13B - COUNCIL CTM RPT- PUBLIC SAFETY

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PUBLIC COMMENTS Albert Castillo asks if a gang injunction is planned for Townsend Street. Castillo read from a statement regarding the OVC gang injunction. Orange PD used inconsistent standards; OCDA did not provide information on what determines an active participant. These were young people who had no record. America Najera: 23 -year resident. She states the law criminalizes people because of generalizing who is a gang member. Dividing and destroying our community. Consider better ways to help the community, the gang injunction does not. Get the perspective of the people affected by it. Gabriela Hernandez: part of a local and state -wide foundation that fights against criminalization of community and youth. She identifies herself as a former gang member who turned her life around due to the programs that were available. She now works as a therapist with at -risk youth. She believes gang injunctions do not help, they have no statute of limitations; they only hurt young people. She says probation and parole already deal with these problems. The net is so wide, the injunction can affect anybody. The DA is going to pay over 3.3 million for attorney fees to the ACLU, does not include the civil law firm that they have to hire to represent them in the state and federal court system. Carolyn Torres: gang injunctions violate a basic constitutional right for freedom of association, movement, speech, and due process. Don't have faith in the OCDA to discern appropriate procedure to put people on a gang injunction list and which activities are considered gang activities. She expressed concern with the SAPD and the City's policy and procedures. Torres had several questions: who the lead detective is and what Chief Rojas thinks of the injunction, how long the DA collected evidence to prove the need for an injunction, was it submitted to a judge, was it approved, who from the City Council is okay with the injunction and who is the City Attorney? The mentality behind the Santa Nita injunction is not for safety. It was supported by former council members Solorio and Claudia Alvarez. Torres states the need for programs for the youth. Vanessa Cerda: current resident on Townsend. They get "harassed" by the gang unit without the gang injunction. Her partner is a former gang member who has been working and paying taxes for the last five years. Trying to be successful and move on. No one asks the members of the community how they feel about a gang injunction. She heard it from a community organization. Need more resources. Abraham Medina: here on behalf of Boys and Men of Color. Speaks about family members in the area where they are proposing this injunction. He states there have been reports of police 13B -2