On May 15 under the theme "circle of unity" Willow Street's Sacred Heart Church drew close to 100 people from the Gardner, Alma and Washington neighborhoods to a family summit. The location was chosen because it is considered gang-neutral. The purpose of the summit was to educate citizens of all ages about gang prevention through family intervention.

Gardner Community Center director Tony Torres said these three neighborhoods were targeted because they form a "triangle of violence." He hoped the summit would provide an opportunity for the start of a dialog between residents that would aid in breaking down gang barriers and begin building community. And he invited former gang members to the summit to help.

"Gang intervention is all about education," former gang member Mike Moreno said. "For me, it took a long time to see the damage I was doing to this community."

After spending years in and out of jail due to gang-related crimes, Moreno, 32, decided there was a better way of life.

"For some, it spans generations," he said of gang life. "Sometimes it can take years of work to get out. I finally realized that my community was really paying the price for my actions."

Through his work with Mexican American Community Services Agency and current gang members, Moreno says he recognizes a growing gang problem at Willow Glen High School. He said that many youth in gangs who live in the Alma, Gardner and Washington areas are bused to Willow Glen High School and bring their gang mentality with them. And, he said the rise in gang activity at the high school would continue to grow unless the issue is addressed through the coordinated effort of school administrators, local leaders and volunteers working with the teens.

Moreno said the situation at the high school continues to simmer with incidents such as the one on April 28 when the San Jose police "observed a suspect vehicle" with four male occupants "cruising slowly by the school." None of the students attended Willow Glen High School. However, when officers stopped the car they discovered a metal baseball bat, a knife with a 12-inch blade and a golf iron. The driver was arrested, according to an April 28 police report. And this wasn't the only time a suspicious vehicle cruising by the high school has been pulled over by police. On May 7, San Jose police pulled over a car with several occupants who also did not attend the school. San Jose Police Department Captain Manuel Martinez said it is now routine to see police patrol the high school campus on Thursday and Friday afternoons as a safety precaution.

And concern for safety isn't just on the minds of local authorities.

Admitting she is a little nervous about entering Willow Glen Middle School next year, Hester Elementary School fifth-grader Irina Kadic attended the summit and asked Moreno how to avoid gang members as she gets older. She said she already notices some students at Hester wearing all red or blue gang-related colors. Moreno told Kadic to immediately walk away from any gang member who approaches. He also told her not to be afraid to tell a police officer or teacher about being confronted by a gang member.

One of the summit organizers Fernando Lopez, echoed Moreno's advice. He works with The Right Connection, a mobile outreach unit that provides citywide gang mediation and intervention with street gangs. Through his experience with the organization, he said gang members also look for people who are alone, so he told the youth to walk in pairs. He also advised students to get involved in sports and activities that will keep them busy and out of harm's way.

One summit participant, Gunderson High School senior Nadira Jama agreed with Lopez but emphasized the importance of having a place to go, like community or homework centers. The 18-year-old said, "Kids need places to go or else they just start making trouble with each other."

Collectively, more than 17 community and city funded groups came together to support the family summit and San Jose's fight against the growing threat of gang violence including San Jose City Council members Cindy Chavez and Terry Gregory and San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales

With so much city and local involvement, it is clear that the summit's theme "circle of unity" isn't just a one-day event, Gonzales said. And he added, the key to preventing gangs starts in the home, with parents taking a more proactive stance with their own children to inform them about the dangers of gangs. He told summit participants to take control of their communities and not let outside people, like gangs, take over.

"Separately, we are nothing," Gonzales told participants. "Together, we can solve any problem."