Patak said before the homicide occurred, law enforcement officials did not focus very much on gang activity. Since the Stewart slaying, sporadic shootings, drug dealing activities, and home invasions have been linked to local gangs. Ann Arbor Police Officer Alicia Green, who conducts gang awareness workshops and tracks gang intelligence in the city, said the local gangs are not just copycats. Green said it is important to note that gang activity has gone down in the last couple of years. Gang awareness seminars aimed at residents, education programs geared toward middle school students, and efficient graffiti removal, among other factors, have contributed to the decrease in gang-related activity, Green said.
Many people differ in their assessment of the seriousness of the gang problem.
A presence on campus Law enforcement officials said gang activity is confined mostly to the outer areas of Ann Arbor and does not affect campus very much. Officer Benny Chenevert, DPS's gang liaison, said the campus police have not had any run-ins with gang members since Sept. 1996, when DPS officers identified gang members from the West side of Detroit attending a dance in the Michigan Union. We occasionally will see some graffiti on campus. Chenevert said two areas near campus that frequently get tagged with gang graffiti are the walls of Fingerly Lumber, located on the corner of Madison and Fourth Streets near the train tracks, and the pedestrian tunnel next to the Michigan Theatre on Liberty Street. AAPD officials say they have had several run-ins with gang members on South University Avenue.