The News-Press' groundbreaking six-part series on the shifting demographic trends in the Northern Virginia and the efforts, or lack thereof, of government jurisdictions to respond will, we hope, spur on the development of more effective programs in a wide variety of areas. Aging, immigration and income trends are among the most important, and in none do we see enough currently being done. In some cases, it appears that not only is almost nothing new happening, but that even basic awareness by responsible officials is seriously lacking.
No example of this is more poignant and important than the subject of the final part of the series, published in this week's edition. Gang activity is on the rise in Northern Virginia and posing serious problems for especially New American populations and law enforcement. Gangs are thriving in the area's jails and prisons, hotbeds for recruitment.
However, this problem is generally perceived solely as a law enforcement issue, rather than an employment, recreational or demographic challenges issue. We deliberately included it as part of our six-part series because at its core, it is a social and not primarily a law enforcement issue, fueled by high unemployment among young men, in particular, and lack of recreational or educational alternatives.
In particular, we've been troubled by the attitudes we've found associated with costly efforts at renovating athletic facilities in the City of Falls Church over recent years. These have been done without regard for the displacement of hundreds of mostly Latino young men who used to use the fields at George Mason High School and the Larry Graves complex on Hillwood Avenue for weekend soccer play. Such play was perceived by some officials as a threat to valuable new turf at these sites. It was discouraged and has never returned to its former levels even though the City's Recreation and Parks Department claims to have relaxed earlier more stringent restrictions on informal use.
The same was the case with the renovation of the City's Community Center. Once a hotbed for informal basketball play by youths and young adults from throughout the region, predominantly racial and ethnic minorities, the newly-renovated center has never seen a return to its earlier popularity, as some public officials have made their displeasure over such uses well known and their wishes fulfilled through new more stringent scheduling restrictions.
We ignore the problems aggravated by such policies at our peril. Gangs and related serious criminal activities know no boundaries and are rapidly emerging in crisis proportions throughout the region. They are a by-product of everything about the shifting demographic trends we've identified in the six-part News-Press series. Taking a "head in the sand," or "us versus them," approach only makes matters worse. Better to anticipate and initiate effective remedial measures now. It will require a full array of fresh employment, educational and recreational initiatives, and not simply enhanced law enforcement.