L..A .seeks injunction against San Fers gang
By Rick Orlov and Rachel Uranga, Staff Writers
Article Last Updated: 04/18/2008 12:08:08 AM PDT



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In a move to stamp out one of the San Fernando Valley's most notorious and violent gangs, the city on Thursday sought one of its most sprawling injunctions against the San Fers to curtail its influence in the Northeast Valley.

District Attorney Steve Cooley and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo are seeking an injunction that would place severe limits on the gang's estimated 900 members to meet in public, intimidate witnesses and sell or possess drugs, weapons or graffiti tools.

Citing cases of intimidation of young people, the random shooting of a man baby-sitting his 1-year-old nephew and the beating of people walking on the street, officials said the San Fers have acted as if they are above the law.

"For too long, the San Fer gang has used intimidation, violence and fear to hold this community in the San Fernando Valley hostage to its insidious activities," Delgadillo said.

But experts say there is scant evidence that gang injunctions seriously cut crime rates, and civil-rights groups complained that injunctions can be overly restrictive.

"The city can't keep addressing gangs through criminalizing whole communities. Gang injunctions do criminalize communities," said Peter Bibring, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Hundreds, if not thousands, have been placed on gang injunctions and no one has ever been taken off."

The 14-page injunction filed by gang prosecutor Jeanne Kim - which will be heard by a judge June 24 for possible approval - provides a detailed view into a community gripped by fear and plagued by gunfire and assaults.
"The gang members command `respect' through the weapons they carry, the crimes they commit and the threats they make," she wrote in the request for an injunction.

"Respect is a one-way street for the San Fers. They demand it, but show absolutely none for the life and property of anyone else. As far as the San Fers are concerned, it is `their' neighborhood and everyone else better stay out of there or face the consequences."

Residents are prisoners

The gang uses fear and intimidation to keep residents both young and old silent, preying on anyone they perceive as a threat. They regularly carry weapons and taunt police officers, engaging in car pursuits and foot chases through apartment complexes and yards.

"Residents are virtual prisoners in their homes," Kim said. "They cannot go to the local market without being accosted by San Fer gang members."

The injunction would cover 9.5square miles - one of the largest areas to be included in such an order. Its boundaries would be the Interstate 5 freeway to the west, the 210 Freeway to the north and east, and the 118 Freeway to the south.

It also specifically limits gang members from gathering around the Sylmar Recreation Center - where the gang is said to hold its meetings and have fights - as well as around nearby Sylmar High School and Olive Vista Middle School. They also are prohibited from intimidating students or trying to recruit them as members.

Principal surprised

School officials at Olive Vista said they welcome the injunction, but were unaware how deep the problems are.

"To say that somebody is trying to come in and claim turf, it's just not something we have seen," said Dan Schar, the school's principal.

The city has been using gang injunctions for more than a decade, a process that then-City Attorney James Hahn started. One of the first to be issued targeted the Blythe Street gang in Van Nuys.

There are now 36 injunctions in effect around the city and four others in the Valley. In addition to Blythe Street, injunctions have been issued against Langdon Street, Pacoima Project Boys and Canoga Park Alabama.

"The data so far suggests that they can be mildly effective at reducing violent crime," said Cheryl Maxson, a criminologist at the University of California, Irvine, who specializes in gangs. "Whether they can be successful in an area of this size is quite open to debate.

"In the past, people have referred to injunctions as a surgical tool. The further you reach out from where the activity is most intense, one might worry about the disillusion of the effect."

Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Michel Moore, commanding officer of the Valley Bureau, said the injunction would help.

"Simply said, gang injunctions work," he said. "They give communities the chance to reclaim their neighborhoods from the caustic impact of gang members."

Drugs are big business

One of the Valley's oldest and most notorious gangs, the San Fers are believed to also be heavily involved in narcotics trafficking, primarily marijuana and methamphetamines. Cooley called the gang one of the most territorial and violent in the county.

"The chief of police in San Fernando asked (us) to partner with the city attorney to prevent his city from becoming a safe harbor for this gang," Cooley said.

Less than 10 days ago, a suspected San Fers gang member walked into a house, sexually assaulted a woman and robbed her, said LAPD Capt. Jorge Villegas.

The area covered by the injunction has also been pinpointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a high-crime area. Earlier this week, in the annual State of the City speech, he said the area would be getting $1.5million to develop intervention and prevention programs.

Councilman Richard Alarcó n, whose district includes the affected area, embraced the news, saying, "We are targeting criminal gang activity wherever it occurs."

rachel.uranga@dailynews.com 818-713-3741

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8965468