Senate passes anti-gang legislation

RALEIGH — The state Senate passed legislation this afternoon that creates new and tougher penalties on gang-related crime. The vote was 47-0.

The bill now goes back to the state House, which had already passed similar legislation. House leaders have said differences will likely be worked out in a House-Senate conference.

The Senate action came after a coalition of mayors and law enforcement agencies from across the state urged state lawmakers at a news conference this morning to pass the legislation, which creates new penalties for gang activity, and to devote money toward prevention and intervention.

"What it's about is saving the youth of North Carolina," said Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy. "The insidious nature of gangs is that it destroys our communities."

A recent Governor's Crime Commission report found that there are nearly 15,000 gang members in the state and more than 550 gangs. Gastonia Police Chief Terry Sult said that there are more gang members per capita in communities of less than 75,000 residents than in larger cities.

Some lawmakers, particularly Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, have been pushing for anti-gang legislation for several years, but debates about the cost of incarceration and whether prevention was being adequately addressed have stalled their efforts.