Mayor forms new Gang Violence Task Force

Sept. 14--HAVERHILL -- Mayor James Fiorentini appointed a Gang Violence Task Force charged with presenting a short- and long-term plan for preventing youths from joining gangs and convincing gang members to move away from that form of activity.

The mayor said he doesn't want the problem of gangs in Haverhill to get out of control and that he considers it more of a social problem than a police problem.

Ideas discussed, during a meeting in the mayor's office on Wednesday evening, ranged from hiring more guidance and adjustment counselors to working with children as early as grade two, to bringing in an organization such as UTEC, which works closely with at risk youths and gang members in Lowell by finding them jobs and other meaningful opportunities.

"We need more than police on the streets," Fiorentini said to a group that included representatives from the Haverhill YMCA, Haverhill police, the Haverhill School Department, UTEC, the Mount Washington neighborhood group, Urban Kindness, the SOAP program of NFI Massachusetts, and a street ministry run by a former gang member.

The mayor said the group will have its first official meeting in two weeks. Over the next six months it will work on coming up with a short- and long-term plan to keep youths from joining gangs and getting them away from gangs.

Although funding would be at the source of some of the ideas discussed, the mayor said he will be looking into grants as one possibility.

Police spokesman, Detective Lt. Robert Pistone, said police have instituted neighborhood patrols in areas rocked recently by gang violence.

The task force formation was in response to a recent string of shootings in the city's Acre section, and an incident of gun shots being fired on Monday in Bradford.

"We put a lot of officers back into neighborhoods and we're working with other agencies to go after the bad apples who are responsible (for gang activity)," Pistone said. "But long term, we need a plan to help redirect the lives of some of these gang members."

Pistone commended the work being done by Jesus Ruiz, president of "Leaving the Streets Ministries," which is based at Common Ground Ministries on Winter Street.

Ruiz, a former gang member who served time in jail, now works to direct gang members into positive activities, and into employment.

Ruiz noted how hard it can be for a person who is getting out of jail to find a job, and echoed the mayor's concerns about CORI background checks being a serious barrier to employment for those with a court record.

"I connect with these kids cause I've been there," Ruiz said. "I want to get guys off the streets and get them a job."

Ruiz told the group that because of gang activity, "everyone is scared in Haverhill, but it's not that bad yet."

Fiorentini took notes, keeping track of every idea that was put forward while asking the group to prioritize its best ideas.

Fiorentini talked about finding jobs for at risk youths and youths in gangs. He said he's been in touch with union officials in an effort to find apprenticeship opportunities, although it was noted, during the discussion, that those opportunities are extremely hard to come by.

The mayor asked Nemesis Exiles, a "streetworker" with UTEC, what her organization does to find jobs for at-risk youths, those in the court system, those in jail as well as for gang members.

"We build connections with the community and we're there for them, 24-7," Exiles said about the youths ages 17-24 that her team works with.

She said she and her associates will go into houses of correction and prison to talk to inmates who are being released to build relationships with them and provide them with opportunities such as obtaining their GED, which Exiles said is so important to getting a job.

"We also have internship programs and we track them for two years, with support services," Exiles added.

Fiorentini responded, "We need more than police on the streets."

Pistone pointed out that in recent shootings in the Acre, residents who were outdoors refused to discuss with police what they may have seen. He commended Ruiz and Exiles for the work they do saying, "street workers with credibility are invaluable."

Pistone also commended the mayor for "taking a leadership role" in this effort.

Pistone noted that 90 percent of crimes in Haverhill are rooted in drug abuse.

Jon Mangion, a retired Haverhill High School principal who now works part time as a social worker and drug and alcohol counselor at Haverhill High, said that other communities are being more proactive in preventing kids from joining gangs by intervening at a young age.

Mangion said discussions about gangs must now take place as early as the second grade. Not long ago it was limited to kids in middle school.

"These discussions used to just happen with older kids," Mangion said.

Haverhill YMCA Director Tracy Fuller told the group that with funding from the Shannon Grant, the YMCA provided 150 at-risk teens with a Friday night basketball program. She said the Y also offers teens "safe, after school activities" such as leadership training, healthy meals before they head home for the night, and free lifeguard training.

Fuller said that family support is key, and suggested police increase their interaction with young children, so they gain trust as they grow older.

Pistone suggested increasing the number of School Resource Officers, which would help accomplish what Fuller was suggesting.

Keith Boucher, chairman of Urban Kindness, talked about the "School to Prison Pipeline," where youths in school who might get into trouble with the law end up with a record that can prevent them from moving forward in life.

"Zero tolerance policies lead to convictions and being tried as an adult," Boucher said. "They leave jail with a CORI, and it's hard to get job."

Katie Vozeolas, supervisor of health and nursing for Haverhill's public schools, said organizations such as Lahey Behavioral Health in Haverhill are dealing with families struggling with poverty, drug addiction and incarceration, and that it's been going on in these families for generations.

Vozeolas told the mayor that providing more home and in-school counseling should be part of the plan.

"We really need to get back to the prevention side," Vozeolas said.

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