Announcement

Our City, Our Solutions

Who: PODER (People Organized for the Defense and Equal Rights of Santa Barbara Youth) will gather with other organizations, city leaders, and community members, including Pedro Garcia, one of the 11 defendants in opposing the injunction. We will host a press conference at the Courthouse titled: Our City, Our Solutions where we will stand together in declaring that an injunction on our community is not the answer.

When: Monday, May 5th, 2014 at 10:00am.

Where: Santa Barbara County Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa St. Gang Injunction Trial Commences at 11:00am in Courtroom 5.

Why: It is crucial to the outcome of this decision that our community stand strong for effective, alternative solutions.

Last week, our City Council voted by a 5-2 margin to let this decision move forward despite the overwhelming voice from community leaders, families, business and homeowners who spoke against the injunction as an ineffective policy that:

Violates the defendant’s due process of the law by artificially turning a criminal case into a civil case. Creates “gang enhancement” policies that significantly increases the amount of jail-time served by Latinos as compared to whites prosecuted for the same crime.

Contains an add-on clause that allows minors and individuals without a criminal record to be added onto the injunction list

Stands to affect the property values of buildings and homes within the proposed safety zones of Santa Barbara; and

Has cost the city an estimated $700,000 in staff time and filing fees* without a clear projected budget on the future costs this injunction would incur for our city

Recently, the City Attorney formally dismissed 19 named defendants on the injunction list in return for a promise that those individuals would not sue for attorney’s fees. This leaves only 11 defendants on the list, most of whom are serving long sentences in correction facilities outside of Santa Barbara. The city claimed the 30 named individuals were the “baddest of the bad” yet they were unable to prove that they actually were. Wrongful identification is a major concern for us and this is a clear example of what’s to come if the gang injunction is passed.

Please see below for full list of organizations opposed to the Santa Barbara Gang Injunction.

Luis Rodriguez-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Dolores Huerta

Salud Carbajal, 2nd District County Supervisor

Cathy Murillo, Santa Barbara City Council Member

Gregg Hart, Santa Barbara City Council Member

Christy Haynes, Neighborhood Advisory Council Member

The Santa Barbara County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission (JJDPC)

Members of the Santa Barbara Police Department (anonymous)

Members of the District Attorney’s Office (anonymous)

Members of the City Parks and Recreation Department (anonymous)

Santa Barbara County Democratic Committee