Make no mistake. It's about our peace of mind, the community's safety, our local business climate and our self image.

Murders in broad daylight and drive-by shootings on our main downtown street outside our visitor's bureau office are very destructive events.

It's a war.

That's how we must think. But we've beaten back the ugly gang presence before. The sloths who perpetrate such stupid violence reared their heads in the early '90s in a similar eruption. Violent crime incidents, now at 228 through Nov. 15 in Gilroy, were above the 400-mark then - and there were far fewer people. Our city, aided by the federal COPS program, developed a successful strategy and held the line against the violence that can engulf a community.

Again, that threat has become real. But we have a blueprint. Our previously successful plan needs to be dusted off and re-evaluated.

Police Chief Denise Turner is applying for state grant money available through Gov. Schwarzenegger's office to fight gangs. Whether Gilroy gets a California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program (CalGRIP) grant should be known in a few months.

Discussions with Assemblywoman Anna Caballero about pushing through that grant should start from the Council level immediately. Perhaps a grassroots political effort would bear tangible fruit. And efforts to revive the federal COPS program are worthwhile, too, though that is at least a year away after a new White House administration is installed.

On the local level, we must act now. The Lucky 7 program - daily visits to the "top" seven criminals on parole here - must be documented and reports of visits distributed from the chief of police to the city administrator who should share them with the Council. Those visits involve a coordinated effort between county probation, Gilroy police, Anti-Crime Team members, CHP and any other agencies willing to assist like county sheriff's deputies.

The Gang Task Force must come to the forefront again and be the clearinghouse for reporting of anti-crime efforts and coordinating community action. As in the '90s, it's crucial that our concerned Hispanic community come forward to combat the violence. Active associations like the Gilroy Eigleberry Neighborhood Association must help. Simply getting neighbors to talk to one another at an event or neighborhood meeting is the first step toward forming a community group that will cooperate and work with the police. Fear is a great equalizer for the gang thugs that must be overcome.

School intervention is extremely important. Prevention programs like the youth center on Railroad and Sixth play a role, too, as do churches. Anti-violence words from the pulpit, addressing parents and children, have an impact.

In the suppression arena, technological advances might be enlisted to fight this battle. Surveillance cameras have come a long way, and properly positioned in key locations where known criminal activity exists, those cameras can serve as extra-officer eyes on the street. License plates and fleeing faces caught on tape make for stand-up evidence in court.

There are a lot of pieces to the anti-gang puzzle. Gilroy is gearing up for the fight. It's time to make sure all the pieces are in place and shut the lid on the violent stupidity before it takes on a life of its own.