Local-Current Situation

In recent history, gangs in Hawaii have been fading. There are a few factors that have contributed to this decrease. One of these factors is a law passed by the Hawaii Legislature in 1991. The act freed up $3.2 million to coordinate the battle against gangs, law enforcement, public awareness, and school based intervention are all categories which have received some of the funding. However, gangs are making a resurgence in Hawaii, and in no small fashion. A recent article in the Hawaii Star Bulletin illustrates just how bad it is getting. The graphs below also show how it is not just the number of gang related incidents that is growing, but also the number of people involved in the altercations. Gangs are also returning to Hawaii schools. Below is a chart of recent gang related activities in schools.

BY THE NUMBERS
2.7% Percentage of students who have carried a handgun
4.75% Percentage of students who have been arrested
5.68% Percentage of students who have sold illegal drugs
11.3% Percentage of students involved in gangs
47% Percentage of students with family conflict
Source: 2002 Hawaii Student Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use Survey
Hawaii DOH website: http://www.hawaii.gov/health/substance-abuse/prevention-treatment/survey/report2002/index.html

Another factor which is leading to more gang activity is the fact that fewer and fewer kids are even enrolling in school. in the 1995-'96 school year there were 186,805 students enrolled, in the 2005-'06 school year total enrollment was 181,406. That is a decrease of 5,399 in a 10 year period. Almost ten years ago, when enrollment was nearing 189,000 students, there were 3,086 reported incidents of violence involving 1,720 students. In the 2005-06 year, despite a drop of nearly 8,000 schoolchildren, violence rose to 3,350 cases in which 2,762 students took part, according to the state Department of Education. That is nearly a 9 percent increase in violent incidents. The rise in gang activity isn't isolated to just a few neighborhoods, recent surveys show that more and more neighborhoods have gangs, or are beginning to see them arrive from other parts of the island. The chart below from an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin shows this spread.



Something must be done to end this trend of growing violence and gang related activity in Hawaii, especially in Hawaii's schools.