Gang members
must be ID’ed
and banished

Friday night’s gang-related shooting at Lake Waccamaw caused great alarm among parents over the weekend, many of whom kept their children home from school over fear for their safety.

Word on the street following the shooting was that the violence was going to spill over into the schools today or this week.

As is so often the case, the three shooting victims Friday were apparently not the intended targets.

That’s why school officials need to take action to identify gang members in the public schools and banish them. These gang members are walking targets. Because they are co-mingled with the general school population, innocent young people are potential targets too.

A strong police presence was evident at the schools this morning, but the immediacy of this incident will eventually fade and fears will relax.

Columbus County has a gang problem. That’s one issue that must be faced head-on by community and elected leaders, the police and especially the judicial system.

But when there’s even a hint of a gang presence in the schools, that’s an entirely different matter.

School officials pledged at the beginning of this year that gang activity and gang members would not be tolerated. The fear that was evident in the schools this morning underscores the urgency for action.