A group of concerned citizens wanted to do something to stop the spread of gang activity in the communities along U.S. 321 about a year and a half ago. So, they formed a gang awareness group whose goals are to find out how they can be helpful in their own communities, how they could help each other and how they could prevent the spread of gangs.

Tuesday night, the group met at the Three Crosses Outreach Ministry in Norway to further develop their plans.

Sgt. Sherryl Peters of the Norway Police Department said many children in the region “just don’t have anything to do, so they are getting in trouble.”

To help provide an outlet for the young people, the 321 Corridor members arranged for Hunter-Kinard-Tyler School to be open on Saturdays for activities. Each Sunday the children attend a different church in the area, and Bushy Pond Church provides uniforms and transportation for some of the activities. Voorhees College in Denmark has also offered sports assistance to the town of Neeses, but these arrangements have not yet been finalized.

In September, members of the group attended “Project Cease Fire,” which gave them information and training on gang-related issues and activities.

Tuesday night, Peters emphasized that the members of the 321 Corridor group must become friends.

“There is no way we can run such a large program by one person saying ’I am the boss.’ We need to visit our schools, the prisons, and visit at job sites,” she said. “We are asking everyone to get comfortable with their school districts.”

In order to find activities and programs that will help area youth realize the dangers and consequences of becoming involved with gangs and crime, the group arranged to visit Allendale Correctional Institution and participate in “Operation Behind Bars.”

Scott Hand, pastor of Three Crosses Outreach, said his visit to Allendale Correctional Institution was “enlightening. I’ve been in as a part of a ministry, but not like this.”

Participants in Operation Behind Bars are taken into the heart of a prison, and even into one of the cells. They can see exactly how inmates live and are even heckled at by inmates as they go through the prison.

Members agreed that participating in an Operation Behind Bars tour would be a good crime prevention activity for children. Peters suggested that teachers be approached to enlist their support in organizing Operation Behind Bars field trips.

“On Jan. 25, the BAT Mobile, or Breath Alcohol Test Mobile, will visit Hunter-Kinard-Tyler school from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., and from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. will be at North schools,” Peters said. “Kids go into the BAT Mobile to see what it is like going to jail.”

She said the children are usually a lot quieter when they come out than when they go in.

“Faculty members are surprised at what the BAT Mobile can do,” Peters added.

Hand said if the children are involved in any extracurricular activity, tutoring or sports, they can’t be in gangs. He said Three Crosses Outreach has a large summer program. As part of that program, the children are divided into age groups, and Peters comes in and talks to them about gangs.

Another member of the 321 Corridor group, Elaine Johnson, said she is planning to open a youth center in Orangeburg County called the “Darius Jennings Charitable Organization” in honor of her late son who was killed when his Chinook helicopter was shot down in Iraq in November 2003.

“It’s time to get these gangs out. A lot of these kids are joining gangs for material things,” Johnson said. “We as adults have to stop this.”

Another positive step being taken, Peters said, is the mutual aid agreements being planned between the police departments of the various communities along U.S. 321. Kenny L. Bird of the North Police Department said parents can go to www.myspace.com and www.bebo.com to get information on gang-related activities in their own communities.

The group decided to rename itself the 321 Corridor Awareness Group, and they will meet every other month on the second Tuesday. The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on March 13 at Russell’s Pizza in Blackville.

For more information on the 321 Corridor Awareness Group, call Sgt. Sherryl Peters at 803-263-4300.

T&D Correspondent Loretta Demko can be reached by e-mail at eeshtenem@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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