By Rigoberto Hernandez, Mission Local
Hundreds of community organizers met for the second time late last week to put together a plan to end violence in the Mission District. Elements of the plan include determining what services are available, which ones need more funding, and what local laws should be changed to help get at-risk youth off the streets and prevent gang violence.
“These brothers and sisters need anger management because they’ve got anger, they’ve got drug problems, they’ve got alcohol problems, they’ve got mental health problems,” said Roberto Hernandez, one of the organizers.
While gang violence in the Mission has decreased dramatically over the years, a recent uptick has driven local organizers to come up with a comprehensive plan. The Mission Police Station, which serves about 90,000 residents in the Mission, Castro and Noe Valley neighborhoods, recorded nine homicides in 2012 — half of what the station recorded in 2008, the oldest numbers available.
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