Speak Out Against Oakland Gang Injunctions at Public Safety Committee Meeting Today!!

EVENT: Speak Out Against Oakland Gang Injunctions at Public Safety Committee Meeting TODAY

WHAT: Oakland City Attorney John Russo plans to file a civil injunction against members of a specific gang later this month. Specific details about the particular gang and areas that will be targeted will not be released until he files the injunction. The City of Oakland has stated that they do not have specific numbers on the amount of gang members in Oakland or how they define the term and are developing a plan to track gang membership. These injunctions allow policing of where people can gather, who they can gather with, and what clothing they can wear, and sometimes create curfews. People can face up to 6 months in jail and/or fines if they are found violating the terms of the injunction.


WHY:

-The practice of identifying gang members and using gang injunctions will increase surveillance and policing of particular communities in Oakland, causing further racial profiling and harassment of youth of color in Oakland. This practice also effectively breaks up families by barring particular people from being in public spaces. It also creates employment and housing discrimination for those listed in the injunctions.

-The city is proposing to spend more money (over $288,000 on legal support alone) on increased policing while cutting back vital social services and funding for our schools---we need more jobs for young people, not more criminalization
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-The City of Oakland must re-invest in young people by creating and maintaining accessible and safe youth centers, supporting quality programming for youth, and keeping our schools open and well-funded.

-We know that policing and imprisonment do NOT lead to community safety.

Our communities will only become safer places when we have secure incomes, when our basic needs for housing, nutrition and health care are met, and when we believe our lives matter and we have worth.


WHEN: TODAY, February 9, 2010, 5:30-6:30 pm


WHERE: Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 1. Gang Injunctions are Agenda Item #3.

If you wish to speak, you must fill out a speaker's card before the item is called. You can do so electronically by going to oaklandnet.com and under City Clerk's Office, you will see 'speaker card instructions'.

It's not going anywhere now. Council people on the committee were largely skeptical and wanted to see more details and what other proposals might family with such injunctions.

Audio from the meeting will be posted sometime in near future.