater. Two of them happened during daylight hours. The surviving victims remain hospitalized.

Arrests have been made in one of the cases.

This year, Modesto has seen about 17 gang-related shootings targeting people, homes and cars, according to a preliminary report from the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force. That's about half of the city's 33 shootings since January.

One of those shootings killed Chanthol Ouk, a former Mo-destan and father of four boys, ages 9 to 19, who was visiting over the weekend from Long Beach to celebrate the Cambo-dian new year. Police said Ouk, pronounced "oak," was an innocent bystander.

Brain Thach, 49, lives in the neighborhood where Ouk was hit Sunday. Thach said the shooting made him feel helpless and vulnerable.

"It happened very quickly," he said. "I'm not really prepared to protect myself. I don't know what I can do. I'm uncomfortable to go to work because I don't know what's going on in my neighborhood. Nobody's watching. People do not want to get involved."

Authorities say the recent shootings are cause for concern, although probably not a trend. Increased violence is normal this time of year, said Modesto police Sgt. Rick Armendariz, who supervises the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force.

"We usually see a spike like this in the beginning of spring and summer," he said. "The evenings are longer. People are out, and younger kids stay out longer. With the weather better, it's not uncommon for us to see that spike in gang violence."

Overall, gang-related shooting statistics from January through March are slightly down from a year ago, with 13 this year compared with 19 in 2007. But with half of April remaining, and retaliations possible from last weekend's shootings, it's hard to say where the numbers will stand in a few weeks, he said.

"In the gang subculture, it's a constant struggle to build respect," Armendariz said. "They build their reputation on fear. What better way to build your reputation than to commit crimes? They know they get respect by the violence they create and the name recognition, which also comes through violence. It's not because they're all straight-A students. People are intimidated by them because of the violence they create."

More and more, Armendariz said, authorities are seeing younger kids joining gangs. Often, the children who are targeted come from homes in which parents each work two jobs to support the family. This, he said, leaves children without the mentoring and regulation they need. Gangs give kids a feeling of belonging and importance.

What children often don't realize, he said, is the family atmos-phere gangs promote usually doesn't hold up when trouble comes.

"They tell the kids, 'We love you, you're our brother,' " he said. "But when they do get arrested and go to prison, it's not their gang members who are visiting them. It's their parents. The false sense of love that gang members provide is short term."

Authorities also are seeing an increase in what Armendariz called "senseless violence."

Minor slights, real or perceived, are leading to assaults or shootings. Gang members often will interpret a simple stare or a small jostle as a sign of disrespect, he said. For example, a teenager was arrested April 1 after police said he shot someone over a disagreement about a puppy. He's in custody on suspicion of attempted murder.