In March 2008 the FBI estimated that 10,000 gang members and associates were operating in King County. Their presence has been easily noticed in West Seattle, especially since the May 1 shooting on Alki Beach.

In response to the local problem, on June 2 community members from across the city gathered at Seattle's Town Hall for the symposium "Gang Violence: Real Problems and Real Solutions for Puget Sound."

A panel of experts from across the country were brought together, but some local residents seemed dissatisfied, asking why young people had not been invited to speak.

Panelist Eleuthera Lisch, director of YMCA's Alive and Free program, was the first to ask where Seattle's youth were in the conversation.

"Young people are not bad, they are infected," said Lisch. "We as a community have a responsibility to them. Together, we can eradicate the disease of violence."

But one voice on the panel did offer some first-hand insight into local gangs. Dennis Turner is a former gang member and founder of Building the Bridges, a local organization working with young people to prevent gang violence.

Turner emphasized to the audience the importance of seeing gang members as people and showing them compassion rather than fear.

"When I was out on the street no one came to save us," said Turner. "If someone had come (...) we would have listened. All it takes is someone caring and wanting to talk to these kids."

When audience members suggested that preventative actions should be more relational and less based on funding, Turner spoke out.

"This is personal for me," said Turner. "I've lost a lot of friends. My generation started this and we've got to go back and clean it up. For me, it's not about the money."

Many objections from the audience were directed at the recently passed Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. They questioned how funds will be spent and what will occur in two years when the funding is gone.

"Hopefully, we don't think this is all going to be solved in 24 months," said Lisch.

Overall, audience members voiced an obvious frustration with the way gang violence has been addressed in the past.

"We hear the same thing 'we're doing the best we can,'" called out one woman from the back of the hall. "Meanwhile, children are dying."

Keynote speaker Richard A. Jones, a United States District Court Judge for Western Washington, described gang violence as a pandemic, noting that 80 percent of violent crimes in King County are attributed to gangs and 17 youth, under the age of 21, were shot and killed in the county last year.

When describing why young people join gangs, Jones suggested a need for protection, a desire for a support group and the perception that gangs are exciting or cool.

The judge talked about the importance of parents talking to their children at a young age so that they are not attracted to gangs.

And while he agreed that increased law enforcement can help, Jones warned officers to be careful not to violate the rights of young people by profiling them.

The mother of Perry Henderson, a gang member who was shot and killed last year, echoed this sentiment.

"We can't arrest our way out of the situation," she said.