Dallas : Research for Gang Injunctions to start being implemented in Dallas.5/17/11

In Regards to Gang Injunctions, an attorney recently stated that labeling gang members a "public nuisance" was unconstitutional. Below is a comment we received : 




This attorney must take into consideration the damage of the activities of these participants. If these people are destroying community life, an injunction seems to be about the best way to Target organized street crime. 


By labeling gang members we have the possibility to mislabel members after they have quit and moved on? Through open and transparent measures we can overcome this fear of mismanagement? 


I believe the city of Dallas is one of the most transparent cities in America and could move into the forefront of innovative policing including unmanned aircraft

GANG MEMBERS ARE MORE THAN A PUBLIC NUISSANCE ; THEY ARE NOW BEING CALLED TERRORISTS.


GangInjuncyion in Oakland and Texas



Arlington May Use Unmanned Drones

Arlington May Use Unmanned Drones by LocalNews-GrabNetworks
Arlington May Use Unmanned Drones by LocalNews-GrabNetworks


5-18-11 UPDATE :

Press Release: Victories for Resistance to Gang Injunctions; Changes in the Legal Team

Resistance to Gang Injunctions Claims Victories as Oakland City Council Blocks Further Lawsuits and Prevents OPD from Adding New Names; Two Civil Rights Attorneys to Withdraw, but Three Others Will Continue Legal Resistance

On May 18, 2011, the Oakland City Council voted to block the imposition of any additional gang injunctions within the City of Oakland.  Although the Council ratified existing efforts to impose injunctions in North Oakland and the Fruitvale, the City’s legislators placed numerous restrictions on the proposed court orders.  Perhaps most significantly, the Council blocked the addition of new names to the lists, ordering the dismissal of all “John Does.”  The Council also required evaluation and monitoring of the two existing efforts.

As a side effect of the Council action, Jose Luis Fuentes and Michael Siegel—two attorneys who began the legal resistance to the proposed Fruitvale gang injunction in October 2010— have been forced to withdraw as counsel in the case.  Pursuant to a court order from February 7, 2011, Siegel and Fuentes must resign in order to avoid a legal conflict of interest with their co-worker, City Councilwoman Jane Brunner.  “We take very seriously our duty to the Court and the City of Oakland to avoid any conflicts of interest,” Siegel stated.  “We are prepared to step aside and allow our co-counsel to continue the legal resistance to these harmful and ineffective civil injunctions.” 

Siegel and Fuentes will both continue to work with Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), a nonprofit with a mission to “interrupt the cycles of violence and poverty by engaging and empowering young people who are impacted by the criminal justice system.”  The pro bono legal team will continue in their absence, led by veteran civil rights attorneys Dennis Cunningham, Yolanda Huang, and Jeff Wozniak. 

Both lawyers emphasized how they appreciated the opportunity to work on this case.  “We have helped to empower some of these young men to tell their side of the story and how they have been targeted by the prison-industrial complex,” Fuentes stated.  “The experience has been extremely valuable. I would do it again.”

Isaac Ontiveros of Stop the Injunctions Coalition stated, “part of how this work has been so strong is the ability for those targeted by the injunctions to have free and amazing legal council—especially given that legal council is one of the things specifically denied them by the City Attorney.  Having these guys defended in court has given incredible possibility and momentum to the defense of the community outside of the court.  We would not have been able to get this far, if not for the legal work of Siegel and Fuentes—and the continued work of the legal team will be an integral part of pushing our communities forward in the struggle ahead.”

Siegel and Fuentes cite the following public benefits of the work of the legal defense team: (1) they provided quality pro bono legal defense for individuals who face serious consequences as a result of the injunction proceedings; (2) they persuaded the Superior Court that each defendant should be able to testify before they face an injunction; (3) they secured fee waivers for most defendants; (4) they persuaded the court to relieve many of the defendants from default; and (5) they protected defendants against disclosure of juvenile records.

“Our most important contribution was probably finding Dennis Cunningham, Yolanda Huang, and Jeff Wozniak to join us in this work,” Siegel stated.  “As a team, we have done everything we can do to provide a voice in the legal process for an often disenfranchised community.”