YAKIMA -- They are mean streets for Yakima's youngest citizens. Each day and every night, our most impressionable generation is forced to witness the violence, and the consequences of gang warfare. And the search for new soldiers is a constant.

"Gangs feed off of these kids who have idol time on their hands and no adult supervision."

Sgt. Joe Salinas helped to organize Yakima's Gang Enforcement Unit six years ago. He is one who can say with confidence he has seen it all.

"Kids need to know you're gonna die or you're gonna go to jail. Those are your options."

Yet, with all the might and money we pour into this problem, and we do spend tens of thousands a month from police to judges to jails, everyone fighting this battle will tell you the real war is not out there. It's in the schools… that the most potent weapon in fighting gangs and gang violence has nothing to do with gang members, but with the students in classrooms just like this one."

Officer David Cortez has a simple message.

"Your chances of dying increase 60-times over the average person not even being in a gang but being at the same place where gang members are at."

His program, "Gang Resistance Education and Training" or GREAT, reaches out to 22-hundred of Yakima's most at risk kids every year.

"Everyone needs a sense of belonging. They want to feel like they belong to something. We actually are in the schools letting the children know what's out there for them."

He certainly has their attention. Question remains, will his message stick long enough to push these kids past the gauntlet of gang recruitment?

"Could we do more? Absolutely. Are we doing enough? Who knows. But ultimately I think Yakima at least has taken the step of doing something."

And our kids must step into these streets every day. The real test comes down to who can reach them first. By the time Gang Enforcement pulls up... It's game over, and the "hammer" that is enforcement moves on to the next target.

Doing battle with gangs in the street certainly accomplishes one goal… but keeping potential gang members off the streets in the first place is another important part of the same war. This is the PAL Center in Yakima. The Police Athletic League. It's a place where respect comes with membership in a different kind of club.

Julio Acevedo is the product of a gang infested family.

"Everything around me was gang related."

All three of his brothers were Yakima gangbangers. Julio won't talk about who's still alive and who's dead. He's punching forward. His shattered family is his past. But make no mistake, Julio is no dummy. He gets the gang appeal.

"People join 'em just to feel accepted because they don't have a family or their family doesn't respect them so they find a new family."

This city owned police run, non-profit, is a refuge for more than 40 kids every night. For Julio this place is like home.

"I have people that love me. People respect me. They treat me right. They're happy to see me and I'm happy to see them. That's family to me."

No surprises here. Yakima's police chief, Sam Granato has been preaching the promise of this anti-gang tool for six years.

"That's a positive sign that we're winning one kid at a time. That's how we're gonna win this. It's not gonna be overnight. And it's very important that we have programs like GREAT, like PAL, Boy and Girls Clubs, mentoring programs. All these things are out there to help kids steer away from gangs and crime."

But like any program funded by a cash strapped city, finding the money to grow these efforts is another ongoing war proving harder and harder to win.