by Neil W. McCabe

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healy, as acting governor, joined the mayor and other public officials Aug. 26 at Foss Park to sign into law the home rule petition authorizing the city’s anti-gang ordinance.

The anti-gang ordinance authorizes police officers to order gang members to disperse from a designate area. It also provides for strict penalties for gang members who fail to disperse. The penalties range from fines from $100 to $500 for a first offense to a minimum five day sentence for subsequent offenses, and a possible six month sentence, she said.

Nearly two years ago, in October 2002, two disabled teenage girls were brutally raped. Their assailants were associated with a nationwide gang known as MS-13, Healy said.

At the time of the incident, the MS-13 gang was estimated to have roughly 100 members in the area and had been linked to a string of violent assaults against residents of Somerville, she said.

Healy said she was very concerned about this issue personally because before her election to her current job, she worked as a consultant to the Justice department researching the dangers of foreign and national gangs. “They lure our youth into a life of drugs and violence.”

“I am extremely pleased that the Legislature passed this measure, Somerville needs an immediate and effective weapon against gang violence and this legislation will be but one tool for the law enforcement community to work with,” said State Sen. Charles E. Shannon, D-Somerville.

“This bill means that this city no longer wants its children taking different routes from school for fear that a gang might hurt them,” said State Rep. Timothy J. Toomey Jr., D-Somerville.

“Our residents do not want to continue to live under the constant threat of random gang violence. We have heard our constituents, and now, we have done something about it,” Toomey said.

State Rep. Vincent P. Ciampa, D-Somerville, whose district includes all of Ward 7 and parts of Ward 4, said he has seen a rise in gang activity. “I am very pleased that we prevailed to provide the community with a weapon to combat gangs.”

“No one is saying this will completely eradicate the gang presence, but I know many constituents of mine, especially families with young children and the elderly, welcome this new measure,” Ciampa said.

Addressing concerns by some who criticize the ordinance as ineffective or unconstitutional, Shannon, a former police officer, said: “The police need tools like this to be proactive and prevent crimes from occurring. There’s a difference between criminal profiling, which police officers need to engage in, and racial profiling, which we all abhor.”

Shannon said he was disappointed that the two other members of Somerville’s Beacon Hill delegation were absent for the ceremony. “My colleagues Senator Barrios and Representative Jehlen appear to misunderstand this distinction.

“I find it disingenuous that Senator Barrios, in particular, participated in numerous meetings on redrafting this bill, personally offered several amendments to it, and then spoke out publicly against. He should think about redistricting the two Somerville precincts he represents, because I can tell you, they do want this ordinance,” he said.

“I am thrilled we have finally reached this day. There were times during the last six months where I thought that this wouldn’t happen. I had to keep telling my constituents that we would get it done. I’ve had countless neighbors of mine, who are afraid to come out at night, come to me, express their gratitude, and say they now feel some relief,” said Ward 1 Alderman William M. Roche. Roche sponsored the ordinance in the Board of Aldermen.

“We wouldn’t be here without the effort of Senator Shannon, and Representatives Toomey and Ciampa,” he said.

Among the crowd of onlookers gathered inside the fenced area of the Foss Park swimming pool, were two protesters who did not agree with the city’s anti-gang ordinance.

“This ordinance targets specific groups of people who have enough problems,” said Jennifer L. Lawrence, who has worked with Somerville youth as a coordinator of the mayor’s youth leadership development program.

Lawrence said she was very familiar with the youth of East Somerville and that it was not fair to penalize people for hanging out with their friends. “They need their friends, it is their support.”

“This ordinance has been the focus of two administrations. It is wrong-headed and doesn’t address the root problems,” said Todd S. Kaplan, a lawyer with Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services.