Historically, as far as street gangs go, the Crips wear blue and the Bloods wear red. But in a meeting held on Aug. 9, the Hudson County freeholders said they are looking for kids in urban neighborhoods to wear the colors of their favorite sports team rather than gang colors, and have urged the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office to expand the scope of a program that increases contact between police and local youths through sports and other programs.
Ed DeFazio, prosecutor for Hudson County, has advised the freeholder board that he is using funds forfeited by criminals to help fund two organizations, the Hudson County Boys and Girls Clubs and the Jersey City Recreation Foundation.
Freeholder Bill O’Dea asked DeFazio to find a way to expand the program to other groups in Hudson County as a viable way to combat gang violence.
DeFazio said that while the funds confiscated from convicted criminals were significant, regulations set specific criteria about which programs can get the money.
“The funds must go to programs that bring law enforcement personnel in contact with youth,” he said. The Hudson County Girls and Boys Clubs and the Jersey City Recreation Foundation meet the criteria for the funds, since they have numerous police officers involved either as coaches or other officials. One program provides a basketball program through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. The other provides high school basketball and volleyball leagues in which police officers are involved.
‘Proven track record’
“This is the 17th year we have funded the Girls and Boys Clubs,” DeFazio said, “and in our fourth year, we have given to the JCRF. Both organizations have a proven track record.”
Freeholder Chairman Thomas Liggio asked if other programs would be eligible if they applied to the prosecutor’s office.
DeFazio said the focus is on continuing programs that involve or use law enforcement officers. Groups such as the Police Athletic League would be eligible if they applied.
“We have sufficient funds if groups apply,” he said. “We have a healthy ‘forfeited fund’ account.”
How it works
When a criminal is convicted of a crime, any money received as a result of the crime, but with no clear victim to whom the money can be returned, is put into a “forfeited funds” account.
While the Hudson County Boys and Girls Clubs have programs in Hoboken and Jersey City, O’Dea would like to see funding of programs throughout the county as a way of combating gang violence.
“I see a lot of kids in Jersey City wearing D.A.R.E. shirts,” he said. “I think that if we can get kids involved in programs like these, we can keep them from joining street gangs, and perhaps we can avoid the tragedy that we saw recently in Newark.”
O’Dea referred to the execution of three teens and the wounding of a fourth during a gang-related incident in early August.
“I would also like to see a strong police involvement,” O’Dea said. “While police may be officials in some of these programs, the kids might not even know they are police.”
Police and gangs
O’Dea said he envisioned an enhanced law enforcement programs that would allow police and teens to meet and talk about issues related to gang violence. While O’Dea said he hesitated to use the term “scared straight,” he agreed with the concept, and believed that some sort of program that showed kids the consequences of crime might be helpful.
“Scared straight” is a concept in which career criminals or others in criminal justice programs go into detail about a life and consequences of crime.
O’Dea said that while the Hudson County Correction Facility in Kearny may not have sports facilities kids could use, nearby Talbot Hall does, and kids involved with the program might take a day trip to the correctional facility as part of a sports and education program.
“I hope that we look in future years to develop a more detailed program,” O’Dea said. “Something that we can plan out with law enforcement. Some of the teens in this county are very tough. Many are involved or have some relationship with street gangs. Anything we can do to take the kids off the streets and put them in contact with the police in a positive way is good. In these programs, we have a captive audience and we should use this to our advantage.”
O’Dea said someone like Kirk Eady – a deputy director at the Hudson County Department of Corrections – could be enlisted to help develop such a program. Eady, who played championship basketball in high school and then in college, said he was a big advocate for educating kids on the impact of crime, and agreed to take part in some future programs that would help kids.
“I was born and raised in Jersey City and know that kids grow up with gangs,” he said. “They often have nowhere to go or anything else to do. If there is anything I can do, if I can reach even one kid, I’m all for it.” Freeholder Al Cifelli asked how groups could apply for funding.
“Can they apply to the prosecutor’s office in their own, or do they have to go through municipal government?” he asked.
DeFazio said groups should partner with local law enforcement.
Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons, who once headed recreation programs in Hoboken, said gang violence is a reality throughout Hudson County.
“We have to fight gang violence,” he said. “We do not want it to get out of control. Gang violence isn’t just in Newark. It is here in Hudson County and throughout the state.”
Agreeing with the argument, Freeholder Jeff Dublin said, “The way to combat gang violence is to build a better community. I think we can do that by working with law enforcement officials.”