Minority leaders, youths fear weekend of retaliatory acts after shootings on Sunday
By MARIJKE ROWLAND BEE STAFF WRITER Last Updated: January 13, 2007, 10:13:38 AM PST Source: Modesto Bee
Tensions remained high and fears of continued violence mixed with wariness about the police response as the weekend approached after Sunday's spate of shootings in Modesto.
Minority leaders and youths said they are frightened about possible reprisals after three shootings Sunday left one man dead and seven people wounded. Their worry comes despite Police Chief Roy Wasden's announcement that law enforcement will be out in full force this weekend to stem further bloodshed.
Police said the shootings were part of mounting troubles between black and Latino youths as well as rivalries and infighting between the Sureño and Norteño gangs.
Community members said last weekend's violence was not the beginning, nor will it be the end, of these problems.
"There was a lot of tension, period, between all of the races and the age groups," said a 21-year-old female Modestan, who was friends with Samuel Gray, the 19-year-old Modesto man killed Sunday. "We can't say this situation made all this drama happen. It's not like that. I don't think right now there is anything anybody can do about the stuff that is going on."
She was invited to the party at which Gray was killed, but decided to stay home. Instead, she got a call at 4 a.m. relaying the news.
"I have younger (siblings) who go out, so I'm worried," she said. "I tell them not to go out. You could be an innocent bystander. You never know what day will be your last."
The Bee is not disclosing her identity or those of other area youth for safety reasons.
Gray's funeral was Friday in Ceres. He was shot and killed at 1:15 a.m. Sunday at Heritage Inn after an altercation arose between two groups having a party at the motel.
At 3 p.m., a 22-year-old Modesto man and a Merced woman in her 30s were shot outside Alex and Sons Market at 515 N. Martin Luther King Drive. Forty-five minutes later, a 16-year-old Modesto boy was shot outside Vintage Faire Mall.
Police have made no arrests.
The shootings have put local youths on edge. Two Modesto City Schools students said a friend has left town because of death threats from Norteño gang members because of her affiliation with the AOUB (a loosely-knit, largely black youth group that spans Northern California).
"A lot of black kids feel like they all are a target now," said Modesto resident Jesse Willard, who heads a parent advocacy group. "The back-and-forth has escalated, and now where does it end?"
Trouble starts at parties
Willard said he has talked with several teens and their parents in the past week. He said a lack of positive activities for youth in the area, particularly those from poorer communities, is at the root of the problem.
"We are talking about these kids and at them. But we're not talking with them. And when we do speak with them, we discount what they say," he said. "They are saying, 'There is nothing to do here.'"
Instead, they hang out in parks or at impromptu parties that can spiral out of control.
Wasden told the Hispanic Leadership Council on Friday that a lot of trouble starts at these parties.
He said police will be out in full force this weekend to prevent more shootings or retaliatory actions. They will search for weapons when they encounter large groups, with a notolerance attitude toward violence and drugs.
"We have a very strong police presence on the campuses," Wasden said. "This weekend, as parties spring up, we'll be responding. We're going to take a very strong police response to these things."
But others said a show of force might hinder, instead of help, community relations.
"It will frighten kids. It's a warning, 'Here we come,'" Willard said. "Certainly, we don't want guns on the street. But it's too late for that. I think going after the kids and hammering them is not the answer. They should make a bridge and build on that."
Latino community activist John Mataka said youths he has spoken with already are wary because of the clash between a group of teenagers and police in September in downtown Modesto.
"Where are they going to show this force?" Mataka asked. "To everyone, or just people of color?"
Modesto pastor Fred Barry, who works with teens at Elliot Education Center, said the key to improving relations is trust.
"Right now, lots of kids don't trust the police. But they don't trust anyone," he said. "We have got to show our youth that the police are there to serve and protect, like it says on their cars."
Wendy Byrd, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said she would like to see the city take a proactive approach to the problem.
"The city in general needs to step up to the plate in terms of creating more positive outlets for youth," she said. "You can never build enough prisons or hire enough police officers. This is a social as well as a criminal issue."
Byrd, who is also the Modesto Junior College director of student development, is inviting area residents between the ages of 17 and 25 to join a youth task force. She can be reached at 575-7991.
Bee staff writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at 578-2284 or
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