Next week, Oakland could become the first city in the country to stop a proposed gang injunction from being put in place. City Attorney John Russo filed the proposed gang injunction in February which covers over 100 blocks of North Oakland, where I live. The injunction would make it illegal for those on the list from participating in public activities and other activities that are already deemed illegal.
On Thursday, April 22, the City Attorney must prove to Judge Robert Freedman that the proposed gang injunction in North Oakland is constitutional. Join me and others from the Ella Baker Center at a rally outside the courthouse @ 12:30 p.m. at 1221 Oak St. in Oakland. Organized by 35-40 human rights and civil rights organizations, this action is to demonstrate that our community does not want the injunction- an ineffective response to community violence and a waste of taxpayers money that won’t provide any true benefit to our neighborhood.
The injunction is a civil order that would put an alleged gang member in jail for 6 months or served with a fine of up too $1,000 if they publicly interact, among other prohibitions. Some of the public activities that could get a person arrested would be simply being in the same grocery store or at the same public event as another alleged gang mamber, even if they were not conscious of it!
As someone who lives in North Oakland, I do not agree with the gang injunction. I have been talking to my neighbors about the proposed injunction and sharing my concerns—
While I agree that there is a need for protection in my community but this does not mean that we should waste tax dollars to continually criminalize our youth and young adults. We need to think about solutions for the root causes of violence and take action on those endeavors, rather then pushing more police officers against our kids.
In many parts of Oakland there are many communities that are prone to criminal activity. So why is North Oakland being targeted? Why now? Some critics argue that North Oakland is being targeted to aid gentrification since this measure will contribute to criminalizing young folks of color and pushing working class people of color out of the city. It has become clear to me that those who live in my neighborhood did not propose and generally do not support the injunction. I question, then, if we’ll be involved in a process to evaluate whether or not the injunction is effective if indeed it is put in place.
Another major issue with the injunction is the way that a gang member is distinguished from the rest of the population (the standards are often based on racist stereotypes of youth of color) and what alternative measures could be used. How do they assess if someone is a gang member? And if someone targeted by the injunction claims or even proves their innocence, it is unclear if and how they can take their name of the list.
Rather than penalizing people for assumed affiliation, wouldn’t it make more sense to actually investigate their proposed crimes? Gang injunctions show Oakland residents that the police are the enemy rather then positioning them as our ally.
The City of Oakland is proposing spending $430,000 on this gang injunction while education and other important and preventative services are being cut. Those funds could be used to provide positive opportunities to young people that can be the antidote to street violence. Or at least be put to use by the Police Department to monitor more harmful activities than youth hanging out in public spaces or develop programs that promote collaboration between residents and police. I suggest that the city invest in ways to personally and socially support individuals who they assume to be gang members, rather than furthering their criminality within the system. The type of police enforcement and tyranny is not what builds up our youth and encourage them to flourish. Gang injunctions take away their freedom, create additional fear in their minds about police and inevitably separates us all from one another.
For all of these reasons, please join my neighbors and allies next Tuesday to call on Judge Freedman to deny the injunction and channel community resources towards projects that could actually promote safety across our city.
Crystallee Crain is the Project Coordinator of Heal the Streets at the Ella Baker Center- a 10 month fellowship and leadership training program for Oakland youth. Learn more about the proposed injunction and community efforts to fight it at Oakland Local.
