On September 18, 2003 at approximately 11:50 p.m., Anthony Battaglia was walking home from the Lynbrook train station when, police say, he was viciously beaten, stabbed and shot during an attempted robbery, killing the 37-year-old. Police later arrested four men for the attack who they believe are members of the Latin Kings gang.

Incidents such as the brutal murder of Anthony Battaglia illustrate a serious problem on Long Island. Gangs have become the talk of community members and educators and are the target of law enforcement units for they have become a subject that has to be taken seriously.

"The thing we need to remember is that there are gang members in our community," said Gateway Youth Outreach Director Pat Boyle, who pointed out that last year the agency had 1,850 young people who were involved in some type of program. "In our counseling component, we've had many instances where we have had young people who have been involved in gangs who do live in the community."

Trying to take a proactive approach to combating gang involvement on Long Island, Assemblyman Tom Alfano and Assemblyman Bob Barra held a community summit at the Elmont Road School at which many community members spoke during roundtable discussions about how to prevent children from joining gangs.

"My hope and goal is to prevent gangs from coming into our communities. Our objective is to invest in our neighborhoods and target how gangs establish themselves by learning from the experts. From our perspective, we need to have positive community involvement that improves and builds on our great quality of life," said Assemblyman Alfano, who, with Assemblyman Barra, hopes to take information gathered to formulate a plan to combat gangs.

While the forum was held in Elmont, testimony from students from Elmont Memorial High School indicated that there isn't a gang problem in Elmont. Perhaps it is because of community members, including parents, educators, civic members and those who work at the Gateway Youth Outreach providing the tools necessary to keep gang members from acting out in the community.

"Our focus, as a school, is to nurture children and educate them in a positive forum. In many cases, children come to school with mixed feelings when they come to the community. Our job is to help them grow, learn and expand their horizons. Many times, children feel they need to assert themselves to feel comfortable. As a school, we work to help children not only to fit in, but be a successful part of our school family," said Superintendent of Schools for the Elmont School District Dr. Maria Palandra.

But while there may not be a gang epidemic in Elmont, gangs are a problem that may have to be fought on many different fronts with many communities banding together to provide solutions.

In order to fight gangs effectively, many believe prevention is a key. At Alfano and Barra's summit, the question of why young people join gangs was explored.

According to New York State Trooper Hector Alessio, an investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, gang members go to elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools and intimidate students into joining gangs. "If they refuse to join, they will assault them. That's why it's important we have legislation that punishes recruitment and intimidation of these kids," he said.

While law enforcement of gang members and stiff penalties may be an integral part of curtailing incidents involving gangs, some believe that a more complex strategy must be implemented such as getting to children through education before gang members do.

"It's up to us as a community to come together along with our educators, parents and PTA members and everyone who makes the community what it is to teach our children at a tender young age that it's wrong to participate in gangs," said Assemblyman Alfano.

While education may be a key to preventing gang involvement, it is not the only approach that is necessary to fight gang activity. A major reason why young people join gangs is for a sense of involvement and a gang may provide the family atmosphere young people need.

In these days of economic hardship when parents are working to provide a better life for their children, a child can sometimes become neglected. While searching for family involvement of some type, a gang could become an alternative, although a scary one.

"When you join a gang, you may get instant gratification, but in the end, you are either going to wind up in jail, or worse, dead," said Assemblyman Barra.

Providing alternatives becomes key. Whether it's participating in after-school activities in the safety of a school building, becoming involved in community service such as joining a junior fire department or participating in youth groups such as Elmont's Gateway Youth Outreach, other avenues do exist for young people to gain a sense of involvement and empowerment within a family structure. For example, a group at school could be a family as could a junior fire department.

"The focus we have with children in the primary school grades is to help them become a part of our school family and community family. That way we can educate children to make them a success and help them make the right choice of family rather than the wrong choice of gang," said Elmont and Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education member Aubrey Phillips.

One idea that was expressed to the lawmakers was the need for more funding for after-school programs. Alfano and Barra are crafting legislation, which they call the Safe Neighborhood and Investment Act of 2004, which promotes and gives resources for education in schools on gang prevention, offers after-school programs for all grade levels, a college credit for high school students who get involved in public service and a tax credit for banks and lending institutions who give access to college loans for young people involved in community work and volunteerism. The act would also heighten penalties for gang recruitment on school grounds and neighborhoods and provides for restitution to communities through community service and financial restitution for property damaged by gang activity.

Alfano said he and Barra will take the information expressed at the community meeting and share it with their colleagues in the Assembly and Senate. "The goal we have is to really light the candle and curse the darkness," Alfano said.