FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Not Just Gangs Make Their Mark on City

Christine Conkle saw the writing on the wall. Believing that it was gang graffiti, she thought her city was being overrun by gangs.

But the Fountain Valley resident and mother of two learned this week that not all the graffiti around town are gang-related. Some of it is created by mischievous youths, known as “taggers,” who think it’s neat to spray paint graffiti-style markings on walls.

“There is a difference--at least it isn’t all gangs making the marks in the city,” Conkle said. “But for the taggers making their marks--it’s still vandalism.”

About 190 parents and teachers attended a presentation Tuesday night on gang awareness at Fred Moiola School.

While Conkle’s fears about gangs may have been eased by the presentation, she and other parents wanted to know more about gangs and realized that their city is not safe from gang activity and crime.

“It’s going on all around us,” Conkle said. “We need to educate our kids and protect ourselves and keep them from coming in. Fountain Valley doesn’t have the gang problem to the extent other cities have, but we still want to protect our city.”

Parent K.C. Koehler also said it is naive to think any neighborhood or person is safe from random gang violence. “I think awareness is the only answer,” she said.

Fountain Valley police officers Michael Simko and Daniel Llorens, both on the Police Department’s gang unit, addressed parents’ questions and concerns.

“Compared to the rest of the county, you’re living in a good city,” Simko told them.

While Fountain Valley has only one Latino gang with about five active members, the city is surrounded by gangs from other cities. Parents said it was an eye-opener when Simko told the gathering that there are 250 gangs in Orange County, including Latino, Asian, white and black gangs, with a total of about 13,000 members.

The officers talked about how to identify gang members, why youths join gangs, what they wear and the weapons they use.

Parents also raised concerns about two stabbings during the past year at Fountain Valley High School, which police said were gang-related and involved non-students.

Simko said parents can take action to ensure their children are in a safe school environment by “putting pressure on schools to maintain security.”