Who is answerable to a community on the edge?
"City of Surrey: The future lives here." In true sense, what is ‘the future’?
Of course, the future of any community is dependent on its youth – future professionals, parents and leaders. In light of recent events, however, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a pressing issue is plaguing our future: gang violence. Over the last two decades, organized crime has especially increased its presence amongst younger people, resulting in more illegal activities and acts of violence than seen before.
When speaking of gang violence, it is important to begin with the origin of the problem. According to Public Safety Canada, there are various reasons behind why youth indulge in gang life; some seek excitement while others are looking for prestige, protection, a chance to make money or a sense of belonging. Consider that approximately half of gang members in Canada are under the age of 18, depicting the relative ease of going down the wrong path at a vulnerable time of life.
From the youth perspective, Grade 12 student, Gurbaz Singh, puts forth an interesting perspective, “Some youngsters idolize people who are in gangs. They think that the lifestyle will get them more dominance, superiority, respect and even fear.” Undoubtedly, entertainment industries repeatedly embed in audiences one-sided displays of gang life. The portrayal seems attractive at an age where no stable source of financial income exists. This, then, ties into the fact that gang life is deeply rooted in drugs. As drugs are illegal, those who sell them make significant money.
Canadian lawyer, former judge and provincial politician, Wally Oppal deems drugs as the main cause of gang violence across North America, leading to linked issues such as turf wars and internal fights with rival gangs over territory. He explains, “As long as drugs are illegal and as long as money can be made, there are always people who will get involved. They will take risks that often result in death.” Given these insights, it may appear that gang violence is inevitable. Especially with the development of the Internet, there are many spaces and media platforms where kids can be exposed to, and recruited into the criminal lifestyle, including that of social media. The same promises and myths that are being made on the streets are being perpetuated online.
However, Corporal Elenore Sturko, Media Relations Officer at Surrey RCMP shares, “Young people get exposed to glamourized ideations of gang life. It’s up to the community, including the police, to shed light on the realities of this lifestyle and help young people make positive life choices.” In other words, while drugs, money, and power are all origins of gang violence, there are also communal causes of gang violence at play. In example, there is significant correlation between domestic violence in the household and indulging in gang life – this is clearly a community issue that can be combated.
After the recent death of two Surrey teenagers, Jaskaran Singh Bhangal (17) and Jaskiran Singh Jhutty (16), in a gang violence incident, a rally was held seeking accountability from city officials, police and politicians. Organized by Charhdi Kala Punjabi Weekly Newspaper owner, Gurpreet Singh Sahota, the rally received an overwhelming response with about 8,000 to 10,000 people in attendance, including Jhutty and Bhangal’s families. “Our community needs to kind of wake up and stop all this. We need answers for why it’s only happening in Surrey,” said Mandeep Bhangal, Jaskaran’s aunt to CTV Vancouver. Through the rally, she hoped to create awareness on this issue at hand so that more youth are not killed. “We’ve lost our son. He’s not coming back. We know that. But maybe we can make some changes so that another family doesn't lose their son,” said Bhangal as stated in the news report.
Sahota describes gang violence as a multilayered issue, “The community is victim to gang violence and we have had enough. We are working on layers to identify where each level is wrong – be it the police, municipal government, federal government, parents, schools and so on. The conversation has started at each layer. Everybody is worried.”
Surely, work is being done at all levels. Mayor Hepner’s recent statement confirms that the City is “committed to ensuring we provide the resources necessary to enable early interventions for our youth and support for those who seek to exit the gang lifestyle.” The Surrey RCMP has 17 different programs and initiatives addressing the issue and schools repeatedly engage in preventative education surrounding gang life. For example, the Code Blue and Mini-Blue programs are proactive endeavours that help to build positive police-youth relationships through fitness at secondary and elementary schools. Participants gain physical benefits, self-confidence and leadership skills.
In regard to parent outreach, the Surrey RCMP Parent Helpline provides guidance for parents/guardians who believe their child is involved or at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity. Youth officers and counselors assist them with resources, police information, and intervention services to help protect their children from the criminal lifestyle. Together with the Surrey School District, the Surrey RCMP continues to offer the Wrap Program, which deters gang involvement by positively attaching youth to school, their community, and their home by building trusting and positive relationships. About 610 kids have been served in Wrap since the program began in 2009.
In fact, Doug Strachan, communications manager at Surrey School District, communicates that the district has anti-gang initiatives that reach out not just to students, but to their families and into the community with education and other strategies to counter gang-related recruitment and activities. The First Step Program is a 12-week, classroom-based, youth gang prevention program for elementary students. Safe Schools staff partner with students in Grades 6 and 7 to create, develop and present gang prevention skits to students, teachers and parents. Parents are encouraged to take part in this program by working with their children to increase gang prevention knowledge at home.
Although these programs are central to combating the problem, the first step evidently begins from home – the first place where a child begins to learn. This then begs the question: what next steps can we take to combat the problem from a preventative standpoint? Below are some actions that can be implemented in our everyday lives:
In-school involvement is a must.
Parents need to give the time to attend Parent Advisory Council meetings at school and proactively become part of the solution. Be sure to attend important events such as parent-teacher meetings. This way, children further realize that their actions at school do not go unnoticed.
Cash is not king - time is.
Do not choose the double shift over a family dinner. Take the time to involve your children in activities that productively keep them busy – be it a pet, sport or volunteering; participate in and attend these activities as well.
Break the code of silence.
Make sure you are approachable and do not dismiss what your children say. By listening to children and spending time to learn about them, communicate that you are easy to talk to – even if they’ve done something wrong. Stay informed about their social networks – peer pressure is a catalyst of gang violence!
Alongside prevention, Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre, makes an important point, “We must be engaged as citizens and we must report crimes or suspicious activity when we see it. Call or seek help if you see signs of bad behavior or personality changes in your child.” Many times, we take issues as phenomenon that only happen to ‘others’. When we realize that these issues impact all of us directly, a sense of urgency and immediacy is created, leading to action. Being dismissive or ignorant about the existence of an issue does not help cope with the problem. Consequently, being proactive and hands-on as parents, teachers and citizens is key to resolution.
Saima Naz, principal of iLearn DL Secondary School, brings into attention three areas that need attention: (a) Children are seeking safety, security and acknowledgement from other places when that sense of connection is missing at home; (b) Our education system is not geared to help children who come from these families. Both a sense of emotion and responsibility need to be infused back into the education system; (c) We must invest in our parents. Every job has training, but there is no such thing for the largest jobs of all – parenting. Parents need to understand what good communication looks like and the need to establish effective boundaries. Naz summarizes, “Empowered parents will lead to healthier kids. Healthier kids make stronger communities.”
Overall, gang violence is a complex issue, requiring a combination of integrated, targeted and evidence-based solutions to prevent its proliferation into our communities. Just as the problem isn’t one-fold, the blame cannot be shifted solely onto one party. All of us are just as equally part of the problem as we are of its consequences. Gang violence is not just another story; it impacts us all and is more closely related to you than you may think. Together, we have the power of voice, which is instrumental in creating change. For this reason, we must recognize that the ability to tackle a large issue emerges from small steps – steps that you and I can take from the comfort of our very homes. With these steps, we walk towards a better future for ourselves, our children and our communities.
An Open Letter to the Residents of Surrey
In an open letter to Surrey residents, Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Officer in Charge, Surrey RCMP, wrote:
Excerpts from the letter: “This is not who we are as a City. As your police chief I am committed and determined to doing everything I can to stop the continuation of this violence. Surrey is a dynamic, growing city that has smart, talented youth and caring community members. We should not let our city become defined by the senseless actions of a few.”
“The Surrey RCMP is transparent and accountable to you, the residents of this city. I am confident in our policing model and proud of the performance of our officers and municipal support staff. They do an exceptional job day in and day out, often placing their lives at risk in order to serve and protect. They care about this community and keeping Surrey residents safe.”
“As your police force, we will deal with the crime and work diligently to bring those responsible to justice – that is our job. In order to successfully keep our youth and neighbourhoods safe over the long term, we need your continued support. We need to remain united, talk to our kids, and get involved in our communities in positive efforts such as Block Watch and youth mentoring.”
