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CURRENT ISSUE:
January 8, 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 1
Oakland,
CA
L.A. priest tells ways to curb gang violence
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| Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, wearing one of the shirts of Homeboy
Industries, addresses Oakland police and government officials
about his successful efforts to help teens avoid gangs and a life
of violent crime. |
A Jesuit
priest, who has spent over two decades ministering to gang members in
Los Angeles, came to Oakland last month at the invitation of civic leaders
who thought his experiences might provide new perspectives on how they
could stem the city’s escalating homicide rate.
Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, spoke to civic, religious
and community leaders Dec. 18 at Oakland’s City Hall about the need
for a collaborative response to gang violence in their neighborhoods.
Police officers cannot do it all, he told the group that included two
city council members, representatives from the Oakland Unified School
District, and members of the city’s violence prevention committee.
Individuals and groups, including churches, need to become more involved
-- and the more the better, the priest said. Pastors from four Oakland
parishes in areas of high crime and violence attended the meeting as did
other Catholic leaders.
The meeting came as the city’s homicide rate continued to climb.
At the end of 2006, Oakland had logged 148 homicides, a 57 percent increase
from the previous year.
Father Boyle spoke about the gang intervention program he developed in
East Los Angeles, but urged Oakland leaders to create their own solutions
to gang problems in their neighborhoods.
When he was assigned in 1986 as pastor of Dolores Mission, Father Boyle
found himself in the midst of a community with the highest concentration
of gang activity in Los Angeles.
Much of it took place in two housing projects where gangs fought each
other with a grim outcome. The priest has buried 150 youths from the area
over the past 20 years.
He learned that lack of employment was a major issue for gang members
so in 1988 he started Jobs for A Future to help prepare youth for the
job market. Services include tattoo removal and resume development. A
major focus of the organization is recruiting would-be employers.
The priest also founded Homeboy Industries, which puts local youth to
work making products like t-shirts, mugs and hats. Not every business
started under Homeboy Industries has been financially successful. The
t-shirt business has provided a steady revenue while the plumbing business
did not. “Who knew people didn’t want gang members in their
homes,” the priest said with a laugh.
Homeboy Bakery was established at a shuttered bakery across the street
from Father Boyle’s church. The bakery not only provided jobs but
also brought together former members of rival gangs, who often worked
side by side.
The priest emphasized that he works with gang members, not with gangs.
Many young people are drawn to gangs because of a “lethal absence
of hope” in their lives, he said, so community groups need to develop
alternatives that will infuse a sense of hope in those “for whom
hope is foreign.”
The response to gang violence, he said, must be substantive and multi-pronged.
This may involve such things as strengthening schools and after school
programs and nurturing community policing.
Penalties for gang violence must also be clear and consistent so that
gang members will know that “there will be consequences,”
Father Boyle said.
Acknowledging the presence of Catholic leaders in the room, Father Boyle
said that churches are an untapped resource in the struggle to reduce
violence. He suggested that Catholics work with law enforcement and community
groups to develop or support outreach programs to gang members as well
as programs that prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs or committing
violent crimes.
The operative word for community groups is collaboration, the priest said.
While the police and schools are doing their jobs, churches and community
groups must also reach out to help the young people in their midst, he
said.
During an impromptu discussion after Father Boyle’s talk, members
of the Catholic community quickly discovered that developing communication
with one another and the Oakland Police Department may be an important
first step in addressing the escalating rise in violence in the city.
Father Antonio Valdivia, pastor of St. Louis Bertrand Parish, said he
can feel a sense of disenchantment on the streets of his East Oakland
neighborhood. Residents have told him that they call the police when they
see problems like drug dealing near their homes, but no one from the police
department comes to follow-up on the call. “That creates the impression
that no one cares,” he said.
Oakland Police Capt. David Kozicki, who attended and helped organize the
meeting, acknowledged problems with police response and said that the
force is “tremendously understaffed.” As a result the police
have been working mandatory overtime to respond to crime throughout the
city and there is little opportunity to form bonds and contacts within
neighborhoods.
The department is waiting for additional funding that will enable them
to hire more officers. Until funding and hiring issues are addressed,
Capt. Kozicki and others in the department have been appealing to local
residents for help. “We need the community to step up and work with
us to help solve problems,” he said.
Meanwhile a task force on violence in the community has been meeting at
Catholic Charities of the East Bay to give concerned citizens a chance
to talk about the issues of violence from a Catholic perspective and to
formulate effective responses. Task force members include pastors, staff,
and members of several East Bay parishes affected by violence in their
communities.
The task force exchanges as well as the gathering with Father Boyle left
Solomon Belette, CCEB’s executive director, feeling hopeful that
solutions to violence will be found. “It requires all of us working
together,” he said.
