The Associated Press
May 22, 2008 11:36 am
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Supporters of anti-gang legislation plan to push for more money to pay for gang prevention programs, were unwilling to settle for measures approved Wednesday by the Senate aimed at battling gang activity in North Carolina.
“We need to toughen penalties for gang activities, especially the gang members who recruit our young kids to get involved in gangs. But we also need preventative programs to give our kids productive alternatives to joining gangs,” said Sen. Malcolm Graham, D-Mecklenburg, the lead sponsor of a pair of measures approved by the Senate on two 47-0 votes.
Both now head to the House. The first mandates local juvenile crime prevention councils and others to be more involved in preventing gang activity and identifying at-risk youth. The second creates a number of felony crimes related to gang activity, including encouraging or coercing a person to join a gang.
That measure also elevates a misdemeanor crime by one class if carried out as part of a gang. The House approved a similar but less-stringent penalty plan late last year, and Graham said he’s confident the two chambers will be able to resolve their differences.
"We must do all we can to stop the spread of gangs in our state," said Sen. Clark Jenkins, D-Edgecombe, one of the bill's co-sponors. "I strongly support these tough new penalties, but we cannot tackle the growing gang problem without comprehensive prevention and intervention measures. This legislation will go a long way toward eradicating the presence of gangs in our state."
Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham, said the penalty legislation won’t take effect unless lawmakers put money into programs that help keep youth from joining gangs or help them leave. Michaux, the senior chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he hopes to put $10 million in next year’s budget into such programs.
Supporters said the legislation adopted Wednesday is needed to help law enforcement officers and communities combat North Carolina’s gangs, which are no longer confined to large, urban areas. But many said programs to keep youth from joining gangs or help them leave are just as critical as the tougher penalties.
A March report by the Governor’s Crime Commission found there were more than 14,500 gang members in North Carolina.
“It’s almost the exact same number of National Guard Members that we have in North Carolina, and that’s a scary thought,” Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, said.
Before the Senate votes, a group of mayors and police officers from across the state urged lawmakers at the Legislative Building to approve the measures.
Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz said her 30,000-person city has been dealing with gang crime for three years.
“If it can happen in our beautiful little historic city, it can happen anywhere,” Kluttz said.
The anti-gang initiatives have played a role in this year’s race for governor. GOP candidate Pat McCrory has blasted lawmakers for failing to address North Carolina’s growing problem, and Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue has said the anti-gang legislation is her top priority this session.
The measures will:
• Make it a felony to participate in criminal gang activity and increase penalties for those who commit crimes while engaged in gang activity.
• Increase penalties for those using a deadly weapon during criminal gang activity.
• Criminalize recruitment of gang members.
• Support community-based delinquency, substance abuse, and gang prevention strategies and programs and continue to fund gang prevention grants.
• Review state and local efforts in preventing gangs and addressing the needs of juveniles who have been identified as being associated with gang activity.
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