Chamber Forum

Over the last several months the media has reported steps that the local governments are taking to curtail gang activity within Lewis County. The City of Centralia has received much of this attention with the newly adopted ordinance relating to gang activities and the ability of law enforcement to respond to them.

With this heightened media coverage and local discussion many business owners and managers have asked what can they do to help prevent gang activities? And, what can they do to assist law enforcement in their work as they fight to control gang activity?

To answer questions of what local business owners/managers and local resident can do, we have invited local law enforcement to help with the presentation. This will include the cities of Centralia, Chehalis and Lewis County, with their joint gang taskforce to address Chamber members and those who want more information about this topic and would like to attend the Chamber Forum. The presentation will cover gang activity, gang history, current cases and issues, gang impact on our overall crime rate, department response programs, and the community impacts associated with such activity.

Bob Berg, Centralia Chief of Police and Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield will lead the presentation with others from the taskforce. They will share the current statistics that track gang and related activities. This information will help the business community and community at large understand the current status. Often the information is either inaccurate or at least exaggerated. The presentation will share information to help the community better understand the levels of gang activity and the work being done to prevent increases. There will also be discussion on what steps can be taken to help prevent gang activities in our community.

The Chamber Forum is open to all individuals wanting more information on this topic. The forum will be held at The Aerie Ballroom located at 219 S. Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia. The forum runs from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Lunch is available at the door for $10.00. Networking will occur for the first half hour of the event and the presentation will begin around noon. For more information on this presentation and other Chamber events please visit the website, ChamberWay.com or call the office at 360-748-8885.