United Gangs Council

An emergency meeting of 300 gang members was held here Saturday to preserve a peace treaty that has been shaken by a rash of gang killings and assaults. The United Gang Council summoned gang members from Santa Ana, Stanton, San Clemente and other cities in Orange County to seek continued support for the treaty signed in August. Del Espinosa, a council organizer, said recent violence has threatened to undermine the treaty.

An emergency meeting of 300 gang members was held here Saturday to preserve a peace treaty that has been shaken by a rash of gang killings and assaults. The United Gang Council summoned gang members from Santa Ana, Stanton, San Clemente and other cities in Orange County to seek continued support for the treaty signed in August. Del Espinosa, a council organizer, said recent violence has threatened to undermine the treaty.

When I read the article about the United Gangs Council's plan to police our schools, I could not believe my eyes ("United Gangs Council Leaders Announce Plans to Curb Violence at Public Schools," Oct. 16). Are we so desperate for an end to violence in and around our schools that we are going to be forced to deal with gangs for the protection of our children? Need I remind our city and school officials that most of these so-called ex-gang members have done jail time for offenses ranging from assault to drugs?

A gang patrol made up of members from the United Gang Council is still being considered by school and city officials to keep the peace in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton, Anaheim Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy said Thursday. School superintendents, school board members and three police chiefs are still going over the proposal made by the United Gang Council. "My staff has met with (the United Gang Council) and had some discussions, but there are no resolutions at this point," Molloy said.

About 500 Latino gang members from across Orange County gathered in El Salvador Park to sign a treaty codifying a truce started in January. The United Gangs Council for the past eight months has been organizing summits in the park and canvassing neighborhoods to promote the truce. Representatives of three dozen gangs from San Clemente to La Habra joined the talks, promising with their signatures to lay down their weapons and stop the violence.

They are not the type of people from whom a Roman Catholic cardinal normally seeks advice. But there they sat one afternoon this past week around a conference table in a 4th Street law office--three former gang leaders, two of them ex-convicts--exchanging ideas with Cardinal Roger M. Mahony on street gangs and how government programs have failed to cope with the problems they pose.

A gang patrol made up of members from the United Gang Council is still being considered by school and city officials to keep the peace in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton, Anaheim Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy said Thursday. School superintendents, school board members and three police chiefs are still going over the proposal made by the United Gang Council. "My staff has met with (the United Gang Council) and had some discussions, but there are no resolutions at this point," Molloy said.

Hoping to repair the damage their image suffered when one council member was arrested in a drug crackdown, the other leaders of the United Gangs Council announced plans Thursday to curtail the violence that has swept public school grounds this year by declaring them neutral territory and off limits to gangs.

A proposal to have gangs patrol local high schools in parts of Orange County is still being formulated, says a member of the United Gangs Council. City officials and students are skeptical about how effective gang patrols would be. Bobby Flores, a member of the United Gangs Council based in Santa Ana, said a patrol of gang members would supervise some schools in Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana and Placentia and stave off confrontations between rival gangs.

A former gang leader who authored the peace treaty recently signed by rival Orange County gangs was arrested Friday by federal drug agents as part of a major ongoing investigation involving narcotics and money laundering. The DEA declined to discuss the case, but sources familiar with the investigation confirmed that Art Romo, 30, of Santa Ana was among those being held on suspicion of money laundering.

When I read the article about the United Gangs Council's plan to police our schools, I could not believe my eyes ("United Gangs Council Leaders Announce Plans to Curb Violence at Public Schools," Oct. 16). Are we so desperate for an end to violence in and around our schools that we are going to be forced to deal with gangs for the protection of our children? Need I remind our city and school officials that most of these so-called ex-gang members have done jail time for offenses ranging from assault to drugs?

Hoping to repair the damage their image suffered when one council member was arrested in a drug crackdown, the other leaders of the United Gangs Council announced plans Thursday to curtail the violence that has swept public school grounds this year by declaring them neutral territory and off limits to gangs.

They are not the type of people from whom a Roman Catholic cardinal normally seeks advice. But there they sat one afternoon this past week around a conference table in a 4th Street law office--three former gang leaders, two of them ex-convicts--exchanging ideas with Cardinal Roger M. Mahony on street gangs and how government programs have failed to cope with the problems they pose.

About 500 Latino gang members from across Orange County gathered in El Salvador Park to sign a treaty codifying a truce started in January. The United Gangs Council for the past eight months has been organizing summits in the park and canvassing neighborhoods to promote the truce. Representatives of three dozen gangs from San Clemente to La Habra joined the talks, promising with their signatures to lay down their weapons and stop the violence.

More than 1,000 people, including members of more than 40 gangs countywide, are expected to join a "March for Peace" today sponsored by the United Gangs Council, event organizers said. The march will begin at 1 p.m. at City Hall and end with a rally at Salvador Park. Jessie Arredondo, an event organizer, said the goal is to promote peace and unity among gang members "so the kids can go to school without drive-bys. It can open up the door for better things for them to do, more job opportunities.

A former gang leader who authored the peace treaty recently signed by Orange County gangs was arrested Friday by federal agents as part of a major investigation of narcotics and money laundering. The Drug Enforcement Administration declined to discuss the case, but sources familiar with the investigation confirmed that Art Romo, 30, of Santa Ana was among those being held on suspicion of money laundering. Romo's wife, Leticia Rivera, 26, said Romo was arrested about 10 a.m.