by George P. Hassett

At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Board of Aldermen approved  the mayor’s first of three appointments to the city’s Gang Advisory Board (GAB).

The formation of the board, designated to advise the police and the mayor on anti-gang policies and procedures, is part of the anti-gang ordinance signed into law in August.

The board voted to approve East Somerville resident and business owner Jorge Herrera as the first member of GAB.

 “Mr. Herrera is a perfect fit for this panel. He is a successful business owner, longtime resident of the city and an advocate for the Latino community. He lives across the street from Foss Park and has a personal investment in this issue,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

 Curtatone said he recommended Herrera and two other candidates for the panel last month. Andrew Tarsy, the civil rights director for the Anti-Defamation League, declined the offer because of a job opportunity in New Hampshire.

    Franklin Dalembert, of the Somerville Haitian Coalition, was unable to attend the interview and confirmation sessions with the board because of prior engagements, the mayor said.

 Yet both are still involved with the process. Dalembert said he is still interested in serving on the panel, Ward 1 Aldermen William M. Roche said he would ask Tarsy for a recommendation on who should take his place.

 “We are still interested in having Franklin on the panel. For years he has been an advocate for the Haitian community and young people across the city – two groups which have been negatively affected by gangs," he said.

    "Unfortunately Mr. Tarsy received a job opportunity in Portsmouth, New Hampshire he could not afford to turn down. But we want to confer with him to find out if there is anyone else in the Anti-Defamation League with his knowledge of civil liberties and the city of Somerville,” said Roche.

 Curtatone said the G.A.B. will work with police in designating zones of high gang activity, identifying individual gang members and implementing policies and procedures to combat criminal activity from gangs.

 Roche said the purpose of the panel is to increase the number of perspectives brought to the city’s discussion on gangs. That is why the ordinance stated that two of the three appointees must be minorities.

 Dalembert said he was an outspoken advocate of the ordinance when it was proposed last year and Curtatone and Roche said that is one of the reasons they recommended the community activist.

 “The ordinance is reality. It has been signed into law and we are moving forward with it. But it is not a problem that a member of the panel opposed it. We want a diversity of opinion represented and are very fortunate to have a person such as Mr. Dalembert to advocate for the Haitian community,” said the mayor.

 “I have no problem with Franklin being opposed to the ordinance. I knew his stance when I decided he would be a good fit for the panel. This is what good government is all about – listening to every voice in the community. I didn’t want a committee made up entirely of people who supported it. As a result of such diversity we can have a true dialogue and serve the city effectively,” said Roche. 

 Dalembert said his main priority is to work with police and protect the minority community from wrongful persecution.

 “My biggest responsibility is to work with the Haitian and Latino communities to inform them of the law and to make sure that the police are targeting known gang members not the entire minority community," he said.

    "Most people in my community want to know about the ordinance but have no way of finding out the information. I want to give them that information because information is power in this world. Hopefully the end result is a city that lives together in peace and harmony. All people across the city – white, black or Latino – are tired of gang violence and I understand that perfectly because my children live in this city and I don’t ever want them to have to face anything so horrific as out of control gangs," said Dalembert.

 One of the critics of the ordinance, State Sen. Jarrett T. Barrios, D-Somerville, said because the ordinance targeted loitering, it would be ineffective.

 “I remain very dubious that an anti-loitering ordinance can prevent gang violence. I believe it is more important to crack down on actual criminal gang activity," he said.

    "I have sponsored bills in the past which I believe more accurately reflect the tools necessary to combat such criminal activity,” said Barrios.

 Barrios said the anti-gang bill he is now sponsoring in the state senate is an example. That bill would create a statewide witness protection program to prevent witness intimidation, create a ballistics fingerprinting database to track the use of guns in crimes and increase mandatory penalties for illegally carrying a loaded firearm.

 Roche said he disagreed with Barrios’ claim that the ordinance would be ineffective against violence.

 “Anyone who calls this an anti-loitering ordinance has not read it," the Ward 1 alderman said.

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    "If this law were in place before the two young deaf girls were raped in Foss Park that may have been prevented," he said.

    "The group of gang members who were responsible for that crime had been hanging out outside Dunkin Donuts for hours when the two girls passed by. Under this law, police would have been able to monitor then disperse or maybe even arrest those gang members and thus, prevent the crime,” said Roche.

 Barrios said he remained unconvinced of the law’s legitimacy.

 “I have never believed this would be an effective tool in fighting gang violence. I think you need to target violence specifically, but we will have a chance to see its impact,” he said.