On METV, county leaders discuss how to prevent gangs

MANATEE — There are two sides to gang life.

There’s the side glorified by music videos and Hollywood, and then there’s reality.

Jose Garza, 22, was attracted to gang activity because of the glamorization of it. So he joined SUR 13 at 15. He saw the fear and respect in his neighbors’ eyes as his cousins walked down the street. He wanted to be like them.

But one arrest and a trip to boot camp later, and Garza, then 18, got out. He cleaned up his life and now speaks out against gang membership to youth at the Manatee County YMCA.

“Stay in school, gang life is not what it’s said to be,” said Garza, of Myakka. “It’s not worth it.”

While gang members preach brotherhood and family, Garza said, “what they offer is fake love.”

Garza joined Manatee Sheriff Brad Steube, Manatee schools Superintendent Tim McGonegal and others Wednesday at the METV studios to discuss gangs in the community.

Steube spoke about the sheriff’s office’s involvement with local the schools in the Crossroads Program, which teaches children the dangers of gang membership and drugs.

“That’s taught at elementary schools and middle schools,” Steube said. “We also put together with our gang unit a presentation that we have taken to every high school, middle school, and I believe in some elementary schools now, where we basically tell staff members and some parents what to look for. Either at home or in school.”

Manatee sheriff’s office detective Garrick Plonczynski said many gang members now range in age from 8 to the late 20’s, and rarely do gang members live past 30.

“You end up in prison or dead by then,” Plonczynski said. “It doesn’t matter what class you’re from. Seventeen percent of gang members here are female.”

That translates to one in five.

To help slow down these numbers, the panel stressed stronger family involvement, closer relationships with law enforcement among youth and productive after-school programs. Garza said that if he had an after-school activity, such as the Boys & Girls Club, he might not have been involved in a gang.

Uganda Cherry, of the Boys & Girls Club, agrees.

“When Jose said how he would have benefited from a Boys & Girls Club, it hit me,” said Cherry, a lead prevention specialist. “Parents are pulling their kids out when they’re in middle school,” a critical time for them to be involved with that type of program.

As criminal defense attorney Jim Delgado said, pop culture tends to put a fake face on gang membership.

“There are three gang members: the guy or girl who wants to get out, the guy or girl who always keeps his mouth shut, and the guy or girl who’s sitting in the attorney’s office,” he said.

And the latter is the guy who will usually rat out everyone he or she knows to keep from getting in trouble, Delgado added.

What did Martha Meyers, of the Manatee Technical Institute, take away from the presentation? It takes a village.

“Everyone has to get involved,” said Meyers, a career counselor. “To me that’s the only way to make a difference.”