Injunction Issued Against Long Beach Gang
Court Order Filed Against Crips to Prevent Life of Crime
LONG BEACH, Posted 8:33 p.m. June 10, 1997 — A preliminary injunction granted Tuesday against a North Long Beach gang, has made it illegal for them to use pagers, cellular phones and walkie talkies.
Prosecutors argued that the devices facilitate drug dealing.
The injunction granted by Long Beach Superior Court Judge Victor Barrera names 46 members of the West Coast Crips and also imposes a strict curfew on the defendants – 8 p.m. for juveniles and 10 p.m. for adults.
The order was sought as part of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Strategies Against Gang Environments Programs, which prosecutors have used to battle gangs in southern California neighborhoods.
But critics argued that gang injunctions are overly broad and, in some cases, unconstitutional.
In the 50-block area targeted in North Long Beach, Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Zuzga said gang members were selling drugs, committing drive-by shootings, burglaries, car thefts and robberies.
A paper deliverer was beaten and robbed by gang members last summer, the prosecutor said, adding that another gang member was convicted recently of making terrorist threats against a family.
“These gang members use fear and intimidation to make their presence known,” Zuzga said. “They openly (flout) the law by selling and using marijuana, cocaine and other narcotics.”
The injunction is the second sought in North Long Beach. The targeted neighborhood is bound by 34th Street on the north, Delta Avenue on the east, Union Pacific Railroads tracks on the west, and Canton Avenue on the south. “Many residents have left the area, because of intolerable living conditions caused by the gang,” Zuzga said.
Copyright 1997, City News Service
