Jobs Program, Joint Task Force Take Aim at Gang Drug-Dealing

Two small steps in the battle to curb lucrative drug dealing by violent Los Angeles street gangs--a pilot jobs program and formation of a federal/state law enforcement task force--were put into effect Tuesday by local and federal officials.

Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates characterized the federal legal assistance as “little crumbs from Washington” and said “we need more.”

The $500,000 jobs program was proposed by Councilman Robert Farrell and unanimously approved by the City Council, despite skepticism that hard-core gang members would abandon drug dealing for lower-paid legitimate jobs. It’s expected to take several months to get the vocational training program running, and the money appropriated would cover only 100 jobs.

To avoid the appearance of rewarding gang members, council members directed the program at “high-risk youths.” Several council members noted that a lot of youngsters who have not joined gangs have been unable to find good jobs.

Key Organizer

The unanimous vote followed an appeal by The Rev. Charles Mims, a key organizer of last week’s three-day “peace summit” that brought a dozen gang members together for talks on how to end years of violence in South Central Los Angeles.

In another attack on the gang problem, U.S. Atty. Robert Bonner; George Heard, a top Drug Enforcement Administration official here; and a number of local law enforcement officials said they had begun a concerted effort to combat gang drug dealing.

The 28-member task force, whose creation was first announced last week, will prosecute major offenders under federal laws more stringent than state statutes. Five local and state prosecutors will be temporarily assigned to Bonner’s staff. Eight investigators from DEA and two from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were pulled off other cases to join the force. Replacements for the local DEA staff are supposed to be provided by Washington headquarters sometime in the coming weeks.

Bonner also said more prosecutors and investigators are needed in Los Angeles to stem the gang violence and drug dealing which are spreading throughout the United States. Gang violence, Bonner said, threatens to “exceed anything the traditional Italian Mafia ever thought about.”

Reps. Mel Levine and Howard Berman, both Los Angeles Democrats who initially announced creation of the task force, Tuesday called for passage of legislation adding more than 600 additional federal agents from the Coast Guard, Customs, Immigration and Naturalization, DEA, the U.S. Attorneys office, ATF, and the FBI and Marshal’s office, to be assigned to Los Angeles.

The Levine-Berman proposal is one of several pieces of legislation pending in both Washington and Sacramento designed to combat the dual threats of gang violence and drug dealing.

Earlier, in addition to the jobs program, Councilman Farrell urged an amnesty plan for gang members willing to give up their drug-dealing activities, but his idea found little support on the council.

Gates also scorned the idea. “Farrell should know better,” said the police chief.