Phila. Front Page News Gangs And Kids Justice News Brief: Napa County civil grand jury report reveals gang activity is targeting younger children in schools forwarded by the Press Democrat frontpagenews1@yahoo.com
Above: Black boys, African American and Hispanic American boys school students. A Napa County grand jury report emphasized the need for early intervention and gang prevention programs.
A newly released grand jury investigation found that not only is gang activity on the rise in Napa County but gang participation and recruitment is now starting to target younger children.
A 2023-24 grand jury report discovered gang activity grew after elementary and middle schools returned to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report further states that although gang activity “ebbs and flows” in Napa, citing the opinions of prosecutors, educators, probation officers and law enforcement but offering no data or specific figures, there was a rise in gang activity once children finally returned to the classrooms.
The report suggests children had more free time post-pandemic and that gangs established a sense of belonging after an isolating time with many youths left unsupervised.
And gang members are now recruiting younger children, the report offers, due to the odds of a minor being criminally charged being significantly smaller compared with an adult gang member.
Middle school students are now bringing homemade and untraceable ghost guns to campus, and wearing well-known gang colors, according to law enforcement interviews in the report. There has also been an increase in tagging, or graffiti.
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