Gang-related activity surfacing in city
Uniontown school and city officials are trying to curb gang-related activity in the East End. Dr. Charles Machesky, superintendent of the Uniontown Area School District, called a meeting to discuss issues arising in the community after three Uniontown Area High School students were jumped following a girls basketball game.
Machesky said officials exited the meeting room Monday, agreeing they will support efforts for any student implicated in gang-related activity to be subject to permanent expulsion.
He said a loosely organized, yet affiliated group of girls some may refer to as gangs, since they have modeled or patterned behaviors similar to gangs, are causing problems in the East End.
The Jan. 8 incident occurred between South Grant Street and Whiteman Avenue off of school property. Machesky said he was unaware if injuries resulted from the incident. A city police report was not available.
“The school district will no longer tolerate this behavior,” said Machesky. “Our responsibility is to provide a safe and secure environment for the students. … We will not tolerate students that intimidate or bully.”
Reportedly, the same girls have spray-painted “KS,” standing for “Killah Squad,” and “GBA” at unidentified places in the community, according to school and city officials.
Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike said he will support the school district’s efforts.
“The city and the police department will do everything in its power to try to curb this activity to help the school district keep the students safe,” said Fike. “We’re trying to make a joint effort among the citizens, the school district and the police department.”
He and Jason Cox, chief of the Uniontown Police Department, attended the meeting held in the high school.
Fike said if this type of activity continues, it could become out of hand.
He also vowed to remove the graffiti.
“If something like that stays, it becomes part of the scenery and continues,” Fike said.
Fike said students of both races are involved in the activity.
Clinton Anderson, president of the Fayette County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said he thinks both gang activity and bullying – two issues causing the activity – need to be addressed.
He said students involved in the activity are doing well academically, but some are pressured to join the group.
“We have bright students with some behavior problems,” Anderson said. “How can we straighten up students who are doing well and prevent bullying activity? No child should live in fear of going to school.”
Anderson said the school district is headed in the right direction.
“I’m glad they’re doing something instead of ignoring it,” he said. “This is setting an example for the other schools and the other students.”
No one has been arrested or expelled from school in connection with the incident, although the school district is drafting language for a policy regarding the matter, officials said. That policy could be presented for school board approval at the 6:30 p.m. Tuesday board meeting scheduled to be held in the high school.
Machesky said at the meeting, he saw “a lot of people coming together in almost a time of crisis and making a joint effort to curb something before it worsens.
“We’re treating this as a most serious event and we’re going to deal with it and move forward in a manner to ensure the neighborhood in and around our schools is safe,” said Machesky. “It’s critical to know that this can’t be tolerated.”
Jim Conway, legislative aide to state Rep. Timothy S. Mahoney, D-South Union Township, commended the school district administration and the mayor for stepping forward before the situation escalated.
“It’s going to take a community effort to get this under control,” said Conway, who also attended the meeting. “Anyway Mahoney’s office can assist, they will.”
Pershing Court also was represented at the meeting, said officials.