A proactive plan to tackle gang violence

Mayor Greg Nickels's $9 million intervention to quell youth violence is a good start in need of a broader platform.

A sustained mix of efforts — including youth mentoring, job creation and family-support resources such as anger-management counseling — is a necessary response to unabated youth violence over the years.

Overall violent crime in Seattle has fallen since 2006, but violence among juveniles remains steady at about 800 incidents per year since 2003. Four Seattle teens have been shot to death this year.

Intervention beyond law enforcement is critical.

The mayor's plan targets 800 teens living in the Central District, Rainier Valley and the southwest corner of Seattle. They are identified as either victims or instigators of gang violence. Most are known by authorities because they are consistently truant, frequently arrested by police or have repeated stays in juvenile detention.

These are behaviors the city cannot ignore, but also cannot address alone. Seattle Public Schools has been on the front line, combating truancy and violence in its schools. Staffers in the district's intervention offices have built relationships with street gangs and young people vulnerable to gang membership. They should be tapped for expertise, knowledge of what's happening with young people in different neighborhoods and other forms of assistance.

Funding from the mayor's plan should encourage more centers to offer late-night activities, giving young people a place to gather.

Nickels' plan comes with a $9 million price tag. Already, Seattle is spending $62 million this year on children's issues. But this city must do more and the mayor's plan offers the beginnings of a strong initiative.

Along with the City Council, the mayor should better flesh out his plan and prioritize the needs. A glaring omission is how to work with teens who will predictably rebuff any intervention. The city must also figure out how to pull in families and support groups such as churches and social organizations.

Some local community organizations have already been identified to receive funding to work in the neighborhoods with teens. These organizations include The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Atlantic Street Center and Southwest Youth and Family Services. These groups have been around for a long time and know more about what's happening on the streets than the folks at City Hall.

Seattle is taking the threat of gang violence seriously. It ought to include as many partners as possible and move forward with the mayor's plan.