Chandler residents ask city to lead push against 'Gilbert Goons' violence

A recent spate of teen violence in the southeast Valley brought out dozens of residents to plead with Chandler officials to spearhead a broader regional effort between Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek to tackle the issue head on.

There haven't been any attacks in Chandler directly tied to the "Gilbert Goons," but city officials expressed eagerness to help combat the problem and announced some preventive steps, such as increasing police patrols in areas of the city that acting Chandler Police Chief Melissa Deanda said were "prone to larger gatherings."

"Chandler, Queen Creek and Gilbert are separated by invisible boundaries. But this is not their problem. It's our problem," Chandler resident Lisa Alger told the City Council Thursday.

"I am in support of Chandler creating a teen violence subcommittee to partner with our neighboring cities and address this before we are wrapped up in the stronghold of the group or groups committing these senseless acts of violence."

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The demand for action comes after an investigation by The Arizona Republic in December that found the Goons, a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the region for more than a year, according to interviews, court and police records, and social media posts.

Many attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said officers never connected the attacks because victims did not specifically mention "Gilbert Goons"  ― and the department did not have police reports associating the Goons "to any alleged criminal activity."

The approach by Chandler was well received by Gilbert residents in the audience ― who were disheartened by their own police department's slow response to the phenomenon — Queen Creek residents, and those from Chandler who want to see the problem of violent groups like the Goons snuffed out before it breaches their city borders.

All groups had one message for Chandler, the largest community of the three: Act now and lead the Southeast Valley in this effort.

Some of that regional collaboration has begun. Deanda said Chandler police are part of a public safety information sharing group called the East Valley Fusion Center, plus Chandler recently joined another group of police agencies in the region that are collaborating to crack down on "gang-style" teen violence.

Other residents recommended efforts like partnering with school districts to boost education and awareness, as well as restricting the sale of brass knuckles, which have been a hallmark of Goon attacks, including those against family members and friends of multiple speakers who attended the council meeting.

No matter their specific prescription for the problem, insistence on regional collaboration was a constant theme for most of those who spoke.

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Queen Creek resident Dory Harrington, the mother of a 15-year-old boy, explained the regional approach is a must because of the open enrollment system that allows kids to attend school in other communities, which facilitates blended social groups of kids from across the "tri-city" area.

"There's a lot of intertwining with our children. The solutions lies with (the communities) working together," she said. "I would like to see Gilbert police held accountable. Their actions have proven that they could have stopped this and they didn't ... I would like to see these other cities who have great police systems — their departments are amazing — work with Gilbert to help them get it right."

Such a robust collaboration has yet to be fleshed out, and Chandler's concerted efforts on this front are still in their early stages.

But city officials promised those at the meeting that more was coming down the chute and Chandler would be at the forefront of a far more comprehensive push against groups like the Goons.

"We're going to huddle with the staff and we're going to come up with some good solutions. We have led this Valley in a lot of things … and we'll take up your challenge," Councilmember Matt Orlando said.

"We'll see what we can do to work with our neighbors and make this a much better community."

Other teens have died by gun violence in nearby communities: 17-year-old Hailey Stephens was shot at a house party in Casa Grande Nov. 26, and Jamiere Jenkins, 17, of San Tan Valley died Nov. 28.Teenagers have been arrested in both those murder cases.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chandler vows to lead regional push against 'Goon' teen violence