MALL SHOOTING SHATTERS OLD IDEAS ABOUT GANGS

The shooting death of a 23-year-old Lake Worth man at the Boynton
Beach Mall on Christmas Eve is a grim reminder that gang violence
isn't a problem only for certain neighborhoods and communities.

Dozens of shoppers who ran for their lives as the bullets flew know
that well-armed young criminals are prepared to settle scores most
anywhere and any time - including upscale department stores during
the holidays. Boynton Beach police believe a gang feud led Jesse
Cesar, 21, to gun down Berno Charlemond. On Tuesday, Cesar, a reputed
member of the San Castle Soldiers, was charged with first-degree
murder and attempted murder of a police officer; Fregens Daniel, 21,
of Boynton Beach also was charged as an accessory.

Police say turf wars among several small gangs in south Palm Beach
County are responsible for dozens of shootings and at least four
deaths this year. The gangs' crimes reach throughout the county.
Detectives say a record label called Top 6 oversees six mostly
Haitian-American gangs in Boynton Beach, Lantana and Lake Worth with
more than 100 members. Their drug deals, weapons sales, robberies and
car thefts reach from Broward to Martin counties. Latino gangs are
also a problem. Two months ago in Westgate, Norman Borden admitted
shooting and killing two men he said threatened him. Detectives have
linked them to Surenos 13, an international drug-smuggling gang.
Investigators believe gang members burned Borden's home in retaliation.

Nationally, the number of murders and violent crimes is up in 2006.
Some state and local authorities blame the rise on the federal
government diverting money to anti-terrorism efforts instead of
helping put more police on the streets. The increase in the number of
males ages 14 to 24 is a demographic change that has contributed to
the increased violence. The county has had at least 92 homicides this
year, and all but one of the 14 teenage victims was shot. Most of
those shootings involve gang activity. In West Palm Beach, at least
two dozen young African-American men have been shot dead during the
past three years.

After a Criminal Justice Commission study, the county agreed to spend
$1.5 million on youth empowerment centers in West Palm Beach, Riviera
Beach and Lake Worth, with the cities matching some of the money. The
centers will try to divert youths from gangs and guns by promoting
job training, health care and counseling, as well as recreation.
"Part of the solution needs to try to educate youth that utilizing
the courts to right their wrongs is the way to handle these
problems," says State Attorney Barry Krischer, "not just pick up a
gun or spray a whole community of people." There should be no
delusions about how difficult Mr. Krischer's partial solution is.
Despite gun buy-back programs and weapons sweeps, the supply of
handguns on the streets seems unlimited.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw started a multiagency gang
task force in January with investigators from many agencies. St.
Lucie County also has one. Cooperation between the two units was
critical to solving the killing of four family members along
Florida's Turnpike in October. Sheriff Bradshaw rightly says it will
take "organized law enforcement" to combat organized crime.

Cooperation between the widest possible crosssection of authorities
is essential because, as the Boynton Beach mall shooting showed, gang
violence recognizes no boundaries or jurisdictions.