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After the death of a 7-year-old girl caught in a drive-by shooting, many are asking: How big is the gang problem in Utah, and what can be done to stop it? They're questions residents, law-enforcement officers and community leaders are all hoping to answer.
We talked to a former gang member who's only 15 years old and is trying to turn his life around. He says you can do something about gang violence, but it must be done piece by piece.
Ernesto Salvador was nine when he first fired a gun. He was still in elementary school when he was jumped into his Southern California gang. "That's the same year my dad left me and left me with my three little brothers and my mom to live alone," he said.
Drug dealing, drive-by shootings and a life of crime and violence quickly followed. And it continued when he moved to Utah.
Ernesto's just a teenager, but his story is not entirely uncommon. Three of the four people arrested for murdering 7-year-old Maria Menchaca in a drive-by shooting are also juveniles with known gang ties.
Lt. Isaac Atencio, with the Salt Lake City Police Department, said, "What's unique about Salt Lake is you can have members of opposite gangs living right next door to each other."
Salt Lake City police say gang activity is nothing new in Utah, but recent violence is catching the public's attention. Several months ago, a store manager was gunned down by two suspected gang members during a robbery. Last summer, a hairstylist was murdered in similar fashion.
Salt Lake Police are now exploring new options, including gang education for officers who are not already members of the gang unit. But they say communities need to become more involved and look to promote programs like Project 180 in West Valley, which is preparing Ernesto for a better, more productive life.
Sid Casillas, the director of the West Valley Community Center, said, "You look at the problem and it seems so big, what can you do? But if we can start helping one person, I think you can turn the tide."
Ernesto said, "It's a real eye-opener when a little girl or a little innocent person dies. It's just a real eye-opener to people out there that gangs are here in Utah. Gangs do exist here."
Ernesto decided to leave his gang after he was shot and his fellow gang members left him to bleed in rival gang territory. Church friends directed him to Project 180. Most of the juveniles in the program are mandated to attend by the courts.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
