by David Zenian
The so-called Armenian "gangs" are at present nothing but a small and harmless group of mixed up teen-agers who roam the streets of Hollywood in packs after dark, but neglect by the community could turn them into real social misfits or even hard-core criminals. This is the diagnosis of ranking police officers and experts in criminal statistics in the Los Angeles and Glendale areas where the vast majority of southern California's estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Armenians live.
"The Armenians as a whole are not a problem ethnic group. In fact, the Armenian community does a far better job than others in this vast area of 15 million people with at least 123 language groups," said Commander Robert Taylor of the West Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department.
A large portion of Los Angeles and the Armenian-inhabited section of Hollywood falls under Commander Taylor's jurisdiction. "Armenian teen-age dropouts and juveniles are not organized like some of the other hard-core gangs in the Los Angeles area. They are not Mafia-type, and they are not the Colombian cartel. They are not armed either," Commander Taylor commented in a recent interview. "They're not bad kids. Most are just bored and unmotivated," he added.
The commander and the region's Deputy Chief Glenn Levant are full of praise for the Armenian population at large. "The Armenians in the greater Los Angeles area have a reputation of being family and church oriented. They are hard-workers who have by and large helped themselves rather than wait for outside assistance," Commander Taylor said.
But, like any other population mass, the Armenians do have their problems. Gang activity, labeled under the loose umbrella of "Armenian Power," is spread mainly around the Hollywood and Glendale area schools, both with large Armenian student populations.
At Glendale High School, where one third of the school's total student enrollment of 2,300 are Armenians, administrators say Armenian kids pick more fights with each other than with youths from other ethnic groups. Armenian is the largest ethnic group at Glendale High School which takes pride in being a "mini United Nations." There are 22 language groups in the school. "We have encountered some difficulties with new immigrants, but these are normal with most children their age. They fight over girls, and some cheat in the classroom, but this kind of thing happens everywhere," Glendale High School Principal James M. Gibson reflected. "We have recorded more Armenian-Armenian violence than Armenian violence involving another ethnic group."
"It's not easy when new immigrants are confronted with the challenge of assimilation on one hand and the desire to maintain their heritage and culture on the other," Commander Taylor said.
According to impartial social workers, the children of new immigrants are caught between two forces. "Their parents are money oriented. Their main objective is to improve their financial status and acquire all the things they have not had a chance to obtain before. They have no time for their children who, in turn, are dazzled by the bright lights of Sunset Boulevard and often do not survive the culture shock," said a community worker who declined to be named.
"In real gangs, there are leaders and there is money which is normally split between the gang members. It's different with the Armenian groups," an LAPD officer remarked. "These youngsters can be corrected and kept out of trouble. Clubs, boy scout groups, and youth activities such as karate and judo are adequate tools to use with these disoriented teen-agers who seem to face problems in dealing with freedom," another LAPD officer said.
The introduction of more Armenian officers in the police force is also vital. "Police officers play a very important role in any community. Imagine a situation where a 14 year-old is picked up for shoplifting and sent to a counselor who cannot communicate with the youth," a police department social worker noted.
LAPD, according to officials, has room for additional Armenian officers on its force of 8,000. "Our figures indicate that there are only 70 to 80 Armenian speaking policemen on the force," added Commander Taylor. There are even less in Glendale.
"Back in 1980 I was the only Armenian in the Glendale Police Department. Today, there are eight in a 314 strong police department," said Jack Altounian, the "veteran" Armenian on the force. Altounian, a police data analyst and statistics expert, reported that Armenians today constitute close to 20 percent of Glendale's resident population of 185,000.
"We come across new immigrants disturbing the peace or violating traffic laws. There is also the occasional shop lifter, but very few serious crimes. As for so-called gangs like Armenian Power, they are nothing but high school kids who get involved in brawls over an Armenian girl or a Latino calling them names," Altounian said. He added that it would be wrong to compare Armenian Power with the established Latino, Asian or Black gangs in the Los Angeles or Glendale area.
Like others in the Los Angeles police department, Altounian is a strong advocate of greater family and community involvement to keep the youth out of trouble. "Civic education is essential. As a community we have to get more involved with our youth because we risk ending up with a generation which has no respect for the established values of our nation," Altounian said.
Some community leaders, however, admit "a degree of apathy" toward new immigrants from Armenia whose teen-age children constitute close to 80 percent of the so-called Armenian gangs. "The way the community is treating these youngsters is not fair. I remember the week after an Armenian publication brought up the gang issue. Los Angeles police lined up a dozen Armenian kids at a wall and roughed them up and for no reason except the misconception that these youngsters were gang members," a long-time Armenian shop owner in downtown Hollywood said.
"Our established (Armenian) organizations are not spending enough time on this problem. One youth movement recently turned back a dozen or so new immigrant children saying its membership list was full. The youngsters wanted to join the boy scouts and were put on the waiting list ... waiting for what ... ," he said in anger. "The Hollywood area needs more Armenian clubs and community centers. We should do everything to help those who are unable to help themselves because they just don't know how."
