Recent ominous comments from one controversial law enforcement official have drawn some attention to Durham gangs, a subject local officials make few statements about.
In January, Maj. Paul Martin of the Durham County Sheriff’s Office reported his personal belief that a war was pending between black and Hispanic Durham gangs in a recent paper. Martin’s statements have been called “unbelievable” by county officials and received no credence from the Sheriff’s Office and the Durham Police Department. Still, his inflammatory statements have prompted some officials and community members to discuss the status of gang activity in Durham.
“[DPD] has been in contact with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office... and have found no data to support Major Martin’s allegations of an impending ‘gang war,’” said Lt. Patrice Vickers, executive officer to the DPD police chief. “Although [DPD] investigates and monitors gang activity, we realize any publicity about gangs is counterproductive because it inflates the egos of those who believe themselves to be gang members and instills unfounded fear in our community.”
A 2010 report from the Durham County Juvenile Prevention Council ranks Durham ninth in total number of gang members compared to “similarly sized communities” in the Southeast. As of November 2007, the most recent time for which comprehensive data is available, Durham had 33 distinct gangs with approximately 1,000 members, according to a comprehensive gang report submitted by youth gang experts to DPD and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. The report, compiled by Deborah Weisel, now director of police research in North Carolina State University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and James Howell, senior research associate with the National Youth Gang Center in Tallahassee, Fla., also noted that the average size of gangs was projected to increase at the time.
Contested predictions
Martin’s predictions of increased gang violence reflect predictions he has made since the 1990s. He joined the sheriff’s office after he resigned from DPD in 1996 when he was suspended on charges of insubordination, criticism of the department, failure to supervise and causing disruption in the workplace.
In his most recent public prediction—which he said does not reflect the sheriff’s office’s views—Martin cited racial tensions between the African American and burgeoning Hispanic population in Durham as a possible cause for the impending gang war he foresees. According to the 2007 report, 79 percent of Hispanics and 71 percent of African Americans felt personally targeted by gang activity in Durham, compared to 52 percent of white citizens.
But Mayor Bill Bell said he does not believe any evidence exists to support Martin’s claims of the impending gang war. He added that such fears are not going unnoticed among city officials, noting that measures to improve safety in Durham have been taken.
“While my discussions with the city manager have shown that he is not aware of any racial tension that could lead to a gang war, we understand that Durham is no more immune to gangs than any other city,” Bell said. “Durham is, however, more open than other municipalities to discussing gangs.”
Bell noted that as chair of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition—a post he has held since last March—he is able to discuss the condition of Durham in comparison to other cities in the state, and he emphasized that Durham has been looked to as a leader in the way it deals with gangs.
Durham’s response
Although the 2007 report to DPD attributed 45 percent of Durham homicides each year from 2002 through 2006 to gang violence, the mayor said he believes the city’s efforts to alleviate the problem have led to significant improvement. Bell cited his January meeting with DPD officials at which he learned that only 7 percent of crimes are now perceived to be gang related.
City officials are optimistic about the direction Durham is taking, Bell said.
“Since the problem has been identified, vast improvements have been made,” Bell explained. “We can’t respond to every concern but we have to look at the facts.”
Despite city officials’ optimism, Gayle Harris, health director of the Durham County Board of Health, said Durham youths appear to perceive that the city has a problem. Fifty-four percent of Durham high school students believe gangs are a problem compared to 36 percent of their peers statewide, according to the results of the recently released Durham County Partnership for a Healthy Durham 2009 Youth Risk Behavior survey.
“This survey does not provide any concrete answers or solutions but it is meant to give a voice to the students,” Harris said. “However, the important thing is not whether the problem is real or not. It is that the students perceive it as real and therefore we must take it seriously, figure out the causes, and act on them.”
Harris noted that it is difficult to gather empirical evidence of gang membership and activity, but said she believes it is important to promote discussion about gang violence and understand student perceptions.
This bucks Durham’s traditional stance of not legitimizing gangs by acknowledging their existence.
“Durham’s official response to juvenile gang members is largely to ignore or downplay them—81 percent of School Resource Officers in Durham Public Schools said gang problems are downplayed,” according to the 2007 report to DPD.
Despite police silence about gang violence in Durham, Durham has implemented educational programs to counteract and monitor gang activity.
One of the six points in DPS Superintendent Eric Becoats’ new strategic plan is to address “wellness and safety,” and promote an assertive response to the issue. A survey will be redistributed every two years in order to track progress.
Durham has also implemented a state-launched gang intelligence database to share criminal intelligence activity and the Gang Resistance Education and Training classroom curriculum.
The city must also face considerable poverty—as of 2007, one-fifth of Durham’s youth lives below the poverty line, which may contribute to the instability in lifestyles and lead to the growth of gangs, according to the DPD report. To mediate this, Durham put in place the Department of Justice’s comprehensive gang prevention, intervention and suppression model, which provides sanctions and services for adolescents and adults. Raleigh-Durham has been using part of a $2.5 million federal grant to fund this model.
“We are still in a never-ending process of finding out what the root of the problem is and how we can mitigate it,” Harris said. “The steps we have taken are in the right direction on the path to reform.”
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