“One of the gang members said ‘That podunk police department can’t touch us. We can do what we want,’” Clark said.

Insane Deuces was the name of one of the gangs involved. Clark said some videos about them can be found through YouTube on the Internet.

“People wonder, ‘Why Ottumwa?’” Uehling said. “Ottumwa is a hub. There’s a large population available if you drive five to seven hours in any direction — Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis.”

Rosales asked about the high school area. Clark said he will have two officers assigned to OHS this coming school year.

Barfield said “some stuff” is going on in the east end.

Clark said there’s a “young group starting to spraypaint things.

“And, there’s some gang recruitment being done by Latin Kings and Two Sixers,” he added.

Someone mentioned a “Latin King Killer.” Clark said that’s from an e-mail sent out by an upset parent. He checked it out and the name “turned out to be a nickname for a middle-school student.

Study circles

People can also sign up for “Ottumwa Speaks Up!: Study Circles in Diversity,” according to Himar Hernandez. He said a United Way Special Needs Grant has been received and is for a community assessment of diversity.

The program requires “community facilitators.”

“We have a lot of people but can always use more and you don’t have to do all the sessions,” Hernandez said.

Planners are “thinking about different groups, different locations like the extension office, library or OHS and for college kids maybe the Church Street Indian Hills office.

“We’re not teaching anything; it’s more ‘This is what I think,’” Hernandez said. “There are some basic rules, such as to be respectful.”