Yakima to push gang-free intiative

YAKIMA, Wash. -- At her last meeting as a member of the Yakima City Council, Sonia Rodriguez got a shout-out from the fire chief and saw her fellow council members agree to continue working on a gang-free initiative she proposed.

"This is a real opportunity for our city to be pro-active in prevention and intervention," Rodriguez said at Tuesday night's meeting.

There was consensus that those two approaches are as important as law enforcement efforts to suppress gang crime.

Mayor Dave Edler made reference to two recent gang-related shootings, one on Halloween night and another on Oct. 28 near Davis High School, and said, "It's time for us as a City Council to take a firm, direct step" in dealing with gang activity.

The steps Rodriguez outlined in presenting her initiative to the council's Public Safety Committee last week include implementing effective strategies to keep kids from joining gangs; establishing direct communication with residents of affected neighborhoods, not just holding community forums; and setting out specific timelines and measurable benchmarks to provide accountability.

The initiative -- described as a long-term, comprehensive action plan -- would be based on a model from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a program within the U.S. Justice Department.

In council's discussion of the proposed initiative, Councilman Bill Lover said there should be a study session of the full council that would allow the public to have a say in developing a plan.

Councilwoman Kathy Coffey suggested that city staff could start developing the framework for a program based on the federal model and using elements of other cities' successful anti-gang efforts, tailored to the needs of Yakima. The council would receive regular updates, as well as holding its own study session. Then, when the plan is complete, the council would decide whether the city has a qualified staff person to carry it out or if someone should be hired for that job.

All council members voted in favor of that approach.

Luz Bazán Gutiérrez, a community activist and member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, sounded a cautionary note, saying council members should do an assessment of what results came from previous gang prevention efforts.

"What has the money been used for, and what happened?" she said.

Earlier in the meeting, Yakima fire Chief Charlie Hines presented a fire helmet with her name on it to Rodriguez, who had supported training more city firefighters as paramedics, a contentious issue for the city.

"We want to thank her for all she has done, both for the city and the fire department," Hines said, standing at the podium just a few feet in front of Dave Ettl, who defeated Rodriguez in the recent election and will replace her at the next council meeting.