"'The Naval Postgraduate School is trying to figure out how to stop violence anywhere in the world, why not start in our own backyard,' Farr said."
Why not? Because the US military has no business fighting crime on US soil. Rep. Farr could maybe use to do a little reading on our history. MCM February 3, 2009 Navy school takes on Salinas gangs Violence experts' role will be advisory, may help provided funding By Jack Foley The Salinas Californian <http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090203/NEWS01/90203003&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL>http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090203/NEWS01/90203003&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL Federal violence and terrorism experts from the Naval Postgraduate School, who deal with the likes of Al-Qaida, have been recruited to help fight the deep-rooted gang subculture in Salinas. And agents of the federal office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have been assigned to gang-busting duty in the city. "We need to break the back" of gangs, Mayor Dennis Donohue said as he announced the double-barrel help at a Monday press conference at City Hall. "Frankly, after three or four decades, we're no longer interested in coexistence side-by-side with this subculture that has become embedded in our community," Donohue declared. The mayor and other city and police officials have been under increasing pressure to deal with violence that has left 31 people dead since January 1, 2008, mostly in gang-related killings. Donohue and Police Chief Daniel Ortega were joined at the press conference by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, and Leonard A. Ferrari, executive vice president and provost of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. "The Naval Postgraduate School is trying to figure out how to stop violence anywhere in the world, why not start in our own backyard," Farr said. NPS is the nation's premier center for the study of global and homeland security and violence issues and the training of government experts with advanced degrees in the field. Officials stressed that NPS's assistance will be of an academic nature involving analysis and recommendations. Its efforts will be designed to help in the long term by rooting out social and other causes of violence and suggesting, for example, educational programs for youth to break the cycle of gang involvement. In the meantime, two ATF agents will review all gun related cases in the city and, when appropriate, seek federal prosecution, Ortega said. The city often works with ATF, but this effort will be focused on gangs and gang-related crime, he said. Virtually any gun-related crime can be eligible for federal prosecution, Ortega said. When successful, federal prosecutions help in two ways, he said: sentences typically are longer, and the criminal will do time in a federal prison, which keeps him away from gang associates in state prisons. With NPS on the team, there is also the chance of financial help at a time when the city faces a $12.6 million budget deficit and a decision within the month on whether to cut jobs in the police department. NPS arranges for $200 million in private and government sponsorships for programs in which it's involved, Ferrari said. It could seek sponsorships to help in the Salinas project "once we have something concrete," he said. Still in its infancy, the city-NPS project is so far only vaguely defined in terms of methodology and outcome. As Farr pointed out, Salinas will become a "laboratory" for the study of the gang subculture. It's an opportunity for officials here to "learn from the lessons the military has learned globally" about the causes and responses to violence, Cmdr. Kelly McMillin of the SPD said. McMillin heads the city's Community Safety Alliance. What those lessons are remain to be seen. "We don't really know yet where this will lead," Ferrari said, but the emphasis will be on violence prevention. It's up to the city to deal with violence in the short term, Ferrari said; NPS will look at long-term solutions. Ten to 15 NPS faculty members will work on the Salinas project, headed by Hy Rothstein, according to Ferrari. The announcements come several months after talks between the city and NPS began at Donohue's suggestion. "The mayor was the first person to step up to the plate and say, 'Hey, I'm interested' in seeking such federal help," Farr said. The Monday announcement also comes a week after city, county and state officials convened behind closed doors in Salinas to explore cooperative efforts and strategies to end gang violence. <http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090203/NEWS01/90203003&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL>http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090203/NEWS01/90203003&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
