A neighborhood can change, with effort

In every case, the victims were reluctant to speak with police.

This round of gang violence took place June 2004 on the 700 block of North Amphlett Boulevard in the city of San Mateo. It capped several weeks of violent gang shootings both in broad daylight and at night. It spurred aggressive action by the San Mateo Police Department and the creation of a 90-day countywide gang task force to combat rising gang violence that was creeping into cities not normally home to such activity. In the case of the 700 block of North Amphlett Boulevard, the Sureño gang had found a home base from which it victimized innocent neighbors.

A few months later, residents of the working-class neighborhood between a frontage road and Idaho Street held a Posada celebration with balloons, songs and homemade tamales. Residents, property owners and police talked to each other openly celebrating the new calm the neighborhood had not seen for years. In December 2004, the neighborhood celebrated the change in the street due, in large part, to increased foot patrol by police officers and a concerted effort by the Police Department to get residents and property owners talking to each other. The department enlisted the help of the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center to facilitate the meetings. The fear residents once had in talking to police slowly melted away. It took significant time and effort, but it happened.

In South San Francisco’s Old Town, the beginning of the story is much the same as for those who lived on the 700 block of North Amphlett Boulevard in San Mateo in 2004.

On Dec. 22, 2010, gunfire rang out in an alley of Linden Avenue leaving Hector Flores, 20, Omar Cortez, 18, and Gonzalo Avalos, 19, dead in a gang-related shooting that also left three others injured. The injured victims are not cooperating with police and there is little information on the suspects.

But residents and city officials have met in a variety of forums to discuss how to change the environment of the neighborhood and the city. Tonight, the City Council will consider a $400,000 proposal to hire four police officers who would focus on the neighborhood, re-establish a second police officer as a school liaison and invest $50,000 as seed money to sponsor the formation of a community coalition on safe neighborhoods. Again, the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center is involved. That’s a solid first step.

The key to changing a neighborhood gripped by violence is communication and trust. Building that trust is difficult and takes time. In San Mateo’s North Amphlett Boulevard neighborhood, it took additional police patrols combined with community meetings between residents, property owners and police. Regular meetings allowed tenants to learn their rights while property owners gained an understanding of issues with their buildings that housed those tenants. A new sense of collaboration was established, according to San Mateo police Lt. Rick Passanisi, who was directly involved with the effort. The PCRC assisted in translation and acted as a liaison between residents and the police and helped provide assurance that recent immigrants need not worry about legal status, at least in the eyes of local law enforcement.

"Both homeowners and tenants learned they could call us,” Passanisi said. "But it took a while. ... It was a long process.”

The Old Town neighborhood is larger than the 700 block of North Amphlett Boulevard. The population is similar, but there are differences as with any community, according to PCRC Associate Director Michelle Vilchez.

Still, the effort to stem the violence should use the situation in San Mateo as a model of collaboration, trust and mutual respect with the police acting as a partner and not just an occupying force. The San Mateo neighborhood has celebrated its seventh posada since the violence of 2004 and crime has dropped 87 percent. Residents there have an increased understanding of police and their role in public safety because of the ongoing conversation and increased police presence in a non-traditional way. Law enforcement suppression is a critical part of the equation, but it must be combined with intervention and suppression, Vilchez said.

In San Mateo, it took many meetings — some difficult — and the involvement of code enforcement, the Police Activities League for youth, a book mobile and cleanup days in addition to increased police presence. It took time, but it was worth it. Old Town may have its current challenges, but the city’s leadership can follow in the footsteps of those who already went through the effort in San Mateo. It takes work, but change can take place. In fact, there really is no other choice.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com.