By Angela Pace
It was a dark September night in 1993 when the shot rang out -- a bullet that silenced the breath of one boy and opened the eyes of another.
Aaron Chapman, like many others in Utah, was a victim of gang violence; shot to death because he was wearing red.
Asi Mohi, his killer, was once a high school football star, but now serves time in prison, regretting his decision.
'Aaron had the chance that any kid did, and I took that away from him,' Mohi said in a video presentation.
Despite Provo''s 'Happy Valley' image, gangs are increasing here and throughout Utah.
Recent police reports show there are 65 different documented gangs and 668 gang members in Provo.
Gangs in Provo commonly go by the names of SUR13, Southside Mafia, Provo Boys, 38th Street, Black Gang Disciples and QVO.
Officer Sam Hunter of the Provo Police Department said the numbers are increasing for many reasons, but mainly because of the growing drug industry in Utah County.
'A pound of marijuana cost $300 four years ago and now it''s worth $1,500,' Hunter said.
He said the increasing drug market gives gang members a sense of territory, pride, prestige and sophistication.
Some gangs not only sell the drugs at high prices, but they use the narcotics to give them courage to carry out crimes, Hunter said.
Terie Wiederhold, a former BYU professor now working with troubled youths, has done extensive studies on gang motives and membership. She said in her mind, gangs equal drugs.
'Most of the kids involved in gangs are also involved in drugs,' Wiederhold said.
Hunter said the gangs in Provo range from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, economic households and ages.
'We have Hispanics, whites, rich, poor -- there''s really no class affiliation and significant distinction between groups,' Hunter said.
Wiederhold said despite common belief, many high school gang members are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
'People don''t think their kids are involved because they go to priesthood or church, but there are really a lot of LDS kids involved,' Wiederhold said.
She said most gangs that have members from the Church of Jesus Christ are affiliated with a national group called, 'The Straight Edge.'
These gangs participate in violent acts rather than drugs, and in Utah the violence is considerably greater than in other states.
Hunter said most gangs range from a membership of three to 30, with their ages varying from 11 to 30 years old.
Gang members willingly admit to their affiliations and often give all their gang information to police officers, Hunter said.
He said they freely give the required document information: street names, colors, signs and photos because they are proud of their gang.
There are 594 male gang members and 74 female members in Provo, but the number of women in gangs seems to be growing.
Wiederhold said Provo gangs are unique because although there are not many of them, women are allowed to become gang members.
Female members join gangs because they want to prove they are just as tough as the guys, said Marsha Mark, gang prevention supervisor for the Provo School District.
'There is a myth about girls, that they''re pushed around and so they want to prove that they will get respect from the guys,' Mark said.
Because of this motive, female gang members end up being much tougher than the guys and are harder to work with, Mark said.
Wiederhold said the longest surviving gangs tend to pass the line of duty from one generation to another.
'There are a few second-generation kids that come to Provo from Salt Lake City, and their parents encourage them to stay in the gangs,' Wiederhold said.
In 1998 Wiederhold conducted a study on 120 gang members in Utah County, looking at home life and family structure. She found no correlation between family background and gang incidence.
However, Hunter said in his years of following gang-related crimes, he found that most came from a home where there was no strong father figure.
'I noticed a lot of guys didn''t have a dad and their mom was trying to work full time and so they just had a lot of free time on their hands,' Hunter said.
Mark said kids join gangs at young ages because they think they will find what they are lacking at home.
She said they seek power, security, thrill and excitement, friendship, love, money and family support in gangs.
It is difficult for members to leave a gang once they are in it because they are afraid of what the other members will think or do to them, Mark said.
Hunter said he follows reports of illegal gang activity weekly.
Gangs are getting smarter and harder to spot because they no longer dress like gang members, Hunter said.
It is common for members to meet at an apartment or rent a motel room for the night, Hunter said.
'The motel managers work really well with us because they report things that go on in their motels,' he said.
Although there are a variety of differences between gangs, they all have one thing in common -- initiation.
When someone wants to become a member of the group, the other members do what they call, 'jump-ins' or beating up the new member, Hunter said.
Wiederhold said she is concerned that gangs in Provo are rapidly increasing.
Salt Lake City started a gang task force in 1989, but by the time the task force began, the situation was already out of control, she said.
'Provo is in the same situation Salt Lake was only three to five years ago,' Weiderhold said.
Mark said she tries to control gangs by working with children''s parents and teachers when they are young to catch the early signs.
And from prison, Mohi said he wishes he could persuade kids not to join gangs at all.
'The only thing I can say is that the choice I made wasn''t the right choice,' Mohi said in the video presentation. 'I don''t know if I can change anyone''s life; but if I can set anything in line, I''d tell them to choose the other way.'