Police, Latino leaders, Watchful Eye, church, take on gangs
South Sioux city will host two forums for parents of gang members, kids at risk
By Michele Linck Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- South Sioux City Police Sgt. Chris Chernock announced Monday that the police, leaders of the Latino community and the city will jointly host two separate, identical forums to enlighten parents about their children's role, or potential role, in local gangs.
The forums will be at 6 p.m. on Aug. 2 and 8 in the gym at St. Michael's Catholic Church in South Sioux City. Each will last 60 to 90 minutes. The first will be in Spanish, the second in English. Chernock said it is evident that a lot of Spanish speakers aren't comfortable attending a presentation and asking questions in English.
"The Latino people are going to be able to come to this, listen in their own language and ask questions," he said. "We can at the same time, plant some information into their heads that needs to be there."
"A lot of parents who are trying to deal with this don't know what to do," Chernock told the City Council. "Some don't want to admit it's a problem because they don't have the information that shows them that it is."
He said the forums are generating a lot of interest already. Prominent members of the local Latino community and Latino business owners want to be involved, along with people from the Mexican Consulate in Omaha. The Watchful Eye Foundation, an organization that publishes a monthly sex offender awareness magazine mostly in Spanish is another participant, along with the police and the city. And he said, "the fathers at St. Michael's are behind this 100 percent."
Chernock said the Latino participants want to enlighten parents and have their community take responsibility for dealing with the city's gang problem.
"It's a very exciting opportunity we have here," he said, noting that similar sessions years ago drew an audience only of parents who "didn't really need to be there. This is going to be a whole new opportunity on a new level, to be able to strike right where the problem is and to get some much-needed information out to the parents of these children who are involved in this stuff, and to be able to listen to what they say.
"This is going to be an opportunity that probably overshadows our earlier efforts by 10 fold, simply because all indications are the Latino community has stepped up and wants to be involved."
He said residents should begin looking around the community for information about the forums.
The forums will be at 6 p.m. on Aug. 2 and 8 in the gym at St. Michael's Catholic Church in South Sioux City. Each will last 60 to 90 minutes. The first will be in Spanish, the second in English. Chernock said it is evident that a lot of Spanish speakers aren't comfortable attending a presentation and asking questions in English.
"The Latino people are going to be able to come to this, listen in their own language and ask questions," he said. "We can at the same time, plant some information into their heads that needs to be there."
"A lot of parents who are trying to deal with this don't know what to do," Chernock told the City Council. "Some don't want to admit it's a problem because they don't have the information that shows them that it is."
He said the forums are generating a lot of interest already. Prominent members of the local Latino community and Latino business owners want to be involved, along with people from the Mexican Consulate in Omaha. The Watchful Eye Foundation, an organization that publishes a monthly sex offender awareness magazine mostly in Spanish is another participant, along with the police and the city. And he said, "the fathers at St. Michael's are behind this 100 percent."
Chernock said the Latino participants want to enlighten parents and have their community take responsibility for dealing with the city's gang problem.
"It's a very exciting opportunity we have here," he said, noting that similar sessions years ago drew an audience only of parents who "didn't really need to be there. This is going to be a whole new opportunity on a new level, to be able to strike right where the problem is and to get some much-needed information out to the parents of these children who are involved in this stuff, and to be able to listen to what they say.
"This is going to be an opportunity that probably overshadows our earlier efforts by 10 fold, simply because all indications are the Latino community has stepped up and wants to be involved."
He said residents should begin looking around the community for information about the forums.
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