Gangs Gather to Keep the Peace for a Change

SANTA ANA —  The first major gathering of Orange County gangs in two years brought about 100 people to Salvador Park on Saturday to show young people and the community that a nonviolent afternoon in the park was possible.

Though tension was thick--gangs kept mostly separated as rival members sometimes glared at one another--a spirit of cooperation prevailed as they competed in handball and card tournaments.

The United Barrio Council, a countywide coalition of about 50 church and neighborhood groups, sponsored the event and is planning even larger gatherings later this year.

“We want to give these kids credit for coming here today,” said council member Pastor Jessie Arredondo of the Church of the Living Stones in Anaheim. “Many of them have had homeboys killed and they are putting that aside to start anew and stop the violence.”

Organizers also used the occasion to criticize law enforcement officials for failing to praise sufficiently a 1992 gang truce and its role in reducing violent crime in Santa Ana.

“These kids have caused damage, but I don’t believe they have caused as much as [former Orange County Treasurer Robert L.] Citron did,” Arredondo said. “If we can overlook his $1-billion mistake, why can’t we come up with money to educate these kids and give them some good role models?”

Organizers called on lawmakers to fund special educational and athletic programs for youngsters most prone to join gangs.

Though gang violence remains a severe problem in some areas of Santa Ana, which is home to 10,000 gang members, recent statistics suggest that some headway is being made. Violent crime dropped 11% countywide and 18% in Santa Ana, according to a 1995 FBI report. Santa Ana’s homicide rate plummeted 75% during the first six months of 1996, compared with the same period last year, according to city police.

But Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said he “will be the first to thank” truce organizers for their efforts to stem gang violence. Some truces in the past have been used by gangs to stop fighting between themselves that interfered with their profitable crimes, such as drug trafficking, he said.

“Truces can certainly have an impact, but it’s a matter, I think, of whether all the gangs agree to participate and what their motivations are,” Walters said. “In the past, a lot of the people involved had good intentions, but others had different ideas.”

Though monitored by only one armed Santa Ana park ranger, many gang members at Saturday’s meeting would not speak to reporters for fear that police would track them down through the media. Those who did agree to speak did so on condition of anonymity.

“If the gangs didn’t lay down their weapons, there wouldn’t be any peace,” said a man who claimed to be a gang member. “The politicians are taking all the credit for the peace. It’s all politics.”

Many former gang members participated in the meeting hoping to appeal to the youths to abandon the destructive lifestyle. Donald Sebreros, a former Santa Ana gang member who spent 17 of his 36 years in jails and juvenile hall, wanted his story of change to inspire the young gang members.

“When I was young I went against all authority--my mother, the cops, everybody. Now I see how wrong I was,” said Sebreros, a full-time volunteer at a Christian outreach organization. “I’m here planting seeds of hope. These guys have so much bitterness and resentment. That’s all they know.”

For Zeke Rivera, a Santa Ana father of four, the day was especially poignant. His 9-year-old son, Arcardio, played a Little League ballgame at Salvador Park in the morning. Soon after the game, Zeke’s 16-year-old son, who ran away about 18 months ago, came to the park with one of the gangs.

Rivera did not speak to his older son, whom he suspects is in a gang.

“I’m worried for my 9-year-old,” said Rivera, 38, a cement mason. “I don’t want him to end up like his older brother.”

* Times staff writer H.G. Reza contributed to this report.