By Rayyah Sampala
According to Statistics Canada, gang violence seems to be on the rise. What is attributing to this rise and what can be done about it?
Diversity put together a Zoom panel of community leaders, experts, police reps, and political leaders to share on the growing issue of young people getting involved in gang activity.
The Calgary police Department defines a gang as:
“An association or group of three or more individuals, whether formal or informal, which is involved in a criminal activity on a regular basis. Most gangs in Calgary are made up of young adults but even elementary aged children can be recruited”.
Recently, Cody Akoar, 20, and Kuanyliet Kogalt, 20, both of South Sudanese descent, were confirmed dead in their car by the Calgary Police at 9:20AM, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. The police were called in North East Calgary and reported that the shooting was targeted. This story raises very many questions regarding the gang involvement of refugees and low income people especially in poor neighbourhoods, not just in North East Calgary, but also in Edmonton, across Alberta, and beyond.
Our Panelists consisted of, Luketa Mpindou, Executive Director for AJFASS, in Edmonton, Sergeant Ryan Ferry, EPS Gang Suppression Team, Gar Gar, NE Calgary South Sudanese Youth Advocate and Founder of YYC KidsRide, Joseph Luri, Youth Worker at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and Social Worker by trade, Sergeant Emanuel Chan, EPS School Resource Officer Unit, Sergeant Kendall Booth, EPS Diversion first Unit, Youth Services Branch, CST. Stuart Whittmire of Calgary Police Service Gang Suppression Team and John Huntley, EPS Youth Justice Programs Coordinator.
In Edmonton, we have issues of gun violence that can be traced back to gangs and is linked to the shootings that happen in Edmonton. Edmonton has Somali gangs and the Edmonton Crime report states that a lot of these gangs are imports from the U.S and that they work in a circuit.
We started the interview by posing the question, “what is the role of the police?” to the police representatives, Sergeant Emanuel Chan, EPS School Resource Officer Unit, Sergeant Kendall Booth, EPS Diversion first Unit, Youth Services Branch and John Huntley, EPS Youth Justice Programs Coordinator.
They responded by stating that they would like more community engagement and involvement and that they are working on strategies that can better combat the rise in youth going into gangs. One such strategy is to not wear uniform when dealing with youth as Sergeant Emanuel Chan and Sergeant Kendall booth highlight, this is done to make the youth and whoever they might be dealing with more comfortable and less intimidated by approaching the police. This can be seen as a step in the right direction, the Edmonton crime report states that the background of some of Somali immigrants and refugees coming from a war-ravaged country makes it hard for them to talk to people in uniform, in doing this the police create a bridge between them and the community they serve.
Community integration is also key in preventing youth from going down the wrong path, Luketa Mpindou, Executive Director for AJFASS, in Edmonton chimes into the conversation adding on how the organization AJFASS focuses its energy on helping immigrants and youth with the problem of integration. The issue of integration is a serious point at which many immigrant youth and first generation youth who are vulnerable to the allure of gangs can find intervention in.
On the Edmonton Police website, they outline profit as one of the main motivators of youth joining gangs, Sergeant Ryan Ferry, EPS Gang Suppression Team mentions how very important it is for youth to find a sense of belonging within their communities so as to prevent them from joining gangs. Joseph Luri, a Youth Worker offers his perspective on the issue stating that there need to be more robust involvement of the police and the community, he mentions how there is a lack of infrastructure to support youth in integrating well into society stating “having a source of income is very important for these youth” implying that without programs that can help youth in getting jobs they often then turn to gangs for that source of income.
Gar Gar, NE Calgary South Sudanese Youth Advocate and Founder of YYC KidsRide agreed with Joseph and mentioned that youth should be helped in a way that will improve their well being, sustainable so that they don’t fall back into patterns that may push them back to relying on a gang lifestyle. It is also important to note that youth from many walks of life join gangs not only for profit but also sometimes for the sense of belonging it provides them, CST. Stuart Whittmire of Calgary Police Service Gang Suppression Team expanded on this and explains how he encounters a wide variety of youth gang recruitments with both poor and rich kids fitting into this profile. It is important to have conversations such as these ones so as to offer meaningful insights that can better our understanding of one another.
