In recent months, a string of violence and gang activity has grabbed the attention of the Clarksville community. Parents, neighbors, youth, elected officials, faith leaders, law enforcement officials and educators have put their heads together to change the tide. The "Stop the Violence" forum held in July was the start of the Clarksville Gang Awareness Task Force. "There are 278 members on the Clarksville Police force," said Terry McMoore, director of the Urban Resource Center. "Clarksville now has a population of 130,000 and I would like to establish 130,000 pairs of eyes that could compliment those 278. We wanted a way to take back the community."
The group has enlisted the expertise of graphic designer David W. Shelton as their webmaster. Today launched S.E.C.U.R.E, the "Safe & Effective Community Using Resources for Empowerment" gang awareness and educational Web site. The site is an accumulation of information from at least 20 different Web sites, as well as the Justice Department, the San Diego education assistance commission, the San Antonio police department and the San Antonio county education system. "This Web site is going to be power-packed," said the Rev. Tommy Vallejos, associate pastor at Faith Outreach Church here in Clarksville. The amount of gang knowledge "will cause it to be the number one website in the nation."
The Rev. Vallejos is no stranger to gang violence. His family has been involved with gang violence since the 1960's, several losing their lives, and many ending up in prison. Vallejos was offered the option to joining the military or going to prison after he shot and paralyzed a man in 1980. "Pastor Vallejos brings real life experience. He has been down that path," McMoore said.
McMoore said that the group is also working with state representative Joe Pitts, a former Clarksville resident. "[He] was instrumental in making sure we added everything that we needed." He said their partnership with the school system and the police department will allow them to link Web sites in order to make more people aware of S.E.C.U.R.E. The group also plans on using the Parents Information Network (PIN), which already has 3,500 parents on their email list. In addition, by networking with the Clarksville Ministers Association, The Ripple Inc., and the local NAACP, McMoore hopes that the site will gain exposure quickly.
Social networks like MySpace.com will also be used in the effort to disseminate information. "We felt we had to bring technology into this," McMoore said. His plan will include sending text messages to MySpace accounts to guide people to the Web site. Since gangs put a lot of their information and communications through MySpace, the group decided that they must beat the gangs using their own tactics.
There will also be a "1-800" parent hotline to be released at a later date, while a local crisis hotline has already been established through United Way Crisis Center. The hotline is marketed as a "school safety hotline," with posters and magnets being given out in local schools. Terri Williams, the director of the center, encourages any children who observe violence in their schools to call 648-1000 at any time of the day. This number is also available to report gang violence and gang activity.
The Web site has links and resources on how identify gang clothing, graffiti and tattoos. The group hopes that through the financial partnership with Clarksville residents and business owners, they will be able to offer gang members free tattoo removal to help them escape the negative identification that these inked logos will bring to their lives. Another opportunity may be to offer a gun buy-back program in the future, "no questions asked."
The Task Force has worked very closely with Mayor Piper to lay plans for a Boys Club/
Girls Club of America to North Clarksville in the near future. Also worth noting is the cooperation of the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center (www.mwchc.org) to help lower income families receive medical and dental care through a $1.5 million grant. The center is set to be built on Dover Road and will open its doors January 2, 2008. In conjunction, details are being worked on with Walgreen's to offer lower prices for pharmaceuticals. In order to make a difference in Clarksville, the Rev. Vallejos said that we must be able to reach out and provide for the needs of those who are struggling.
In addition to all this, the group has organized an effort and partnership with John Renken, senior pastor of X-treme Ministries and owner of the Clarksville Mixed Martial Arts Academy. This partnership will allow kids in the inner city of Clarksville to occupy their time with the experience of disciplined training in fighting forms such as mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu and boxing. "Currently we have about 20 to 30 kids that come in every Monday and Thursday for free," Renken said. "We could open it up to about 80, but right now we have a need for transportation before we can accommodate such numbers."
Partnerships with Clarksville MMA Academy, the Boys Club and Girls Club of America, and the Clarksville Police football league are great venues to offer these youth an alternative to gang life, but the effort will not be complete without volunteers. Vallejos said that it will be the combined effort of individuals in the community, law enforcement officials, and members of local schools to change the rise in gang activity. "APSU students are from all over the community," he said. "It would be great to find them offering their spare time to serve and we would like to invite them to be a part of this."
For more information on gang awareness and education, or to contact the leaders about getting involved, visit www.clarksvillesecure.com.
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