Three days after shots were fired at Madison’s West Towne Mall, Ald. Maurice Cheeks, District 10, and Ald. Matt Phair, District 20, announced plans to combat gang violence Tuesday, according to a city of Madison press release.
Echoing a previous call to action from Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval, Cheeks and Phair stressed the necessity of acting now rather than later.
While there were no reported injuries in the West Towne Mall incident, police believe the suspected perpetrators of the shooting knew each other and were involved in an ongoing conflict, MPD Lt. Kelly Donahue wrote in an MPD incident report. According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, many of the recent shootings over the past year have been classified as gang-on-gang violence.
“We were really fortunate that no one was killed in the shooting at West Towne Mall,” Cheeks said. “Had that gone a different way, I think our community would have reacted in outcry and sympathy and demanded results.”
In the press release, Cheeks and Phair cited in particular reaffirming commitments to the police department’s gang task force, youth mentorship initiatives and the possibility of initiating a gun buyback program.
“Gang violence is a real issue in Madison that has been persistent for years,” Phair said. “Events like this weekend bring it to light, but I think it’s time we … acknowledge it, and try to get the system to solve some of these issues.”
The nation’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention May 2008 report estimated 32.4 percent of boys and 29.4 percent of girls from high-crime neighborhoods claimed to belong to a gang.
“We need to be bringing partners together to address the roots of gang violence here [and making sure] youth have opportunities in our city,” Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said, citing a need to give local adolescents options other than gangs.
Gang violence in the campus area is less visible but still present, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
“Over the years, we certainly have not been immune to gang violence,” Verveer said, citing many instances of student muggings that were found to actually be a part of gang rituals, following police investigation.
“I would say the downtown area of campus is certainly affected by the presence of criminal gangs in Madison and their activity,” Verveer said. “However, nowhere near to the extent as many other neighborhoods in Madison are.”
