Friday's Internet Edition, May 09, 2008.
|
Sgt. Tim Clark, Thomasville Police Department’s only gang investigator, emphasized to those attending the Fifth Annual MLK Memorial Peace Conference Morning Service Friday at First Baptist Church, a gang problem does exist in the Chair City. In fact, Clark told residents in the Town Hall meeting, presented by N.C. MLK Commission & Martin Luther King Social Action Committee Inc., that many youngsters are joining gangs, which is causing an increase of criminal activity in Thomasville.
Raised “in the hood” in High Point, Clark saw firsthand the inner workings of gangs. This knowledge prepped him for his career with Thomasville Police, and now for his work in curbing gang activity in the city.
Working in the police department’s Criminal Investigation Unit, Clark said he observed gang activity “five or six years ago in the City of Thomasville.” Then a detective, Clark noticed some trends consistent with gangs, such as an increase in graffiti.
Clark immediately told city officials gangs are in Thomasville.
Despite his warnings, the issue was seemingly swept under the rug by many city and school officials for some time. As gang activity has escalated, police made a move to combat gang activity in October of 2007, by making Clark a full-time gang investigator.
“The gang problem in Thomasville has got out of control,” he said. “It has reached a level where the robberies, beatings, sexual assaults and everything are gang related.”
Traveling to numerous gang conferences and schools, Clark has become aware that most activity stems froms youth involvement. In the position as gang investigator, Clark has alerted many parents that their children are involved in gangs.
During the summer, a gang called the “Bravehearts” was derived from Thomasville. Clark said he has validated 60 to 65 members of the “Bravehearts,” including females. Clark said evidence shows other gangs exist in Thomasville, such as the Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips and Sur 13.
While Clark acknowledges there are blacks, whites and Hispanics involved in gangs, the Hispanic gang members give police the toughest time because of the language barrier. Currently, there are no Spanish-speaking officers employed by the police department.
Recent incidents at schools in Davidson County are a prime example that gang activity is getting out of hand. A method Clark often uses to find children who are gang memebrs, is constantly checking individuals’ pages on the Web site MySpace — a social network where people post personal information.
“I have a list of kids who I think are gang members who I have not validated,” he said. “I have gone to each and every parent, if they were still in the home, I told them their kid is a gang member. Half the parents don’t have a clue until I showed a picture of the kid showing a [gang] sign.”
Tackling the increase of gang activity hasn’t been easy for Clark. Neighboring police departments, like Greensboro, have more than 20 officers working in their gang unit. Clark hopes Thomasville will add another detective to its gang unit in the near future.
Those listening to Clark’s presentation were at the edge of their seats during the Town Hall meeting, as many seemed unaware of the severity of the problem.
Some asked how to identify areas in Thomasville where gang activity is prevalent. Others wondered how Thomasville could get additional officers in its gang unit.
Jamel Haney, a 32-year-old Winston-Salem resident, now wonders after hearing Clark’s presentation if his Triad city could be home to more gangs.
“I want to go back home and do some research on gangs,” Haney said. “Some of the markings I have seen, I thought it was just kids and not gangs. I think somebody who calls Thomasville home needs to be aware of the gang problem. If Thomasville is home and you are raising a family, you want to know what is going on around you.”
Dr. George B. Jackson, Martin Luther King Social Action Committee chairman, said Thomasville’s gang problem is a “harsh reality and painful to hear.”
“We want to be proactive instead of reactive,” Jackson said. “We want to get ahead of this thing. We know it is already here. If we wait until we have some type of big tragedy or mass murder, everyone is going to say, ‘Oh, we had a gang problem.’”
Jackson, who is also the pastor of Citadel of Faith Christian Fellowship in Thomasville, wants residents to be aware of increasing gang activity.
“The reason for us to know is that we are on the cutting edge of becoming a leading city in North Carolina,” the pastor said. “We are on I-85, a major thoroughfare in North Carolina. Everything comes down I-85, including drugs, weapons and movement of gang members to Lexington and Thomasville. Gang members come from big cities to small towns.”
Jackson is hoping churches will come together in efforts to get young men and women out of gangs. He also noted there is no reason for city officials to be secretive concerning gang activity.
“I appreciate and understand their need for discretion,” Jackson said. “Even though it is happening in the schools, it is a community problem. Tell us how we can help. It is too big for them to handle by themselves.”
A similar meeting on gang violence, hosted by Thomasville and Lexington’s human relation’s commissions, is planned for Monday at Central United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. City officials, as well as Clark, are expected to be in attendance.
Staff Writer Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 231, or ignasiak@tvilletimes.com.