Community meeting to tackle gang awareness

What is a gang? Why do young people join gangs? What about Ramona’s gang?

These and other questions will be addressed in “Graffiti & Gang Awareness: Strategies for Our Community,” sponsored by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Ramona Substation from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The session is open to the public and will be held in the Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane.

The keynote speaker will be sheriff’s Corp. Rhonda Fortson from the Poway Station’s Community Oriented Policing Problem Solving (COPPS) Unit. Fortson has worked with the Ramona Substation to document gang activity in Ramona. According to Crime Prevention Specialist Kelly Marline with the sheriff’s Ramona Substation, there are two gangs in Ramona.

Among other questions Fortson will address in her presentation are What is the difference between tagging and graffiti? How do I read graffiti? How does the problem of gangs affect our community? What are some strategies that we can use to stop this?

“You are invited to join us and find out the answers to these and other questions you may have about gangs,” states a flyer promoting the meeting. “What you don’t know can hurt you, your children, and your community. Join us and become aware.”

“It’s not going to be sugar and spice,” Marline said of the meeting. “It’s going to be very direct.”

For more information, contact Marline at 760-738-2425.