On Monday, officials highlighted funding to counter gang violence in Northeast Pennsylvania.
The announcement detailed $2 million in additionalReady to Learn block grants for the Scranton School District and $100,000 each in legislative grants for the Lackawanna and Luzerne District Attorney’s offices. Scranton previously received $9.6 million in RTL grants for the 2023-2024 school year.
State representatives, school board members, county commissioners and prosecutors gathered in West Scranton outside the office of Senator Marty Flynn (D., 22nd District). The school board must educate parents and identify how to best use the funds, which are generally used to expand academic programs, Flynn said.
“Education, outreach, something has to be done. We cannot lose our children to gang life. That’s not something we need to accept. We do not need to throw up the white flag and surrender," Scranton School Board President Ty Holmes said. "This is now time to roll up our sleeves and go to work.”
Holmes said the district has issues to address following recent violence in the city. On Jan. 11, Scranton Police Detective Kyle Gilmartin was critically wounded while investigating what law enforcement called "gang-related shootings." A Scranton school resource officer identified a suspect in earlier shootings that targeted homes after viewing Instagram videos allegedly depicting the crimes.
“In the Scranton School District, there are over 100 confirmed gang members,” Sen. Flynn said, referencing a DA’s Office statistic, though little clarification was offered.
“We are reluctant to reveal a lot of the gang intelligence,” Powell said when asked to identify the names of gangs. “The two main adult gangs are Bloods and Crips. The juvenile gangs are offshoots of those two entities.”
Money for Powell’s office will “put more boots on the ground” to support a gang task force, he said. The county already hired two detectives through its Gang and Gun Reduction Intelligence Project (GGRIP) and more hires are needed, he added.
Court appearances for Scranton shooting defendants
Preliminary hearings have been delayed for two Lackawanna County men arrested for those shootings on Jan. 10 and Jan 11.
Aiden Deininger, an Old Forge man charged with shooting Det. Gilmartin, and Jeremiah Cleveland, of Mayfield, charged with firing a gun into two homes, are both expected to appear in court on Feb. 5.
Separate hearings for both defendants were originally scheduled for Monday and continued, according to a representative from the Lackawanna County Courts.
Last week, DA Powell said it’s also possible charges could be filed against an unnamed juvenile for related crimes.
