Anti-gang program expanding to North Richmond

A pilot program to reduce gang membership and violence has been so successful in South Richmond that authorities are taking the initiative on the road.

Next up is an area of North Richmond that includes the Highland Park and southern Barton Heights neighborhoods.

"There's a demonstrated need for it," Assistant Police Chief David M. McCoy said yesterday as police, prosecutors and community leaders gathered at Trinity Baptist Church on Fendall Avenue to announce the expansion of the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program.

Launched in South Richmond in 2004 with a federal grant, GRIP has been credited with leading to significant reductions in homicides and other violent crimes in that area of the city.

The program targets young people for educational, recreational and employment opportunities aimed at discouraging them from gang participation. It also targets their families for help that could range from language instruction and job training to health information and crime prevention.

Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring said one reason for the success of the program was Richmond's willingness to acknowledge that its gang violence needed to be addressed.

"Many cities won't admit to the presence of gangs," Herring said.

But as the program began to produce results south of the James River, officials realized there was an opportunity and a need to expand its reach.

"There was a lot of discussion about where we wanted to go," McCoy said, adding that North Richmond, with a high concentration of young people and violent crime, is a logical choice.

Cmdr. Steve Drew, who oversees police operations in an area of South Richmond where GRIP is based, said the success stories for the program are numerous, thanks in large part to hundreds of volunteers. Those include police, prosecutors on the state and local levels, and community activists.

That group of volunteers has enabled GRIP to staff a service center at the Southwood apartment complex, a sprawling development off Hull Street that has become home to a large Latino population. Over the years, people in and around Southwood have come to recognize the service center as a trusted source for information, assistance and safety, Drew said.

Authorities are searching for a place to establish a service center in North Richmond.

Meantime, McCoy said, anti-gang police operations have begun, and authorities are planning GRIP programs for North Richmond.

The city is pursuing grants for the expansion, but McCoy said that even if those funds do not materialize, local sources can be found to help make GRIP produce more success.

"You throw a rock into the right area," McCoy said, "the ripple effect hits where you want it."

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 6496804 or .