Newark community groups are concerned over the closure of the Violence Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers University.
Wearing a blue Chicago Cubs baseball cap doesn't necessarily mean a kid is a gang member of the Crips. And if he has on a Boston Red Sox cap, with a red B, it's not cause for us to jump on the bandwagon and think he belongs to the Bloods.
Maybe the kid is actually a fan of America's pastime or better yet - he's gotten good at concealing his gang involvement in order to keep his parents, his community and law enforcement off-guard.
In Newark, community groups, clergy members, social workers and health care professionals say they're going to miss learning about such informative, evolving trends, now that the Violence Institute of New Jersey has been closed.
"It looked at violence and the causes of violence in a practical, scientific manner, rather than in an emotional and political manner,''said Robert Davidson, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Essex County."They took a step back and considered the facts and weren't caught up in the passions of the day.''
In October, Rutgers University restructured programs in its Behavioral Health Care department to address issues surrounding violence, its causes and prevention. Unfortunately, the casualty of the university's decision was the institute and its gang component, based in Newark, leaving the community folks wondering where to turn for information on violence.
MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns
They had grown accustomed to talking with program analyst Jack Farrell, who could explain the institute's research and had become a liaison between the university and the community.
"Jack is one of those people that we would refer to as a real fixture in the community... (and a source of information for) many professionals who have an interest in understanding the intersection of violence, substance use and gang involvement,'' said Hazeline Pilgrim, executive director of the Family Support Organization of Essex County. "A number of us relied on his expertise. His voice and particular skill set, I think, will be hard to replace because of his years of experience and vast contacts.''
Based in Newark, Farrell was one of 11 employees of the institute, which also had locations in Piscataway and Trenton. The employees were notified of the shutdown in October, but Jeff Tolvin, the director of Rutgers' university news and media relations, said the workers were offered jobs within Behavioral Health Care. However, Farrell declined.
Christopher Kosseff, president of Behavioral Health, said the institute's functions to address violence will continue and the community will not be at a loss for services.
Kosseff said the department is monitoring and reporting violent deaths in New Jersey, through a grant from the national Centers for Disease Control. There is a substance abuse training program for high-risk students in Essex County, another program to help people returning home from prison get settled with social services, and initiatives to prevent violence against city youth in public housing and the Newark public school system.
"Our commitment has not changed one iota,'' Kosseff said. "We're working in the community in all different kinds of ways to reduce violence.''
MORE CARTER: Newark students learn how to code and think big
Tolvin said Behavioral Health Care experts are available for the community to offer information on violence and its prevention. And despite the loss of the gang program, he said Behavioral Health Care has clinicians with experience to provide insight about gangs.
Community folks are watching and waiting to see whose boots will be on the ground. Many of them believe that connection is lost with the move.
It's not everyday you learn that gangs no longer call themselves "gangs." It's "fam," an abbreviation for family, and that "Big Homie'' is the father figure or leader.
"Kids don't wear colors anymore,'' said Farrell, who continues to speak to groups independently when asked. "Because you don't see that, don't breathe a sigh of relief that your kid is not engaged.''
Just as important, though, Farrell said, people need to understand that communities in which gangs exist have been emotionally scarred to the point that the violence has become part of the "normal" to residents and families.
"In order to counteract it, we have to better assess it earlier, intervene in the family as early as possible, (offer) wrap-around services and recognize there's no immediate solutions to it,'' he said.
Riaasa Muntaz, a Newark community organizer and activist, said learning about violence in workshops offered by the institute spurred her to organize a panel at Rutgers-Newark in October on how to stop violence. Like others, she said she was shocked to learn that the institute, which also dealt with the socioeconomic and psychological factors of violence, is not around.
"When Jack does it, it's based on education and awareness,'' said Keesha Eure, of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition. "Outreach is extremely important to have connection and engagement. If you don't have that, you don't have nothing.''
In other words, the proof of the pudding for Rutgers is in the taste.
Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL