AST Digital Magazine June 2017 Digital-June | Page 12

Volume 13
June 2017 Edition
had a gang of 10 guys, maybe two of them at
most would be armed. Now if you have a gang of
10 guys, probably nine of them are armed. And
we’ve seen kids as young as 10 and 11 with fire-
arms.” The school’s principal, Charles Williams, wel-
comed the opportunity for the FBI to give stu-
dents a fresh perspective on law enforcement
and a positive message about making good de-
cisions.
Homicide task force officers agree that gang
members are arming themselves at younger
ages. Describing the neighborhood’s reputation for vio-
lence, Williams said he has heard gunshots in
the middle of the day from his office, and vio-
lent crime is a fact of life. “Our students are sur-
rounded by it, unfortunately. It’s just something
that permeates the neighborhood.”
“Based on what I’ve seen over the last year,” one
task force member said, “these guys are carrying
around guns as if it’s a symbol of their pride or
who they are—and the bigger the gun, the bet-
ter.”
“We are seeing handguns with extended maga-
zines and ammunition drums attached. It’s like
guns are a part of them, a part of their culture.
And they are not afraid to use them.”
The FBI is working to reach some of these young-
sters before they get involved with gangs—it’s
one part of the Bureau’s larger community out-
reach effort in the campaign to stop gun violence.
At the Plato Learning Academy middle school
in the Austin community recently, Special Agent
Rob Fortt spoke to sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-
graders about the choices they make and the
consequences of those choices.
Gang-related homicides in Chicago are most
easily solved when witnesses come forward.
But in the city’s violent neighborhoods, many
who witness shootings or have information don’t
cooperate with law enforcement, either because
they distrust the police or they want to engage in
“frontier justice” and seek their own retaliation,
the FBI’s Anderson said.
“So we are putting a lot of resources into com-
munity outreach. We are really focusing on going
out in the community and building trust. If folks
trust law enforcement, they are more likely to re-
port crimes.”
“We have to acknowledge that we have a frac-
tured relationship with the community,” the CPD
superintendent said.
“But we’re working hard to rebuild that, and the
FBI is helping us do that.” Johnson added, “I
haven’t been to a community meeting yet where
people have said they want less police.”
In addition to working closely with the Chicago Police De-
partment to stop gun violence, the FBI has a strong com-
munity outreach program. At the Plato Learning Academy
middle school in the Austin community, Special Agent Rob
Fortt speaks to students about the dangers of joining gangs.
(Image courtesy of the FBI)
“What they want is the police to be fair, respect-
ful, and to get the bad guys out of their communi-
ties. That’s what they want. And you start that by
having a constant dialogue with them, which we
are doing.”
Community activist Andrew Holmes represents
another important part of law enforcement’s out-
reach efforts.
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