SALINAS, Calif- The leading cause of death for young Hispanic males, lead poisoning, from bullets. Salinas Police are making the analogy, but it is no joke. Gang violence is now being called a "public health crisis" and that has helped police land some money to battle the growing problem.
On Wednesday, some top federal officials took a look at one of the areas most known for it's violence, Closter Park. While they've seen great strides to reduce violence, Salinas is getting creative to get the resources they need to stop gang violence for good. The top dogs in Washington also heard from one Salinas mother whose life has been touched for generations by gang violence.
Everyday Hope Lara wakes up to two pictures beside her bed. One of her brother killed in 1993 and the second of her son. Her son Angel was killed in a field along Hartnell Road in 2005. She said he was shot in the head several times and was left to die. Her other son is sitting behind bars for life. So she told her story to the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention group visiting from Washington.
"You have to get in with the right people, be around with the right people, you know stay away from people that are over there and stay in the light. Don't go into the dark," said mom Hope Lara.
The issue of gang violence is nothing new for Salinas but the approach to tackling it, is. So, the city is getting help from an unusual source.
"We think that its something preventable, its not inevitable and its our role to look at what the data says and make decisions about what kind of prevention and intervention strategies we implement," said Centers for Disease Control health scientist Marci Hertz.
The CDC is viewing gang violence in Salinas as a "public health epidemic", giving the city $2.5 million dollars over the next five years, to combat the issue.
"You know I think we tend to think only about the more severe type of violence for homicide. But for every homicide, there's hundreds more that wind up in the emergency room," Hertz said.
"We all have to comfort and help one another and for the community to take care of one another, for our children for our future," Lara said.
