WATERLOO - Renee Carson's mother won't sit on her porch anymore.

Her reasoning: You never know when the bullets will fly.

Unlike the isolated battles of previous years, eruptions of gang violence have sprouted in many parts of Waterloo since April and left the community grasping for answers.

Some solutions kicked around at a KBBG-FM forum Saturday night: Effective parenting from a young age, parental enforcement of curfews and reporting crimes to police, even if anonymously.

The public is encouraged to explore these and other possible solutions during a community meeting at Waterloo City Hall on Thursday.

Tuesday developed into one of the most violent days in recent memory, as Waterloo police received calls of four shootings in several parts of the city. The outburst resulted in one hospitalization, but no arrests.

Friday saw another shooting, but this time police took a suspect into custody. The difference, Waterloo Police Chief Tom Jennings said, was witnesses talking to police.

"I've had shooting where people say, 'I know who did it, but I'm not telling,'" Jennings said. "Friday night's shooting resulted in an arrest because the community stepped up."

The Rev. Joseph Baring of Payne AME Church said people must take ownership of their community. Too many people, he said, close their doors, shut their blinds and pretend children don't roam the streets shooting each other.

Baring suggested holding a summit between community members and gang leaders, a tactic previously tried in Los Angeles. In Milwaukee, he said police fined parents when their children broke curfew.

"You keep turning a blind eye, and you're going to see bullet holes in your homes," he said.

Jennings said additional grant money has allowed police to recently expand the number of mobile cameras installed in neighborhoods, which can catch criminals in the act.

The problem is, he said, that it results in an endless game of cat and mouse: As word leaks out that police convicted someone because of video surveillance, illegal activities move elsewhere.

Brenda Parham, president of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, said additional police enforcement is essential, but attacking the root problems of gang violence starts at home.

"I want to know where these children's parents are," she said.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.