AURORA | Beefing up anti-gang policing, mentorship programs and confiscating kids’ guns were all on the table Wednesday night when city officials discussed a slew of measures to combat youth violence in a special meeting of the city council.
Mayor Mike Coffman called the meeting among city council members and officials from Aurora Mental Health, the Aurora Police Department, Aurora Public Schools and the city’s youth violence prevention program. The meeting also included Kiara Padilla, a member of that program and an Aurora Central High School student.
The meeting comes after a spate of violence in which more than a dozen teenagers were shot and injured. That included two shootings at or near high schools. Most recently, Cherry Creek schools has seen more rumors and threats of gun violence shared by students over social media.
Gun violence involving children and teenagers has increased in recent years across the U.S., according to the Associated Press. Aurora saw 135 people, including adults, injured in shootings this year as of late November.
The advocates and officials called for doubling-down on measures Wednesday such as mentoring at-risk kids, increasing mental health supports and helping kids participate in extracurriculars. They said parents need to become more engaged in preventing everything from truancy to drug use and access to firearms.
Aurora Police Department Chief Vanessa Wilson said children are accessing guns in their homes. But they’re also buying guns on the street through mobile apps like SnapChat, which leaves no immediate record of interactions, she said.
Wilson cited two instances so far of a parent calling the police after discovering their child had a gun. The police chief has publicly called for parental involvement.
The conversation about youth violence then became wrapped up in gang violence prevention during the meeting, as well as the capacity of the police department to arrest violent teenagers.
It’s not clear whether the recent shootings were gang-related. Wilson said the Nov. 19 shooting that wounded three teenage students at Hinkley High School had a “gang nexus.” According to police affidavits, the shooting began when one teenager confronted members of a rival clique they called the “Boner Boys.”
She said the shooting at Nome Park on Nov. 15, which injured six teens, couldn’t accurately be called gang-motivated. She said the traditional definition of “gang” has changed.
“We’re calling them groups now instead of gangs,” she said.
Wilson and a city Councilmember, Angela Lawson, also used the term “beef” to describe spats between teenagers that can turn fatal when guns are involved.
After questioning from city Councilmember Dustin Zvonek, Wilson said the department is short on gang violence prevention resources. Wilson said a total of 12 officers and a sergeant work on gang-related issues.
“Obviously with a city of this size, I would like to triple that number,” Wilson said. “Right now, staffing is such that we’re unable to.”
Zvonek said he wanted to see a unified effort in which prevention efforts, waged by the city and nonprofit partners, drew strength from boosted police capacity to identify and arrest violent youth.
In 2018, Aurora voters de-funded the Aurora Gang Reduction Impact Program after voting to end the city’s red light ticket program. Then-chief Nick Metz removed the AGRIP program to consolidate funding, according to Wilson.
“I think it was a very positive program,” she said.
In terms of violence prevention, Aurora officials have already forged an alliance with the City and County of Denver to address youth violence. In April, city officials hired Christina Amparan, the city’s youth violence prevention manager. Her office has a $1 million budget, according to the Denver Post. And in 2020, prevention groups created “safe zones” for youth to hang out without fear of gun violence.
Among Aurora’s upcoming prevention programs: a two-day “shut in” at a local charter school to carve out a safe space for youth during New Year’s celebrations.
Here is a tip:
Take care of your children, be active in their life, actively listen to what is going on in their life.
Where were the voices at the table from organizations such as Ceasefire Colorado and Brady? They know what works to reduce gun violence. Policing and parental involvement are certainly part of any solution. The key, as these and similar organizations have identified, is to treat gun violence as a public health issue.
How else would you define an epidemic that claims tens of thousands of victims every year and costs billions of dollars in health care?
Let’s get some new thinking applied.
Of utmost importance is addressing the theft of unsecured weapons in homes and autos. 300-500 K weapons are stolen EVERY year. Responsible gun owners lock up the guns that are not under their immediate control. And if you have teen, consider changing the combination or taking the gun safe key with you. One life is worth the precautions.
“In 2018, Aurora voters de-funded the Aurora Gang Reduction Impact Program after voting to end the city’s red light ticket program. ” Yep.
Now? Your new conservative council wants more police=$ “Zvonek said he wanted to see a unified effort in which prevention efforts, waged by the city and nonprofit partners, drew strength from boosted police capacity to identify and arrest violent youth. ”
It’s not about yoga classes. And community centers are only useful to the degree that they can connect kids to influencers who can course-correct at a vulnerable pre-teen age. Once they’ve found their “set” it’s too late. These kids are easy to find. Neighbors know them, as do their classmates and other parents. It has to be a targeted effort. They need mentors and role models and glimpses of a world outside their hood. And if the parents resist, they are part of the problem and should be treated accordingly. But this is a slow burn, that pays out years down the road.
The immediate solution involves a heavier hand—holding bad parents accountable, zero tolerance of criminal behavior, and mobilizing communities to aid a fortified police force, rather than fight them.