The gang-reduction forum consists of representatives from the criminal justice system, Legislature, school districts, nonprofit organizations and community groups who are discussing the best ways to curb gang activity in Salt Lake City, the mayor said in a statement released Saturday.

Participants have held three meetings and are in the process of creating a "framework" to address Salt Lake City's gang problem, Becker said. The city's gang issue was brought into the spotlight over the summer by the death of 7-year-old Maria Del Carmen Menchaca, who became the unintended victim of a gang-related shooting outside her Glendale home.

The forum will examine existing gang-reduction models used in Salt Lake City and study other alternatives that could be implemented for gang prevention, intervention and suppression, according to Becker's statement.

"We recognize there is a problem. We want to better understand the problem, our resources, our strengths and our weaknesses," Becker said in the prepared statement.

Becker's announcement comes nearly four months after he and police Chief Chris Burbank conceded the city lacks a comprehensive anti-gang plan, despite having hundreds of known gang members living in Salt Lake City neighborhoods.

Few intervention programs exist for teens in Salt Lake City who have strayed into the gang lifestyle. One such anti-gang mentoring program, "Project 180," has found success in West Valley City.

Existing programs aren't nearly widespread enough, said Michael Clara, a Poplar Grove activist who has criticized the city for what he says is a slow reaction to addressing gang problems.

For example, Colors of Success, a nonprofit that sponsors anti-gang programming, isn't available in all Salt Lake City schools, Clara said. In addition, the city hasn't committed new funds to intervention programs, while gang members continue to target new members in junior high schools, he said.

Clara asked the mayor during an October City Council meeting to hire a gang-prevention specialist to coordinate gang-diversion strategies. He also said the city should have more gang education in classrooms, such as the Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT, a program that is offered at other schools across the country.

Clara said the mayor's new focus group will be futile unless the city puts money behind initiatives to combat gangs.

"We're just going to sit around and talk? That's what's frustrating about this. What we need is funding," said Clara. "We know what we're doing now is not working."

Burbank praised the creation of a gang-reduction forum. He said community involvement is crucial to impacting gang violence in the city.

mrogers@sltrib.com