Take Me To Post Comment Form Stanislaus County has between 10,000 and 12,000 gang members. Over 5,000 are documented. To put these numbers into perspective, gang members in our community represent a higher number than the entire population of Denair, Del Rio, Westley, Grayson, Hickman, and Hughson combined.

Gang members previously confined to cites such as Los Angeles and Oakland are making their way to the valley, and into Stanislaus County. One can’t pick up a local newspaper of visit a local website without reading something related to gangs, and if you live in a gang infested area as I do, all you have to do is open your front door to see and feel the presence.

Over the last eight months, I have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of gang members living in my area that are now emboldened by the fact that the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department has faced drastic and irresponsible cuts, and their STING unit disbanded.

Gang members living in my area are marking territory with red bandana’s and holding weekly meetings. One apartment complex has been completely taken over. Other tenants living in the complex that would not adhere to the gang lifestyle have been forced out. Over the last few months tenants have moved out and new red clad tenants have moved in.

For those of you not living in a gang infested neighborhood you may not have an idea of what it’s like to have one of your children become the target of a gang, or to worry about your children every time they leave the house, but I do. If you believe that our gang problem is confined to Turlock’s county islands, you better think again. It’s only a matter of time before they enter your neighborhood in one way or another, if they haven’t already.

In my opinion- having seen them in action- gang members are in fact terrorists. Terrorism is the systematic maximization of the use of terror as a means of coercion. Terrorism in general has several sub categories including civil disorder- a form of violence that interrupts the security and normal functioning of a community. Political terrorism-violent behavior designed to instill fear in a community. Non political terrorism-which exhibit’s a conscious design to create and maintain a high degree of fear for coercive purposes in a community. All of these definitions accurately describe gang members. We must address gangs in the same manner we would address any terrorist organization that has declared war on our community.

There’s no question that we need to find solutions to our gang problem and a publicly accessible gang database is the place to start. I would like to see the creation of a gang database available to general public, similar to Megan’s Law. A database that would provide specific information on documented gang members including a picture, name, age, description, address, the crimes he or she has been convicted of, information on whether this person is known to carry a weapon, and a potential threat level this individual poses to our community. I would also like to know whether this person is on parole or probation and the name and number of this person’s probation/parole officer included with the description.

If you believe like I do that a gang database would be a valuable asset to our community then please contact Sheriff Adam Christianson and voice your support. You can contact him at- chradam@stanislaussheriff.com. Or call his office at 209-525-7216.

A publicly accessible gang database will empower the general public by arming them with life-saving information should they or someone they know become a target or victim of a documented gang member.

Linda Taylor