Police Chief Ponders Gang Injunctions

“I’ve been attending a lot of community meetings, and I’m hearing — even in Latino neighborhoods — that I’m not tough enough on gangs,”

Is he saying his decision (whether one agrees with it notwithstanding) had been influenced by Latinos? Is he also saying that Latinos are more likely to be opposed to such a decision?

I can understand why Latinos may be more likely to be opposed to a gang injunction. Their is probably some fear (not completely unfounded) that they (or family members) may be served with an injunction in error.

Some in the Latino community have accused Sanchez of racial profiling when it comes to gangs, and coming down heavily on just Latino gang members. For that same community to now plead for an injunction is a big turnaround, and indicates that the problem has gotten very bad.

Back before March 14, 2007 anytime anyone in local law enforcement or the news media described a criminal as a gang member there was a pile of letters to the editor at the news press from chicano activists and "progressives" claiming that there are no gangs in Santa Barbara and anyone who says otherwise is just a racist.
I wonder where those folks are now.

The Chief was in a difficult position, the fact that he is willing to consider it and the diverse sectors of the community advocating it shows how bad the problem has become.

The self appointed spokespeople who were against this for various reasons, and those who were far to receptive to hearing their message in government have some soul searching to do. Its the communities they said would be affected adversely who have suffered the worst.

Usually non-confrontational today I need to put down my thoughts for what they are worth. Pondering? A weak,almost effete, word choice for a Police Chief, a strong leader of a community which waits anxiously for his decision. One ponders on the weather, the dinner menu or the colour of one's sweater. A leader would perhaps strongly "deliberate on", "take under consideration", "re-examine", "review". Why this dragging of feet? Ignorance. Fear? What does Sanchez mean by 'Latinos"? He is new here. our history is complex. For starters we have multi generation Mexican /Americans who have worked long and hard while learning the language and bringing up bright and strong families; and contributing vastly to Church and community with this hard work and dedication. We have the proud descendants of the Presidio soldiers, and the recipients of Royal land grants with names like Carillo, Aguirre, Lopez, Dominguez, and so on and so forth. And then we have the rabble who clearly Sanchez is finding hard to deal with. The first two groups will not take kindly being lumped together with the latter which has systematically chewed away at the core of our town. Clearly the latest slaughter reveals Sanchez has no control. However,our city fathers who should have known better, for decades have impotently chosen to look the other way. Where have we seen a TV interview as despicable as last nights exhibition with the suspect's family? In violent crime cases National TV will show hard to watch harrowing clips of the victim's family. One cannot recall equal time given so tastelessly to the relatives of the accused. Correct me if I am wrong. Santa Barbara is known throughout this country as the home of the rich,a second Hollywood. The world generally has no idea that this privileged group is but a small majority of a diverse population of workers from middle to lower classes working together, struggling to make a living, in the hospital, clinics,schools,law enforcement,the private sector, restaurants, retail, fire department,emergency groups,parks, ensuring the town's safety,cleanliness,beauty,prosperity and vitality. And here we are,confused,too nervous to take our evening walks and suspicious of possible daylight intimidation. It's a crime

How many "in broad daylight" murderous stabbings will it take? Mr. Shanchez, do we really want to wait until "lead" starts flying? "Do we pack to go to Sak's?" "Off to the Pit for a hit". What ever the policy is now, it's not working. Bangers' reward is jail or death, they accept that, sound familiar?

Rereading the last paragraph, and the comments about labor intensive and exceeding officer power wonder if this is a new chip for him to use in the budget battle.

Finally! ...or at least "almost" finally.

The lack of action by the Chief and our City/County leaders over the past decade has a lot to do with the current gang control of neighborhoods in SB. Had they taken action when gangs started to become more noticeable (fights, beatings, stabbings, shootings, graffiti, etc.) the situation would most likely not be as bad as it now is.

Digging ourselves out of this hole will be harder now since we've allowed the hole to get so much bigger...

Better late than never though.

This is incredible, a gang injunction? im not sure that would help solve the problem. With a gang injuction all you are doing is alienating neighborhoods, in other words, all you are doing is contain gangs in their own turf, how is that protecting the families, and regular folks in their own neighborhood?....in addition, it creates more sentiment against the peace officers who are only doing their job. How do i know this? because i am a former gang member, a founder of one of these gangs. Who am i today? a University Graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice. What most of you need to understand, is that MOST gangmembers are good people, but there are a few bad apples that spoil the image of the rest. Most gangmembers are "jumped in" or initiated into the gang against their will, it happened to me, and i saw it happen countless times. It is very irritating to see so much talent go to waste. And to try to mask the problem with an injuction is just not the answer.

Eddie, what you do recommend ?

DO IT! DO IT NOW! :) henry

eddie77: If this is the case and if you are right, what would be the alternatives, and what would you like to hear shortly from the lips of our Chief of Police? I assume when you say, I quote " it creates more sentiment against the police officers..." you mean to infer "bad" sentiment? Innocent citizens should have nothing to fear from the police nor should they resent them while they perform their duties, (quote from you : ( " only doing their job" ), while protecting us. If these gangs are confident and strong enough to maintain their own turf they are obviously known by the authorities and their neighbours. Therefore, one assumes people would be relieved to be free from the threats, the intimidation and the dangers to the freedom of their sons and daughters. Generally, it is assumed to be criminal assault to use force against another without consent, however you will know more about the Law that I, and of course all countries differ. These phantoms that lurk in the shadows and appear, as you say, in order to encourage the vulnerable youth to join gangs against their will, are they not sometimes the brothers and even the parents of these innocents? Addressing you as an ex- gang member my question is : Do we hear input from the "good" gang members of whom you speak? In this town do they have voices at the police sponsored meetings,and the concerned citizens neighbourhood meetings?

Our current gang crisis is a direct consequence of bad judgment by Sanchez and the lefties on City Council for failing to take timely, effective action years ago because of their lame infatuation with Policital Correctness. Warmer weather is coming soon and then the bloodbath will really begin. A gang injunction should be implemented NOW to reduce the bloodshed. Failure to do so will costs lives.

"all you are doing is contain gangs in their own turf, how is that protecting the families, and regular folks in their own neighborhood."

I see your point, but now I'm curious how many gang members stab other people in their neighborhoods as opposed to those stabbed during the fireworks by the pier, at a park or at the beach?

It may sounds one sided, but containing gangs in their own turf sounds like a step in the right direction. Gangs are going to be on their own turf sometimes - so why not make it all of the time? That would protect the majority of people in the city which is a good start.

In view of the fact that Mr Gallegos has been released and no longer considered a suspect,I think that the community must look at the full picture to find a solution to this ongoing problem.

What led to the arrest of Mr. Gallegos? Was he seen at the scene of the crime? Or was he assumed to be the knifer because of his past gang associations? His priors, or history of bad family reputation?

Because of the atrocity of this killing of Mr. Simpson, public outcry and fear was intense, as it should be. When the family of the alleged suspect spoke out on TV that he was turning his life around, the public did not believe it and spoke out harshly at their being given time to state their views. We , the public, were wrong, as was the Sherriff's Department.

But my opinion is that this CAN be used for the good effectively with cooperation from people like Rudy Gallegos and eddie 77. They both know the ropes inside the gangs. Rudy could be a strong advocate for turning this around. Community forums can be held and he could effectively show how gang association led to his quick jailing--without bail.

There was a gang member in New York, Ricky someone who turned his life around and helped change the life of many in his borough, and went on to preach, teach or talk (however you choose to call it) to thousands throughout the country. His approach was very effective in helping people change their lives I read his book and it was very educational and inspirational.

It seems his message was--it is NOT cool to be a gang member- I really cannot remember ,but someone out there must know what I am referring to.

We have enough laws, how about just enforcing the ones we already have effectively before adding more?

OK, all you worshippers at the altar of political correctness: quick, give me the statistics on gang membership in Santa Barbara. How many, where located, and yes, gasp, what race. The answers: nearly 700 documented gang members (higher percentage of total population than in LA), East side, West side, Goleta, and Isla Vista. Primarily Hispanic. All data published in local media over the past year. Do your own research.

Nothing basically wrong with profiling. The Israelis figured that out long ago - "not all Muslims are terrorists, but virtually all terrorists are Muslims" acccording to an Israeli Prime Minister. They've run their airport security accordingly and, guess what, there has never been an incident on a flight originating in Israel. Yep, a few Muslims were insulted. Tough. A little of that attitude would go a long way here in the land of off-the-deep-end political correctness. I've been stopped and searched by airport security, said thank you, and boarded a flight that did not blow up. I was not insulted.

In the meantime, I'll go a step further than mcblaze. Just grant a carry permit to any adult that has gun safety training and no felonies. As a staffer in a local gun shop is wont to say, 'an armed society is a polite society'.

John Lott and David Mustard, in connection with the University of Chicago Law School, examining crime statistics from 1977 to 1992 for all U.S. counties, concluded that the thirty-one states allowing their residents to carry concealed, had significant reductions in violent crime. Lott writes, "Our most conservative estimates show that by adopting shall-issue laws, states reduced murders by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robbery by 3%. If those states that did not permit concealed handguns in 1992 had permitted them back then, citizens might have been spared approximately 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults and 12,000 robberies. To put it even more simply criminals, we found, respond rationally to deterrence threats... While support for strict gun-control laws usually has been strongest in large cities, where crime rates are highest, that's precisely where right-to-carry laws have produced the largest drops in violent crimes."

(Note: I mistakenly posted this on the article about Gallegos being released when I meant to post this here)

The gang problem we see in Santa Barbara is happening nationwide, which is not to preclude taking local measures, but requires that we approach this issue from all angles.
First of all, since race is being discussed here--and admittedly I'm hesitant to go there not because I care what any of the other bloggers think but rather because I've had comments deleted when I've dared to venture into that most un-P.C. of areas when it criticizes Leftist thought--I would point out that the name Brittany Weiler is not a Spanish/Mexican name yet this has become a "gang" issue because one of the people involved is of Mexican descent. Also, had the victim been Mexican and had it happened in a Latino neighborhood, would there be the outcry we are seeing? I remember the "wrong way" shooting back in the late 90's when a three-year-old white girl was shot to death by gang members and all of a sudden the world came to an end yet anytime a Mexican or Black child dies because of gang violence, people just wring their hands and go on their way.
As for racial profiling, it isn't just right-wing authoritarians who are to blame, but the root of the problem starts with idealistic left-wingers who insist upon threat of calling anyone who disagrees with them "racist" that we provide everything in Spanish and who still hold on to the belief that we should have bilingual education in our schools. (Of course, all other ethnic groups are expected to assimilate) These people are obsessed with politically correct hand wringing and making sure that people of Mexican descent/Mexican immigrants are portrayed and treated as though they are helpless and unable to think for themselves while so called "Latino leaders" continue the patriarchal hierarchy which has caused so much of the misery in Mexico that drives people across the border in search of a better life.
People of good repute will disagree on a gang injunction, in my opinion it's a band-aid which simply gives law enforcement even more power while failing to address the underlying issues--some of which I've presented here. On the other hand, because political correctness has suffocated us to the point it has, such an injunction may be temporarily needed until we are willing on a national level to address the cause-and-effect of an open border with a country with a clearly corrupt government, Big Business in the U.S. which wants an endless supply of cheap labor, leftist self-anointed academic types consumed with a desire to "subvert the dominant paradigm", driven by the collective fear of the unwashed masses who keep reelecting career politicians based on superficial sound bytes and party loyalties which only ensures more of the same.

To correct something in my above post. I made reference to a person who had changed and made a difference in the eastcoast. It was not a ricky. It was Nicky Cruz. Could that happen here?

good post, billclausen.

To follow up on JohnLocke's post I would also add that guns are not the only means of self defense but there is also pepper spray. I say this because many are not comfortable with guns, and stray bullets can kill innocent people. Of course if you carry a gun, proper training is a must to avoid such a tragedy. Anyway, for those who don't like guns but want protection, pepper spray is very effective.

Imagine you are sitting alone on the beach and you get confronted by someone/a group that wants to assault you. If you have no means of self defense, you are a statistic. Pepper spray is VERY effective because you can deal with multiple attackers and you don't have to worry about killing anyone.

Having said all this, use of pepper spray is only allowable when it is used to save lives or avoid great bodily harm. It is never to be used to settle an argument, otherwise felony weapons violations apply. Having said that, would be rapists and other violent thugs would think twice if they knew average people were carrying pepper spray. The only other thing to add is that if you buy pepper spray, make sure to ask how to use it, what its expiration date is, how to keep it being effective (shaking the canister every few days helps) and proper disposal. And by all means, keep it out of the reach of children.

Mr.Clausen, you should be in politics; you would have my vote for sure. Besides Ron Paul, what other Libertarians are in politics?

good comment, six...Pepper spray is excellent for close-range defense. Beyond 6 feet, not so much...

Pepper spray will not stop a determined tweaker on a three-day run.

all i can say is, i lived in mexico for two years and gave many rides to mexican hitch hikers, including one with a machete, a feller from out in the plantation, never felt fear. i will not give a hitch hiker a ride in this country regardless of melanin .what am i trying to say?
my view? hold parents responsible and tell the gang brats they should not use "equalizers", guns and knives, just themselves for conflict

Bill,

Gangs were brought into this conversation along with Britney Weiler. Yes, she's a white girl, but she has gang affiliations. If people decided to ignore that and only recognize it as a gang problem once Latinos were involved, that's their own ignorance.

To the former gang member, if MOST gang members are good people, why is the majority powerless to change the gang image? It just doesn't add up. If MOST don't want to bang and fight and cause trouble, why don't they push the "bad apples" out? I imagine the "bad apples" are usually the ones higher up, calling the shots. But the time is past due for individuals to take responsibility for action. You're a perfect example: gang members can get out. So quit making excuses for the followers that won't stand up and be a good person. The truth is if they participate in gang activity, they are not good people. Once I see the westsiders organizing to support a non-profit, I'll think otherwise.

Wow, I had no idea that this town was not only fascist, but also racist!! Clearly no respect for the Constitution, either.

This is completely insane. So what do the police do, just look for an individual or group of latinos between the age of 15 and 20 and start harassing them for no reason when they haven't even committed a crime? Is that how this works?

Are we going to give all the 'gang members' special IDs? Or perhaps a patch for their clothing that they are required to wear?

"Since 1999, to prevent rulings against injunctions in the name of constitutionality, city attorneys have carefully worded their filings so that they individually name every gang member, establish a designated area where the injunction applies, and enumerate the exact activities that gang members are prohibited from doing. These generally include association with one another, wearing certain clothes, making certain hand gestures, acting as lookouts, fighting, drinking, and using drugs. Some prohibited activities are already illegal, but the injunction means that violators can be held in contempt of court, which would demand additional sanctions. Violators who conduct activities that are normally legal are charged with violating a court order, which can carry a six-month jail sentence in California."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_inj...

Loonpt -That is the way it works, people are such cowards here that instead of protecting themselves they would rather hand all the power to a "fuehrer" who will defend and protect them. We are ripe for a dictator, because we are too scared to uphold the laws we already have.

benjamin: I stand corrected. AZ2SB: you're right. Most people would rather go to the voting booth, vote in their pet politician, and let the government do their thinking for them.

As I've said before: when something developes into a problem, look back on when it wasn't a problem and ask yourself what was being done then that was different from now and reset to default.

Gang injunctions treat the symptoms, but don't get to the root of the problem.

Mr. Clausen, do you believe the laws we have now are not enough to get the desired effect, which is locking people up?

Alright! The Klu Klux Klan is no more a Gang than MS-13, Latin Kings, Brown Pride. We should allow them to "Jump-in" members, have rally's, Flaunt their power in the face of everyone else. They should be allowed to say what they want, act the way they want and beat and linch those that don't conform or obey what they believe in.
In an effect, that is what your stating when you demand that a specific group dominates the social spectium out of fear of racial profiling and racist presure. Gangs in Santa Brutra are dictating the Law through Racist Presures.
I carry here in Northern Virginia but NOT because I am insecure or have fear issues, I carry cause of the possiblity of having a crime committed to me, in front of me or because I have been trained (Qualified under VDCJS guildlines) to respond accordingly to protect myself or another when threaten by a person who presents a motal threat to my life or another. I am obligated to render (under law) medical assistance to those I "May" shoot to STOP a threat.
And let me remind the young, the Gang called "Bloods" were a Gang made up of African Americans from our prison system. The Gang called "Cripps" were made up of everybody else to combat the Bloods. As for Gangs in California, they are made-up of Community residents, legal and illegal, Latino or everyone else.

Charles.

Alright! The Klu Klux Klan is no more a Gang than MS-13, Latin Kings, Brown Pride. We should allow them to "Jump-in" members, have rally's, Flaunt their power in the face of everyone else. They should be allowed to say what they want, act the way they want and beat and linch those that don't conform or obey what they believe in.
In an effect, that is what your stating when you demand that a specific group dominates the social spectium out of fear of racial profiling and racist presure. Gangs in Santa Brutra are dictating the Law through Racist Presures.
I carry here in Northern Virginia but NOT because I am insecure or have fear issues, I carry cause of the possiblity of having a crime committed to me, in front of me or because I have been trained (Qualified under VDCJS guildlines) to respond accordingly to protect myself or another when threaten by a person who presents a motal threat to my life or another. I am obligated to render (under law) medical assistance to those I "May" shoot to STOP a hostile threat.
And let me remind the young, the Gang called "Bloods" were a Gang made up of African Americans from our prison system. The Gang called "Cripps" were made up of everybody else to combat the Bloods. As for Gangs in California, they are made-up of Community residents, legal and illegal, Latino or everyone else.

Charles.