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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > GANG INTERVENTION PROGRAM LOSING CITY FUNDING
Article published - June 22, 2008
Credit: PRESS DEMOCRAT
SR gang intervention program losing city funding
After initial Measure O support, successful Xinachtli program will seek another sponsor
By TRACIE MORALES
Getting suspended from school triggered something inside Arturo Perez's head.
"I wanted to change because I was getting in a lot of trouble," he said. "I was hanging out with gangsters. I kept getting into a lot of fights with people that were my enemies."
The 15-year-old from Santa Rosa said he was expelled from school for skipping class before he joined Xinachtli, a young men's empowerment program established by Southwest Community Health Center that is losing its city funding.
Perez said he sees the consequences of his actions and the dead-end future he faced from gang involvement.
"You don't want your parents to suffer," he said.
The program was one of 13 programs selected in 2006 to receive funding from Measure O, a sales tax approved by Santa Rosa voters in 2004 that goes toward public safety improvements in the police, fire and recreation and parks departments.
A portion of the money assists gang prevention and intervention programs that provide mentoring and outreach for at-risk youth, job training and placement, as well as family support.
Xinachtli was one of the programs that will not be renewed as the result of funding decisions made for the new fiscal year beginning July 1.
Lt. Ernesto Olivares, who oversees gang prevention and intervention services, said the intent of Measure O was never to provide long-term funding.
"There wasn't a Xinachtli before Measure O," Olivares said. "They got it going and did a great job, but we encouraged them to find other funding sources because they knew the city would only fund them for 19 months."
The city had to decide what programs were needed based on police records, surveys and recommendations from a consulting agency outlining the need for services in schools that are serving high-risk youth.
The city will fund 12 gang programs starting in July. They include various services ranging from after-school programs to community efforts similar to Xinachtli's, which targeted at-risk or gang-involved teenagers.
The loss of Xinachtli, the single program chosen during the first funding cycle that worked with young Latinos to show them the consequences of gang affiliations through cultural understanding, has sparked disappointment for the families involved.
The young men in the program were either considering joining a gang or were already affiliated with one before entering the program.
The program tackled themes such as understanding gang subculture, learning communication skills and coping with feelings such as powerlessness and anger.
Cris Oseguera, the Xinachtli gang intervention program coordinator, said he tries to dispel misconceptions about gang life that persuade members into believing they will find friendship, family and protection.
"They believe these guys are their family," Oseguera said. "The program helps them see that their family is the one at home -- the ones who are working to put a roof over their heads."
The participants learn how to cut ties with gang affiliations. Many of the boys in the program come from second- or third-generation "gang families" who have never known another way of life, Oseguera said.
At a recent graduation ceremony celebrating the completion of the program, both participants and their parents voiced their gratitude.
Wearing oversized T-shirts and baseball hats, the young men described what they learned in the program, including what it means to be a responsible man with integrity, awareness and accountability.
Participant Rene Beltran, 16, said he came to the program to accompany his younger brother, who was having behavior problems.
Beltran said he found a welcoming place where he could talk about his peers who were already in gangs and "why they went that path."
"It's a good program," he said. "You learn a lot. Every young kid should give it a try. It's more than meets the eye."
The teenager said he wants to be a music producer when he grows up.
"I want to go to college, that's for sure," he said.
Naomi Fuchs, executive director of the Southwest Community Health Center, said she understands the city had to make some "hard choices" in regards to which programs would receive funding.
Currently, Xinachtli has 24 people waiting to enter the program. Since starting in April 2007, 27 young men have graduated from the program.
"We hope we can find another sponsor who believes that these youth deserve a chance," Fuchs said. "For many of them, to feel like people care about what happens to their lives is very powerful to them."
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