J. Michael Rodriguez 15.7

Efforts of local officials have prompted the state to choose Carbondale as a site for a gang strategy program geared toward helping local residence councils improve their fight against gangs.

Carbondale is the first of three cities in the state to be assisted by Mobilize Illinois, a program started by Attorney General Jim Ryan.

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Ryan began looking for locations in March and was invited by Carbondale’s Gang Task Force to discuss the possibility of the program coming to Carbondale.

The task force recognizes emerging gang problems within the Carbondale community and works together to develop and strengthen the prevention of gangs.

Craig Shvol, executive director of gang crime prevention for the attorney general’s office, will work the Lake Heights Residence Council, 511-A S. Lake Heights Ave., beginning Monday.

We were very impressed with the response from the community at the meeting of the task force at the earlier stages, Shvol said.

Carbondale said, We aren’t going to wait until we have problems with gangs.’ I applaud Carbondale, and I applaud the task force for having that attitude.

Carbondale Police Chief Don Strom said the attorney general’s office chose Carbondale because of its involvement in the gang task force, which was formed more than two years ago.

Some of the things that they were looking for were found here . . . they found resources, Strom said. If you were looking at the police force to solve the gang problem, you wouldn’t solve it.

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Carbondale City Councilman Larry Briggs says Mobilize Illinois could be a solution to the community’s denial of a gang problem.

The tendency by the majority of the population is to hide their eyes, Briggs said. We need to look around. We need to face it. We do have a gang problem.

Carbondale is one of three cities chosen for the program. The Auburn-Gresham campus in Chicago was the second, and a third city has yet to be determined.

(The Lake Heights Residence Council) didn’t have collective experience in this thing, Shvol said. [Our job is] to implement community mobilization to help make use of gang prevention programs.

The Gang Crime Prevention Center of the attorney general’s office will work with the Lake Heights council to conduct a needs assessment study of Carbondale. A needs assessment study is a research study that helps to develop a targeted community action plan.

These are demonstration sites to work in area neighborhoods, Shvol said. We are trying to convince other communities to get local residents involved [through these demonstration sites].

Chenita Lawson, Lake Heights residence council program coordinator/community organizer, said the council plans to do just that.

The basic reason for mobilization is to band communities together, Lawson said. After this project, we will be able to develop and grow together [with other communities] to prevent the youth of the area from participating in gangs.

Lake Heights Residence Council received a Tenants Opportunities Program Grant worth about $100,000 from the state’s Housing and Urban Development program to fund the program.

The Carbondale Police Department was also unable to provide statistics on gang-related crimes because it does not keep such statistics.