Asheville pastor says city downplays gang links amid rising youth violence

Ronald Gates, senior pastor of Greater Works Church of God in Christ and chaplain for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, has spent ten years urging Asheville officials to adopt the Gang Free program, a curriculum from Los Angeles that teaches fourth-through-sixth graders about gang recruitment tactics and offers mentorship and business exposure. He first approached city managers, mayors and police chiefs in 2016, requesting a one-year trial, but says the city never moved forward.

After a series of retaliatory shootings that killed two people and wounded seven, city leaders described the incidents as disputes between friends rather than gang activity, a characterization Gates says masks the broader issue. He contends that labeling the violence as mere retaliation allows officials to downplay the role of gangs. State statistics indicate a 42% increase in violent crimes in Asheville since 2016, with aggravated assaults climbing from 335 to 558. Gates, who once had loose ties to the Vice Lords in Michigan, believes early, community-based interventions can steer at-risk youth away from crime and provide legitimate pathways to income.