A seemingly benign hat bearing a simple letter can signal something much more dangerous for youths, Officer Jesus Caro of the Santa Maria Police Department told a group of parents recently.
Caro provided information about criminal street gangs and illegal drugs to parents and educators during the first of four forums planned with the Santa Maria-Bonita School District this spring.
“Keeping Our Kids Safe: Understanding Gangs and Drugs” kicked off April 15 at El Camino Junior High School with about 25 in attendance.
“It’s mainly educating the parents and showing them what to be vigilant for,” Caro said.
The presentation included a breakdown of Santa Maria Valley gangs, history, hallmarks and more. He also shared about narcotics and showed samples of the illicit drugs and secretive storage containers.
Hats with a “P” have been co-opted by Santa Maria’s West Park gang members, who lash out at non-West Parkers wearing the hat.
“They wear it with pride. Someone who’s not a member of their gang, they’re not allowed to wear it,” Caro said.
“We had an incident where a kid was wearing a hat just like that. He was assaulted by a group of gang members, and they took his hat,” Caro added.
Some gang members don Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates or other Major League Baseball caps.
“A lot of times we stop kids and we ask them, ‘Well, how are they doing this season?’ and they had never watched a baseball game in their life,” Caro said.
Different factors, including protection, family ties, money and culture, can lead youths into the gang life.
Gangs typically take advantage of vulnerable youths, seeing them as easy targets.
The activity leads to graffiti, vandalism, assaults, vehicle thefts and homicides.
“They have more value in the gangs if they do these type of activities,” Caro said through a translator.
New members get jumped in by being attacked for 13 seconds — a number to correspond to the letter M since they ultimately fall under the Mexican Mafia.
“That is just a way to get them used to violence,” Caro said through a translator.
Gang members use spray paint to graffiti or tag areas, Caro showing some examples of the writing.
“They should have been doctors because of the way they write,” Caro said through a translator.
Santa Maria’s primary gangs include West Park and Northwest, both formed in the early 1970s. Other gangs with a presence locally include MS-13, known for extreme violence, 18th Street and Guadalupe.
A crackdown nine years ago led to the arrests of more than a dozen people in connection with 10 murders and other crimes in Santa Maria.
While most gang members are male, police do encounter some females tied to gangs since they often serve as drivers or fulfill roles during crimes, Caro said.
The presentation also included a quick look at the drugs most prevalent in the Santa Maria Valley — methamphetamine, cannabis and fentanyl.
He later showed some seemingly routine product containers such as a bottle of cleaner and a soda with hidden compartments for stashing illicit drugs.
In addition to the police department and school district, these presentations are supported by multiple nonprofit organizations including the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse plus Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley.
“It’s all our jobs to make sure we keep our kids safe,” said Tammie Castillo-Shiffer, director of the Multilingual Services Department for Santa Maria-Bonita.
Additional presentations are planned April 30 at Tommie Kunst Junior High, May 1 at Fesler Junior High and May 6 at Arellanes Junior High. Each session will start at 6 p.m. and last approximately two hours.
Caro delivered the El Camino session in Spanish with translation into English provided via headsets. Organizers said future forums would assess the prevalent language of parents in attendance to determine if the primary presentation will be in English or Spanish.
The sessions are open to parents of students from any Santa Maria-Bonita campus or other local schools, organizers said.