There’s no question that there has been an upswing in violence in Santa Cruz over the past year or so. There have already been six homicides this year, the last one just this past Friday. Teens no longer feel safe walking in parks at night, because of the threat of gang violence and the murder in April of Carl Reimer, 19. A professor at UCSC had his tires slashed. Vandals tagged buildings downtown with graffiti just after shop owners cleaned up from the May Day riot. It can be debated whether the increase in violence is real or simply the result of an active media, highlighting every incident. What can’t be debated is that people are scared, and businesses are suffering.
“We’re hitting rock bottom,” says Mike Bethke, a businessman and community advocate, “and in some ways that’s a good thing because we have nowhere to go but recover.” Bethke thinks that residents should stop scapegoating particular groups, like anarchists or the homeless, and focus on a tougher, more comprehensive program to curb violence in the city.
But some people worry that this will not have the needed impact on gangs. In fact, four out of the six homicides this year were gang related. Just yesterday, gang members beat a up a teen with a golf club and attacked his friend with a knife, just to get his medical marijuana. To combat this problem, groups like Santa Cruz Neighbors have stepped out of Facebook and into the streets, urging people to get involved with everything from reporting suspicious activity to the police to participating in neighborhood watch groups. “That’s what a good citizen does,” says the leader of the group, Deborah Elston. If Santa Cruz is to handle the problem of violence, it needs many more good citizens.
Read More at the Santa Cruz Seninel.
