DeKALB | Addressing the issues brought up by this past summer’s increase in gang activity is a complicated task for DeKalb’s government and social services.

Upholding the law

Police action has been a large priority in DeKalb’s response.

Since June 1, DeKalb police have cleared nine cases, made 17 gang-related arrests connected to the Pleasant Street area, increased patrols and encouraged residents in the area to report incidents as they occur, DeKalb police said.

“We do the best we can,” said DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes. “It doesn’t mean we can post three or four officers to babysit one house.”

Gang activity has seen a decrease in the past month, if police reports and commentary from citizens are any indication.

Kayes said comparisons to gang activity in other areas don’t change the situation.

“If you ask the parents of the victims, it doesn’t matter if this is as bad as Chicago or not,” Kayes said.

Complex social reasons

Law enforcement enters the picture only after laws have been violated, which leads to the question of why the law was violated in the first place.

Third Ward Alderman Steve Kapitan said he cannot pinpoint any specific factors that caused the increase in gang activity that could have contributed to 18-year-old Jayson Martin’s death in March.

“It’s not like we can know what the reasons for it are,” Kapitan said. “There are complex social reasons for it to occur.”

Kapitan said the problem can’t be boiled down to an easy explanation.

“It’s not a simple formula where you can say it’s just an economic deprivation,” Kapitan said. “In terms of jobs in this community, unemployment is reasonably low.”

Kapitan worked with residents of Pleasant Street several years ago on neighborhood issues and continues to monitor the area.

“There has been periodic gang activity from time to time over the years,” Kapitan said. “Usually it’s not organized in any major way.”

Kapitan said he would favor Pleasant Street residents reviving the neighborhood association that brought issues like the street lighting and condition of sidewalks to his attention.

“I would like to see them get the neighborhood organization going again, even on the level of getting together just once a year for a block party just to get to know one another,” Kapitan said. “That goes a long way to getting contacts with neighbors. It makes it so there’s more of a connection in the neighborhood.”

Resources for citizens

Among other things, Paul Weiss, clinical director of DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau, works with young people who have been identified as being at risk for being entered into the juvenile justice system.

Weiss said the YSB offers services that provide counseling and mentoring to young people.

“We do see kids who identify that they are active in gangs,” Weiss said. “It’s hard to measure statistically, because we aren’t studying in a research-sense to see what the correlation is.”

Weiss said social services are only one part of the solution.

“We are trying to fill in the gaps, looking at how we can better serve the population,” Weiss said. “We’re just one piece of the puzzle. We need the help of the community and law enforcement.”

The problems surrounding the Pleasant Street area are not simply questions of gang presence. It has become clear that a concerted effort on the part of residents, law enforcement and the services made available to citizens are all necessary to change the situation.

Kenneth Lowe is the Police and Fire beat reporter for the Northern Star.