The Tampa Police Department held a press conference on July 15th to announce the launch of their newest anti-gang initiative, TampaBayGangs.com. The project uses the wahi technology to created an interactive conversation about gang activity in the Tampa Bay area and is focused on education and outreach to prevent gang activity from the start. Chief Hogue of the Tampa PD spoke of the vision for this initiative. “TampaBayGangs.com aims to discourage young people from engaging in the lifestyle. The site doesn’t look like it comes from a government or police agency because that kind of look might turn off the people who need guidance about gangs. We want to get to those children before the gangs do,” he said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff, David Gee called this “the missing piece” in their fight against gangs. “There are not enough cops around to deal with it from an enforcement side.” he said. “The smart money is on reaching kids early to keep them out of gangs.” Mayor Pam Iorio was also at the launch and says that “many young people go to gangs because they feel that there’s something missing in their lives. They go down a path that’s very destructive once they join a gang.” She said, “In order to reach them you have to have effective marketing. Marketing that they can relate to.”
This is where the interactive approach and technology provided by Wahi Media comes in. With the support of local celebrities like NFL running back Warrick Dunn and an outpouring of community support, the TampaBayGangs.com wahi was created to empower parents, kids, educators and other citizens with the knowledge they need to resist and defeat gang activity in their area. Not only will they learn about gang acitivity, but the wahi technology provides each audience member the opportunity to say what they think about the issue and how it’s impacting them. This is extremely exciting! With the launch of TampaBayGangs.com, an entire community is coming together to open a discussion on gang activity and work together to find a solution. Wahi Media is proud to be a part of this initiative!