The Virginian-Pilot
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Days after two high school football games were postponed because of fear of gang activity, the Norfolk City Council ordered the city manager to hire someone to help eliminate the problem.
Regina V.K. Williams also will decide whether to form an agency to fight gangs or use the new person to coordinate efforts by the police, human services and other city agencies. She will report back to the council this winter on those decisions.
Gangs have become a growing problem in local school districts, and sometimes the conflicts have involved football players.
On Tuesday, Portsmouth police said Rashawn “Peanut” Finney – an I.C. Norcom High School senior who died Friday after being shot two weeks earlier at a Chesapeake party – was a gang leader of YNIC. YNIC is a reference, with a racial slur, to young blacks in charge.
On Tuesday, Finney’s mother, Desiree Finney, denied that her son was involved with YNIC.
“He wasn’t a part of no gang unless you call a bunch of football players who hang together a gang ,” Finney said. “They’re just kids. But it wouldn’t be news if (media) couldn’t say that. They just want something bad to say about him. They didn’t really know him. They never talked to him face to face. But I’m not even mad because my son is gone. What else do they want from me?”
Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot said gangs have become a serious issue in local schools.
Home football games for Maury and Booker T. Washington high schools were postponed or shifted to other sites over the weekend because of fear of gang violence, Burfoot said.
Police suspect there was a gang-related incident at Maury on Friday, which was slated to host Norcom that night, he said. A bullet was shot into the family home of a football player at another school the same night, Burfoot said.
Portsmouth police Detective Kenneth Gavin said he does not know whether Finney’s death was gang-related, but “that’s one of the reasons things got so stirred up” Friday at Norcom , where news of the death upset students. Chesapeake police have not said the shooting was gang-related, but Gavin said Finney was a YNIC leader.
Norcom’s game against Maury at Powhatan Field was postponed until Saturday .
Police also arrested a Wilson High School student on Friday and charged him with attempted murder of another student and gang participation. Police said he was a member of the Bloods gang. Both charges are felonies, Gavin said.
About 2 p.m. Friday in a locker room bathroom, the student tied a purple bandanna across his own face – purple being his gang sect’s color – and attacked the other student from behind, Gavin said. The attacker put the student in a chokehold and maintained his hold after his victim fell unconscious until members of the football team pulled them apart, Gavin said.
The attack was gang-related, but there was no evidence the victim was in a gang, he said.
“It was much more than just a brawl between kids at a school,” Gavin said. “He had to be removed from choking the kid to death.”
Portsmouth police and the school system did not inform the public of the assault. However, The Virginian-Pilot learned of the assault from another source, and police confirmed it Tuesday.
Burfoot said such assaults are symptomatic of the cycle of violence occurring throughout Hampton Roads.
“It’s a very tough world out there,” said Burfoot, who for several years has pushed for a gang-intervention program in the city .
“If you saw some of the kids I know, you wouldn’t think they were part of a gang. People who are athletes. People who are leaders. They don’t look the part, but they are vicious and violent.”
Burfoot is sponsoring a “Taking Back our Community from Gangs” event from noon until 4 Saturday at Shoop Park in Norfolk. Games and recreational activities will be held, along with discussions for youngsters on why they should avoid gangs.
Burfoot said he wants the city to adopt a program similar to the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program in Richmond, in which the city, state and federal governments have used 40 programs to suppress gang activity.
“You can either invest now or pay for it later,” he said.
Council members discussed the subject for more than an hour during their retreat in Smithfield.
Williams and Councilwoman Daun S. Hester argued for a comprehensive program that focuses on prevention, healing for broken families and counseling for children, in addition to trying to suppress gangs. The city already has dozens of programs, offered by the police, human services, recreation centers and school system. For example, a middle school program provides child care and tutoring after school.
Some council members said they wonder whether any program can stem the violence.
Councilman Paul R. Riddick said there’s not much government can do.
“You’d be surprised at the children who have never been told they were loved, who were never hugged,” he said.
“You’ve got people working two jobs and the children are raising themselves. I don’t believe a city manager or a police chief can solve the problem. It goes deeper than programs, deeper than beat cops.”
Pilot writers Amy Jeter and Larry Rubama contributed to this story.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Hampton Roads- Sadr City... Same Murder Levels
Wow, This area is starting to have Baghdad-level murder rates. And it appears that the city response of "denial and ignore" is a miserable failure. Maybe the authorities will finally begin to address these issues meaningfully? Dont hold your breath....
if you have a curfew problem
Then you have to get the police involved. You can't blame a school or anything else. You have got to be pro-active if you want to get anything don't and that doesn't mean making one call, keep calling until the problem is resolved.
charging for a memorial service
Not being from the south and never attending a memorial service I was curious is it tradition to charge $5.00 at the doorof the service? Just curious........
Elsie-eye
You are right Norcom's magnet program is filled with wonderful students, but the non Magnet students do not have the same environment or quality of teachers as the Magnet students. I had two children in that school one in Magnet which probably knows your daughter and one among the general student population. Unfortunately the quality of some of the teachers and the constant disturbances in class were not an environment condusive to a good education. My children would not use the bathrooms ecspecially the male rest rooms because of the drug use and potential violence. As for Parkview, it has its ups and downs, but the last three years the neighborhood was turning around. Then in the last 6 months we saw a surge of teenagers who do not live in the neighborhood hang around our neighborhood some of them wearing gang related colors. These teenagers are here from evening to late at night drinking, smoking pot, starting fights, breaking into cars and numerous other lagal activities. We call police but by the time they respond these kids have moved on or hide. Last week the neighborhood was swarming with police blocking our streets because of home invasions that were taking place in the m
Norcom
I have to respectfully disagree with some posters....Park View's problems have been decades in the making and they are not the result of IC Norcom.
Secondly, why should a school NOT proceed with attitude that every child can indeed go to college? I would be heartily disappointed if they did not! Do we want to return to the days when children's dreams are shot down and they are told they aren't "good enough"? How many problems has that brought about in years gone by? (Think: Malcolm X, Dr. Ben Carson!)
Thirdly, I have a child in the Math, Science and Technology Magnet at Norcom...the school is doing a fine job of educating her.
Fourthly, sex, drugs, gangs, etc., can be found at EVERY high school in America...not just inner city schools, not just predominently black schools.
Finally, ask yourself what YOU are doing to be a part of the solution! Because griping, complaining, and finger pointing merely make you part of the problem!
FYI most YNIC members are
FYI most YNIC members are actually good students. The problem is what they do when they go home. Most of these males do not have a healthy relationship with thier fathers. Parents have to care. In order for Norcom to be successful school they have parental involvment. supporting them in sports is good however you need to talk to thier teaches attend open house.. ask for report cards.. email teachers for updates.
I agree with the issues in
I agree with the issues in Parkview. However I disagree with you about MS. Briley. Norcom have set up some wonderful programs to try and keep the kids on track. It's not her fault that when students go to explusion hearing they let the students back. Its the School system fault. Portsmouth public schools expect every child to go to college. This is not going to happen. It's not her fault this kids parents are less than half thier age. she does the best she can with what she has. before you complain go to the school and try to solve the problem. Instead of talking about. Portmouth Public Schools do not address the students needs. Problem students need to go to alternatives schools. Pregant students need to learn parenting skills since they dont learn them at home.
jule0711---------Please read
We HAD that curfew problem where I live. I wrote to the City Council (Norfolk) and recieved an email from a Norfolk Police Office in my area. He gave me his office number and cell number and told me to contact him at any hour, and they would be there immediately. It worked in my area, the Officer could not have done any better, and I hope it can work in yours. Give it try, you have nothing to loose. Also, check in the phone book for non-ememrgency police, and call them. Tell them the curfew problem. If that doesn't work then you have a full fledged complaint to file against the City. Trust me they don't want that. One more thing, you can't give up. If you have to make more than one call DO IT! We have to remain pro-active and clean up our neighborhoods. It applies to anyone with the problem. Good luck!
Parkview and its teenagers....
I am shocked that the Norcom Principal Ms. Briley would agree to an event held at the school involving a member of YNIC. She is helping these students idolize these gang members. Funny thing is when my child was hit from behind by one of her fine students she told me there was nothing the school could do. The problems in that school are so bad with violence, drug use and sexual activity that I eventually had to take my kids out of that school. But a gang member is shot and killed all of a sudden she is all about helping........she is part of Norcoms problem. I wish all of you would come out and tour Park View after curfew and see what us residents are talking about. These kids turnover trash cans, throw trash in our streets, break into our cars, walk in the middle of the street and will not move for cars........and when asked to move they will curse at you. Just two weeks ago 4 of these kids stole a car and went joy riding in our neighborhood, by the time it was over the Jeep Cherokee was smashed into a fire hydrant irionically in front of our Crab House where some residents wanted a park............Parkview is tired of these teens....hold these parents accountable.
wendyyp. I'm sorry but
"I'm just sorry that God took him away before he could learn from his mistakes."
God didn't take him away a gang member killed him. Maybe if Peanut had not been involved in a gang himself, this would have never happened. Just a thought!