Governor Michael O. Leavitt

President Christensen, Speaker Bishop, members of the Legislature, Chief Justice Hall, community leaders, ladies and gentlemen. Last week, I outlined a broad and detailed plan to combat youth violence and gang activity.

I appreciate the bipartisan legislative support this package of nine bills has received. We are not Republicans or Democrats in this effort. We are instead community partners united to combat a very serious problem. But I hope we will not be patting ourselves on the back when we pass these bills. This is barely the beginning of a generation-long fight. My purpose tonight is to ask individuals and communities to rally to this cause.

I am proposing today that we deal quickly and firmly with violent juveniles who defy our laws. But I want to say at the outset -- Utah has the best young people in the world! I spend time every week in Utah schools. I meet fresh faces, bright minds, and good citizens.

I got after my teenage son the other day for some minor infraction. He jolted me back to reality when he said, "Dad, I'm a good kid. You just don't know how good you've got it." When it comes to the general population of young people in Utah, we sometimes forget how good we've got it.

But we must address the danger to society caused by a few.

A friend of mine sensed he had a health problem. He said he lacked energy and every once in a while felt pains in his chest.

One day he suddenly felt a severe, gripping pain. It literally knocked him to the ground and left him trembling and shaken.

The doctors said, "We need to deal with this now. With surgery and a change in your lifestyle, the prognosis is good. But if we wait, and if you don't change what you're doing, the prognosis is poor."

My friend got a wake-up call that day, a forceful warning that things weren't right and that action was required.

Recently, we've all had a forceful wake-up call. We've all sensed that we have a problem with youth violence and gang activity . . . we see graffiti, we hear it from our children, we read news accounts of drive-by shootings. We've heard about it all over America. Now it happens here. Not just in Salt Lake City -- but in many towns in Utah -- large and small.

Our gang problem is growing. The statistics bear that out, but more importantly, we can feel it happening.

And it's affected nearly all of us.

A colleague has a daughter who goes to high school in fear every day because gang members have threatened and harassed her. Her father wanted to talk to school authorities, but his daughter said, "Don't do it . . . it would only make things worse."

Gangs rule by fear. Gangs use fear like graffiti -- to mark their territory. Fear is the invisible graffiti . . . it is the gang mark on our hearts. If a person feels fear, that person is not entirely free. And the value and quality of life are measurably diminished.

Let me read part of a letter I received from a Utah father . . "Last Friday night, in this quiet little community, there was a gang shoot-out. There were shotgun blasts and, what else, we can only guess. 9mm casings were found in the street. The war lasted 15 minutes and about 30 shots were fired. Bullets were going through houses . . . gunfire was coming from cars. My seven-year-old son was not even safe in his own bed that Friday night."

Teachers tell me they don't feel safe in their classrooms. Parents fear buying certain colors when they shop for school clothes. And this year families stayed away from the State Fair. . . . This is crazy! This is where we live! We shouldn't have to live in fear.

We've got to take a stand as a society. Living in fear is not acceptable in our communities. We won't tolerate young hoodlums threatening others, driving around in cars, shooting at people and homes.

So I've called this special session of the Legislature. But this call is much broader than just to the Legislature. This is a call to action for the community. Action in four important ways. First, we've got to get guns out of the hands of juveniles. There is no socially justifiable reason for a 13 or 14-year-old kid to be packing a handgun on the streets or in school. Second, we need more jail space for our juvenile offenders. When young people break the law, they need to suffer swift and immediate consequences, not for punishment sake alone, but toward the objective of redirecting their lives. Third, we need to accelerate the speed of justice. Some children who break the law don't even see a judge for four months. That's a travesty of justice. Fourth, and most important, is prevention -- changing the way potential gang members view their lives.

Recently, I visited one of our juvenile detention centers. I talked with a 17-year-old boy, a gang member in detention for the third time. He had a quick mind. I asked him, What can we do to solve this problem. His answer was, "Nuthin' man . . ."

He went on to say, "My mother has tried to change me . . . my girlfriend has tried to change me . . . and now the counselors and social workers here are trying to change me. But nobody on the outside can change me . . . until I change in here . . . " and he pointed to his heart.

He was right. We won't solve this problem until he and others like him change inside. Until he changes his heart.

But how do you change hearts?

Some say it's education . . . Some have advocated recreation. Or job training. Others want more judges and police officers, more probation and parole personnel, more counselors. Many have said to me, just give my agency more money.

None of these is the solution . . . alone. But all of them are ingredients.

For most, the solution is as simple as education, recreation or a job. For others it's a counselor, neighbor or friend who helps at the right moment. But there are others, thankfully only a few, who refuse to change.

To them, the Legislature must send this message: We're going to bring the full weight of the law against you. Violence will produce swift and serious consequences. As a result of the nine bills signed into law in this session, you're not going to be back on the streets with a slap on the wrist. We're going to put you in jail. We're going to remove every privilege we can. We're going to be as tough and as decisive as we have to be to take back the streets and win this battle.

You want to possess a handgun improperly -- you will be punished. If you're an adult and you improperly give a gun to a juvenile, you will be punished. Use a car to commit a crime -- you will lose that car, along with your driver's license. Continue in crime -- and be certified as an adult and face adult penalties. In the past, you've been able to commit serious crime and no one knew your name or face. From here on, if you're at least 16, the cloak of secrecy will be lifted. The public will be able to attend your court proceedings. Your school will be informed. Your fines will be increased. There will be more probation officers to keep track of you. And your parents and guardians will be required to attend all your court proceedings. They must be involved in your punishment.

Within 120 days we'll increase the capacity of our juvenile lock-up facilities by a full third. And you won't be sitting around all day watching television or listening to music on your earphones. Gone will be your gang clothing, gang haircuts and gang signs. You'll be doing hard manual labor in work camps.

This program centers around work. Work, structure, education, strong reinforcement of values and retraining of habits can turn young criminals around. Hard work brings discipline . . . It brings dignity . . . It brings self-respect.

As we have searched for solutions, it has become clear to me that our government efforts need to be improved. The people involved, our judges, police, parole officers and juvenile corrections officials, are caring, qualified individuals who work hard under difficult circumstances. Many have devoted their professional lives to young people. But they deal with federal regulations, turf battles, budget protection, bureaucratic rules, difficult court consent decrees and lawsuits that block many low cost, common-sense approaches to this problem. They face structural barriers that sometimes defy reason and logic.

This is the rap sheet of a gang member who has had as many offenses as he has birthdays -- 17. Three of them are for firearms violations, like possession of a dangerous weapon and carrying a loaded handgun. He and a gang friend called an elementary school child in our valley and said, "We're going to kill you." The frightened child went to the principal, who called the police. This gang member was arrested on the school grounds carrying a concealed .38 Special.

Within a few months, this juvenile had two more serious arrests -- alleged involvement in a burglary/homicide, and later for receiving a stolen .357 Magnum. Now, after 17 offenses, how many times do you suppose this juvenile was detained in our system? Once -- for failing to pay a fine. After every other arrest, he was back on the streets.

Now, the people in this system are doing their best. But there is something wrong when rigid guidelines, court consent decrees, and lack of space mean young hoodlums walk free. Jail space is sometimes taken up by truants, shoplifters and those in contempt of court. What kind of system incarcerates kids for skipping school, but leaves violent teenagers on the street?

This system is something government can fix. But the real, long-term solution will require a much broader effort.

Let me relate a story --

Several years ago, I went out with Gary, the foreman at our ranch, to move cattle up on Parker Mountain. We came to an old lake bed, and there was an unmarked calf that had been born on the range. Calves receive a mark in their ear that identifies the owner. Gary said, "We need to mark that calf." I said, "I'll rope it."

Now, you need to know I'm no roper. I chased that calf up and down that lake bed for the better part of an hour, until it was tired enough for me to slip the rope round its neck. Gary marked it. I said, "Wait a minute, that's not our mark." Gary said, "That's not our calf."

I said to him, "You mean I chased that calf for an hour and it doesn't even belong to us?"

I have long remembered Gary's response. "There's kind of an unwritten law among those of us who run cattle down here. If we all take care of each other's calves, we don't lose many."

Thousands of people around this state are formally or informally practicing Gary's unwritten law. These people are coming together in schools, neighborhoods, boys and girls clubs, churches, businesses and recreation programs to watch out for each others' children. Their groups have names like Kids Against Violence, Holladay Safe Neighborhoods, Power Parenting, Mothers Against Gangs, Colors of Success, Late-Night Basketball, Salt Lake-Area Gang Project.

Leaders from these community programs are here tonight. I congratulate them on their involvement. There may be hundreds more in our communities. But this can't be left to the hundreds involved now. We must all become involved. We need people everywhere coming together in their communities against gang violence.

There are no laws that made these programs happen. Their meetings are held in living rooms, on front porches, in churches, business board rooms and in recreation halls. What makes these organizations succeed is the will of the people to make a difference, the commitment to work together for happy, healthy young people and a safe community.

You've heard about Salt Lake City's midnight basketball keeping kids off the streets. You may have heard about Security Dads at Highland High School, who take shifts patrolling hallways.

Because of gang problems around Jackson Elementary School, Principal Marilyn Phillips realized that many children felt intimidated walking home from school. She banded together with the PTA to form BIONIC. The letters stand for Believe it or Not I Care. The concept is simple. At 8 o'clock every morning and 3 o'clock every afternoon, people go out on their front porches or they talk across the fence with the neighbors. When children walk home from school they are greeted by the people in their neighborhood. The kids feel safe, and the adults are building relationships. If we know our neighbors and the kids who live down the street we're going to take better care of each other.

I submit to you that it's programs like BIONIC that are going to save our young people. Yes, it's important that kids face swift and severe consequences for breaking laws. But written laws alone can't change kids. Families, neighborhoods and communities can. We must come together as hundreds have done already to take care of each other and teach our children to do the same. Every organization in this community has a role, a RESPONSIBILITY, to help stop gangs violence.

We are making available a book prepared by the Salt Lake Area Gang Project that empowers communities to develop a grass roots response against gang violence. Thanks to a generous donation from U.S. West and assistance from Matrixx Marketing, we are making the book widely available. It describes some of the gang prevention and intervention programs across the state. It gives parents some of the warning signs for gang activity and suggests ways to discourage children from joining gangs. It teaches citizens how to organize their own gang prevention programs... And much more. We have established a toll free number-- 1-800-367-UTAH. If you're willing to organize in your neighborhood, or if you sense there is a gang problem in your family, please call. This is a powerful tool.

In conclusion, let me tell you about Sherm and Karen Watkins. Many of you came to know the Watkins in a very personal way as we shared the shock, the wrenching tragedy, of their son Brian being brutally stabbed and killed by a gang member in a New York subway. The criminals needed money for a dance, and Brian's life was the price. It was America's Wake-Up Call.

I have become acquainted with the Watkins family, as they came forward and volunteered to help combat gang violence. We talked in some detail last week about the pain they have suffered and what they learned from it. Let me just share with you three important lessons from the Watkins' experience that are of particular significance to our community.

Immediately after Brian was stabbed, Karen rushed to the toll booth and pounded on the window, pleading for the attendant to call the police. She got no response. She pounded louder. She made wild gestures through the window. He ignored her. Brian was dying on the concrete just yards from him, and the toll booth attendant had no response. Other people did help. But the picture of that toll booth attendant will forever be etched in their minds, frozen in his disinterest at the life waning before him. The lesson is, if you see a young person in your neighborhood, in a classroom, or in a youth program who needs help -- get involved. Don't be frozen in your disinterest.

Another moment from the Watkins' ordeal: When one of the boys involved in the crime was sentenced, Karen remembers something that is still hard to comprehend. That boy's parents weren't there for him on the day he was sentenced to prison. Yes, he had committed crime. His life was in shambles. But this was a chance to connect with their child again. If they weren't there for him now, how many times had they not been there before?

And finally, the Watkins remember a visit from a New York City policeman who came to Utah to help prepare them for the trial. He marveled at our community; at the trusting, respectful way we treat each other; at the comfort we enjoy in our own neighborhoods, the freedom we enjoy traveling our streets. "This is a remarkable state," the policemen told the Watkins. "Don't ever let happen to Utah what has happened to New York City."

Sherm and Karen Watkins are here with us tonight. I'd like you to meet them. Please join me in welcoming them . . .

The Watkins have agreed to accept a special assignment from me. Their assignment is simple: find out what works and spread the word. They're not going to come into your community from the Utah State Capitol and tell you what to do in your neighborhood. That's your responsibility. But if you are ready to do something, and you want to know what works, the Watkins will be ready to help. They'll tell you what's been done in Midvale and Glendale, Holladay and Ogden. They will put you in touch with the people who are running programs all over this state. There's no need for every community to start from scratch.

Working together, we can save ourselves from the disinterest of the toll booth attendant. . . . Parents must be there for their children, and neighbors for those children whose parent aren't there. . . . And, like the New York City policeman said so eloquently, our community is a treasure we must protect.

Yes, this protection and security we seek is found partly in law enforcement and government programs. But it is found more fully in strong homes and united neighborhoods, in our schools and churches; It is found in a parent reading to a child, families worshiping together, in Scout troops and Little League, in grandpas and grandmas, and in thousands of individual relationships with children.

If any state in this country can solve this problem -- it's Utah. We must show the rest of the world it can be done. Let's start tonight!