Kaine Signs Bill to Punish Restaurants That Harbor Gangs

About 2 million people in the United States are members of gangs, experts say. No recent figure exists in Virginia, but officials say gangs have cropped up in all parts of the state.

"It's not just cities . . . and the large metropolitan areas anymore," said Del. Paula Miller (D-Norfolk), who introduced the bill. "It's everywhere, unfortunately, in our communities across the commonwealth."

Several groups of local and police officials have formed to address the problem. But law enforcement officials are reluctant to talk about the extent of the problem for fear of scaring residents.

Kaine ceremoniously signed the ABC bill Friday morning at the state Department of Corrections headquarters during a meeting of the Virginia Interagency Anti-Gang Workgroup, a five-year-old organization that brings together members from 19 state and local agencies. The group awarded $10,000 grants to 24 agencies across the state last year. The grants were designed to help the groups prevent gang activity by engaging children, getting them to join after-school or other programs and encouraging them to stay in school. Recipients included the Loudoun County Community Services Board and the Department of Parks and Recreation in Manassas Park.

"It's not necessarily one size fits all," Kaine said. "You have to try some different strategies to see what works."

U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott, a Democrat who represents the Newport News area, introduced a bill in Congress aimed at decreasing gang activity through prevention. Scott said the United States needs to spend more money on prevention and less on incarceration.

"It's not a question of spending money, but it's how we are spending money," he said.