"The future is ours."
It may sound simple, but getting local youth to understand and believe this phrase is one of the main ways the Chattanooga Gang Task Force will be working to prevent and intervene with existing gangs over the next several months.
"This phrase encapsulates what we want kids, young people and young adults to internalize," said Gang Task Force co-coordinator Boyd Patterson. "Because once they realize they have value, you don't have to tell them to stay away from drugs and gangs; they do it intuitively."
A recent launch event at the Carver Community Center drew approximately 500 individuals and family members together for a time of prayer, focus groups, food, activities, information and entertainment. Patterson said he hopes the event will help the movement gain more momentum and be a focal point to garner more community support for gang prevention and intervention.
"As happy as I am with the response from the community on this, it's just the beginning," he said.
Moving the task force's mission forward requires the support and collaboration of community organizations including churches, nonprofits, small businesses and individuals, according to Patterson. He said the task force is working to coordinate literacy, music, mentoring and job efforts, but participation in these efforts by local people is crucial to the movement's success.
"The community must be involved, because we are facing a crisis in our community," said Chattanooga Gang Task Force co-coordinator Fred Houser. "Gang association, an increase in handguns and more drug trafficking all lead to more violence, and these factors impact every area of the city of Chattanooga."
The best way to get involved and participate with these efforts is to contact the United Way of Greater Chattanooga Volunteer Center at 752-0316, Patterson at patterson_b@chattanooga.gov or Houser at houser_f@chattanooga.gov. According to Patterson, he and Houser are willing to meet with local individuals or groups to show them ways to get involved or strategies to combat gang involvement in their specific neighborhoods.
At a recent meeting with Brainerd residents, Patterson and Houser stressed the importance of gathering the community together and working within the already established networks to deal with crime issues and other problems in a neighborhood.
"What can you do? You have to come together as a community," he said. "I'm not saying that because it sounds nice; it's the only thing that's proven to work."
For neighborhoods experiencing a particular issue or problem area that might require law enforcement assistance, Patterson suggests drafting a letter with resident signatures and sending it to the chief of police. Bringing the issue to the attention of the police is crucial, and issues with broad-backed community support often take priority over the complaints of one or two neighbors, he said.
"Sometimes the gangs are so bad that the neighborhoods are too afraid to take a stand," said Patterson. "This particular Gang Task Force is not a law enforcement agency, but if it's gotten so bad that that's who you need to step in, law enforcement needs to know about it. When you have two or three or four folks seeing the same thing, you don't have to take the law into your own hands. You should partner with the agencies who can do something about that, and we can help bring those folks together."
Patterson and Houser said they make it their work to meet with people and find out the issues, then offer ways to help fix those issues.
"The solution is usually the same," said Patterson. "When you guys get together like this and share your stories, that solidarity by itself will lead to the solidarity of a solution in the neighborhood."
Patterson and Houser said the Chattanooga Gang Task Force plans to launch an official The Future is Ours website soon, but in the meantime people can visit its Facebook page for updates.
This is the first installment of a three-piece miniseries about the different facets of gang prevention in the Metro Chattanooga area. The remaining two pieces will include information about the ways police and local ministries can help the prevention and intervention efforts. Read the next installment in next week's Metro Community News.