RSSCurfew proposed to curb gang activity
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- The city of Yakima's legal staff is looking into the prospect of an all-ages curfew for gang-heavy neighborhoods at the request of Council-man Micah Cawley.
Cawley said Thursday he hopes to hear back from city staff in time to discuss the curfew issue at the council's first meeting in July.
"With the summer coming, (gang) activity heats up," he said.
What Cawley has in mind would be limited to specific neighborhoods and would end on a specified date. It would bar people from being out on the streets of those neighborhoods after a certain hour.
"I would think probably
9 o'clock, or something a little bit earlier," Cawley said.
It's unclear what ability the city has to set such a curfew, a topic that is often legally tricky because of civil-liberties concerns. City Attorney Jeff Cutter did not return a call Thursday afternoon seeking comment for this story.
Three people have been shot in gang-related incidents this month and there have been numerous reports of shots fired, a situation Cawley said constitutes an emergency.
"You kind of feel powerless," he said. "So if there's something we can do, we've got to be doing it."
A previous curfew proposal that would have barred juveniles from streets citywide failed to gain traction with the City Council in April. This one would be different in that it would apply regardless of age and it would be targeted at specific neighborhoods.
Agree with the proposal or not, you have to give Micah Cawley credit for showing some leadership and trying to come up with a solution. I'm sure he knows this will be controversial, and with an election coming up most politicians would hesitate to take a stand on something like this.
If the gang activity were happening in my neighborhood, I'd probably welcome the temporary inconvenience of a curfew if it stopped the violence.
On the other hand, it is punishing everyone for the actions of a few. Since profiling is probably illegal, I'm not sure what else can be done.
I'm glad I usually go to bed by then, but I will have a problem coming home from a weekend toot. Guess I will have to sleep in my car in a parking lot downtown.
Report ViolationSuck it up Nick...at least we are getting some positive thinking towards this gang problem... Props to Micah. Just park in the back lot of WalMart where the truck drivers go...should be safe enough...or have your "toot" at home...ha!
Report ViolationSure it sounds good... and I think that's the point. The legal dept will probably shoot it down as discriminatory to those neighborhoods or unenforceable.
For the cost of one GSW to the head we the people can afford to round up all the gang bangers possible on existing warrants or any other charge that can be slapped on them. My plan is supported by existing laws and The Constitution. Redler and Dick can tap the city's reserves to pay for it.
Here's some key words for you:
"legally tricky because of civil-liberties concerns."
Don't you hate it when rights, freedoms, and liberties get in the way?
WoW..I seriously doubt the law enforcement is going to be able to enforce such an act. The excuses will be not enough man power or funding. Rights? Oh yes, that excuse will be used to by some little snot stating that he/she "has the right to stand out side and shoot whoever they please as long as they are wearing an opposing color." However I suppose Micah deserves a point for trying to come up with a solution its better that what has been presented in the past. I makes me chuckle on the inside that the streets in certain neighborhoods will be vacant by 9 pm..LOL..Oh and Nick..hope your not driving right after your weekend "toot". Hate to see ya sitting in the hooscow.
Report ViolationI recently moved to the TriCities from Yakima. Pasco has a curfew and I'll tell you, graffiti is difficult to find. And of course, you hear nothing of gang violence down here like you do in Yakima.
The city council needs to contact Pasco and see why it works for them. No lawsuits down here that I've heard of.
This will do nothing but cost time and money from the city budget.
It will not be enforceable and will be shot down before it even reaches the courts.
YPD is now taking steps that are positive and are working with the increase patrols and license plate ID, I wish they had them on all the intersection cameras around town.
Micah you really should think things out before speaking, this idea shows you being immature and should not be serving on the council to be a puppet.
An old saying, "It is better to be thought of as a fool then to open it and remove all doubt."
I am glad to see an obvious intellectualist such as BigDave has come up with a solution to the gang problem in Yakima.
It’s always good to hear from an individual who supports the good old boy and girl form of government, but what I am really impressed with, is how politically astute one can become by working in a sandwich shop.
How will a neighborhood specific curfew help us? Gangs have cars...what is to prevent them from roaming the neighborhoods that go unprotected by the curfew?
The issue is that these people have no respect for the law. They don't fear our police force...either because it is corrupt, indifferent, or simply stupid.
We need to clean house in the YPD...maybe we should bring in some officers from Texas...
...Wait,
Where was Granato from? We don't need anymore guys like him...
Neighborhoods won't change with increased police patrols or curfews. People need to start moving into these areas and cleaning up the image themselves. It's one thing to say what needs to be done in certain neighborhoods (obviously meaning neighborhoods downtown) when you live 30 minutes away in West Valley. Citizens need to get involved and make change happen. Be proactive Yakima! Not reactive.
Report ViolationBudger is absolutely correct. People who live in the neighborhoods are the ones who can be most effective. SciPhi, A curfew would have to begin at the minute school lets out in my neighborhood - half the new graffiti happens before 3 PM.
In addition, there needs to be strict enough penalties to be deterrents. Now, juveniles, (the most common perpetrators of this vandalism) are basically immune from prosecution.
I caught a kid spraying graffiti on a property I was in charge of and grabbed his paint and spray painted him blue from head to toe - clothes, hair, and all. I figured I would get sued, they couldn't get blood from a turnip, so I just waited. I was soon visited by the blue kid and his grandparents, who were trying to raise him. They thanked me, apologized for his behavior, made him clean it all off, and go to school with blue hair until it wore off. It never happened again on my building, and the kid would wave as he rode by. I wish I were a juvenile court judge.
Do a gang injunction.. The police documents gang members by photo and name, map out a gang territory, lets say East Yakima between 1st Street and I-82, then makes it illegal for members of that gang gather together in that part of town. If they are seen in groups of 2 or more, they will be able to arrest them for breaking the gang injunction. The only bad part of this is, the gangs might move to another neighborhood or out of Yakima to surrounding cities... This is done all the time in California.
Report ViolationBilly Boy you really should know what and who you are talking about before making such statements.
The solution is not becoming a police state but to involve the community to help the police with searching out these thugs and providing the tools to battle the crime here in Yakima.
So by supporting Micah's idea you place yourself in the corner to have law abiding citizens, that live in these areas breaking the law to come and go as they please.
You would have the city tied up in stupid lawsuits trying to enforce an unenforceable ordinance while ignoring the tactics and tools to fight the problem along with Yakima citizens stepping up to the bat and become involved.
If you think that is the good old boy network well where I come from is where the ones in charge advocate to giving privileges to special groups or people and not equally to all as it should be.
If you mean being a part of the good old boy network is supporting the constitution and the laws that we live by, then guilty as charged, which would make you on the wrong side of the law, wouldn't it?
It is clear you have me mistaken for someone else.
I have an idea for you Billy Boy, go up to that person and whisper " I know what you like and then WINK!" and if it me I will know it is you, lol.
Can you tell me which sandwich shop so I can watch!
Billy Jack you should change your name, as you do not represent the movie in which it came from, along with realizing that movies do not solve problems, you need better reference material.
There are some good points mentioned. I would agree that communities need to be more proactive on these matters. How many kids in extracurricular activities whether it be school, church and/or community-based are arrested and charged compared to those who aren't? I have confidence the percentage difference is more than marginal. But it is back to the fundamentals of teaching youth values, being firm with them on bad behavior and being part of their lives as much as possible (even being nosey such as knowing where they are).
I know this will not be the magic bullet or penicillin of crime but it must have a significant impact. If the personal lives of criminals is analyzed and compared that data to a randomized sample of non-criminals (those not arrested for any crime) I postulate there will be a lot common differences. Communities (including the parents of youth) help resolve through positive attitudes and behaviors then we will see a difference. Individuals can only change themselves but others can influence those changes.
JDoe,
This goes along with what you were saying, but I believe that most of these troubled youth don't have fathers that are involved in their lives. That issue alone is probably the largest contributing factor.
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