San Francisco Public Defender

LEGAL BRIEFS

• Public Defender Mission Gang Injunction Brief
• Public Defender Western Addition Gang Injunction Brief

RESEARCH STUDIES

• Justice Policy Institute Study: Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies
• Study on Gang Injunctions
• Study on Long Beach Gang Injunction

PRESS RELEASES

December 19, 2007 – Public Defender’s Office, ACLU, and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Call For Gang Injunction Exit Process 
October 19, 2007 – Public Defender’s Office Victorious in Removing Another Non-Gang Member From Gang Injunction List 
• October 15, 2007 – Public Defender Jeff Adachi Victorious in Removing Non-Gang Member Client From Gang Injunction List 
• September 28, 2007 – Innovative Gang Intervention Strategies Credited In Reducing Homicides in Los Angeles 
• September 18, 2007 – Public Defender Goes to Court to Oppose City Attorney’s Gang Injunction 
• July 18, 2007 – Study by Justice Policy Institute Questions Effectivenes of Gang Injunctions as Means of Reducing Gang Violence 

IN THE NEWS

• Restriction on alleged gang members assailed at City Hall hearing, by Wyatt Buchanan
  San Francisco Chronicle, December 11, 2007
• Gang ‘safety zones’ in cauldron of public hearing, by C.W. Nevius
  San Francisco Chronicle, December 11, 2007
• Supervisors question consequences of gang injunctions, by Brent Begin 
  San Francisco Examiner, December 11, 2007
• Judge grants injunction against members of three S.F. gangs, by Demian Bulwa
  San Francisco Chronicle, October 19, 2007
• Judge gives Norteños strict restrictions, by Demian Bulwa
  San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2007
• Injunction Dysfunction, by Dan Verel
  San Francisco Bay Guardian, October 3, 2007
• Big Drop in Homicides in L.A., by Hector Becerra and Richard Winton
  Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2007
• See no evil, hear no profiling – an argument wrong as always, by Jeff Adachi
  San Francisco Examiner, September 21, 2007
• The War on Gangs, Saving the streets or abusing civil rights? The debate churns over the City’s anti-gang campaign., by Martin Kuz,
  SF Weekly, August 22, 2007
• Guilt by association, by Jeff Adachi
  San Francisco Chronicle, August 2, 2007
• S.F. City Attorney IDs gang suspects; Public Defender slams city’s measure, by Bonnie Elsinger
  San Francisco Examiner, July 13, 2007
• City attorney seeks stay-away orders for 76 gang suspects; Injunctions asked in Mission District, Western Addition, by Bob Egelko
  San Francisco Chronicle, July 13, 2007
• City Attorney Herrera Asks for Gang Injunctions; Protests Follow; Cracking down on gang violence or stomping on civil rights?, interview with Valarie Grant.
  The Quake, 960 AM, July 12, 2007

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS/PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES:

Q. What is a gang injunction?
A. A gang injunction is a court issued restraining order prohibiting alleged gang members from participating in certain activities within a specified area. It is based on the theory that gang related conduct substantially interferes with the community’s comfortable enjoyment of life and property, and therefore constitutes a “public nuisance.”

P. ¿Qué es un mandato judicial contra pandillas criminales?
R. Un mandato judicial contra pandillas criminales es una prohibición legal que prohibe la participación de presuntos miembros de pandillas criminales en ciertas actividades dentro de un área designada. La prohibición se basa en la teoría que el comportamiento relacionado con una pandilla interfiere significativamente en el goce normal de la vida y de la propriedad de una comunidad y por lo tanto significa “una perturbación del orden público.”

Q. How does a gang injunction work?
A. The City Attorney files a request for an injunction in court, and a hearing date is set. Usually, the suit names several alleged “members” of the gang who are served with a notice to appear. The court then rules on a preliminary injunction, which keeps the injunction in place until a trial is held. At trial, the alleged “members” of the gang may contest the gang injunction in a hearing before a judge. If the judge finds that the injunction should be granted, an order is assigned and the injunction becomes permanent.

P. ¿Cómo funciona un mandato judicial contra pandillas?
A. El Fiscal de la Ciudad hace una petición a la corte para obtener el mandato judicial y se fija una fecha para una audiencia. Generalmente, la petición nombra a varios presuntos “miembros” de la pandilla a los cuales se les ha notificado que deben presentarse en la corte. La corte entonces dictamina sobre un mandato judicial preliminar y así pone en vigencia el mandato judicial hasta que se lleve a cabo el juicio. Durante el jucio, los presuntos “miembros” de la pandilla pueden recusar el mandato judicial contra la pandilla compareciendo frente a un juez. Si el juez falla a favor del mandato judicial, se fija la orden y el mandato judicial se vuelve permanente.

Q. Have gang injunctions been used before?
A. Yes, gang injunctions have been used since the early 1980s, primarily in Southern California. There are currently about 40 injunctions in place statewide.

P. ¿Se han usado los mandatos judiciales anteriormente?
R. Sí, los mandatos judiciales se han usado desde principios de los años 1980, especialmente en el sur de California. Actualmente hay unos 40 mandatos judiciales en vigor en el estado.

Q. What is the purpose of a gang injunction?
A. By prohibiting individuals from engaging in restricted activities within a designated area, law enforcement officers have more power to detain those they suspect to be gang affiliated, even if they might not have had the right to detain them before. A person who has been served with notice of the gang injunction and is alleged to be a gang member can also be arrested for violating a gang injunction by being present in the restricted area.

P. ¿Cuál es el objeto de un mandato judicial?
R. Al prohibirles a ciertos individuos el participar en actividades restringidas dentro de un área designada, los agentes de policía tienen más poder para detener a los que ellos sospechen de estar afiliados con una pandilla, aún cuando ellos no hubieran tenido ese derecho anteriormente. Una persona que haya recibido un aviso del mandato judicial contra pandillas y que es un presunto miembro de una pandilla también puede ser detenido por violar el mandato judicial al estar presente en un área restringida.

Q. What does the injunction prohibit?
A. People who have been served with an injunction, or who law enforcement suspect to be being gang affiliated, are forbidden from engaging in a host of activities, some of which are already illegal, such as selling drugs, vandalizing, trespassing, and possessing weapons. Other restricted activities may include non-criminal conduct, such as congregating in groups, associating with particular people, being out after a designated time, or wearing certain color clothing.

P. ¿Qué prohibe el mandato judicial?
R. Las personas que hayan recibido un aviso de un mandato judicial contra pandillas o aquéllos considerados bajo sospecha de estar afiliados con una pandilla por los agentes de la policía tienen prohibido tomar parte en una multitud de actividades, algunas ya son ilegales como la venta de drogas, la destruction de la propriedad, la entrada ilegal, y cargar armas. Otras actividades prohibidas podrían incluir comportamiento no criminal como congregarse en grupos, asociarse con ciertas personas, estar en la calle después de una hora designada, o vestirse con ropa de un color específico.

Q. Who can enforce the injunction?
A. Police Officers may arrest any person within the safety zone that they suspect is a gang member in violation of the injunction.

P. ¿Quién puede hacer cumplir un mandato judicial?
R. Los agentes de la policía pueden detener a cualquier persona dentro de la zona de seguridad que ellos sospechen ser miembro de una pandilla en violación del mandato judicial.

Q. What is the penalty for violating an injunction?
A. Violations of a gang injunction can be pursued civilly by the City Attorney, for monetary penalties and up to five days in county jail for each violation, or prosecuted criminally by the District Attorney, as a misdemeanor for up to six months in county jail.

P. ¿Cuál es la pena por violar un mandato judicial?
R. La violación de un mandato judicial contra pandillas criminales se puede procesar por vía civil ? el fiscal de la ciudad demanda una multa y hasta cinco días or cada violación en la cárcel del condado; o se puede procesar por vía criminal ? el fiscal del distrito lo enjuicia como delito menor y puede pedir hasta seis meses en la cárcel condado.

Q. How do I get out from under the injunction’s authority?
A. An alleged gang member who is under the authority of the injunction may free themselves from the restrictions by disassociating himself from the gang. This usually involves not associating with other gang members, wearing the clothing of the gang, nor representing the gang in any fashion.

P. ¿Cómo puedo librarme de la autoridad de un mandato judicial?
R. El presunto miembro de una pandilla afectado por el mandato judicial puede librarse de las restricciones desasociándose de la pandilla. Eso insume generalmente el no asociarse con otros miembros de la pandilla, no vestirse con ropa de la pandilla, y no representar la pandilla de ninguna manera.

Q. Does someone who violates the injunction have the right to an attorney?
A. Since gang injunctions are tools of the civil court system, you do not have the right to appointed counsel to challenge the filing of the injunction or to defend against a civil contempt proceeding. In these circumstances, you will have to hire your own attorney. However, if you are arrested for engaging in activity in violation of the injunction, are charged with misdemeanor contempt of court, and cannot afford an attorney, you may contact the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office at 415-553-1671.

P. ¿Alguien que viola el mandato judicial tiene derecho a un abogado?
R. Dado que los mandatos judiciales contra pandillas criminales son instrumentos del sistema de cortes civiles, la persona no tiene derecho a que le asignen un abogado para recusar el mandato judicial o para defenderse contra un cargo de desacato civil. En esos casos, tendría que buscar su proprio abogado. Sin embargo, si se le detiene por participar en una actividad que viola el mandato judicial o si se le carga con con un delito menor de desacato al tribunal y no puede pagar un abogado, puede comunicarse con la oficina del Abogado Defensor Público de San Francisco (San Francisco Public Defender’s Office) llamando al 415-553-1671.

Q. How long will the injunction be in place?
A. Forever.

P. ¿Cuánto tiempo dura un mandato judicial?
R. Para siempre.

Frequently Asked Questions: Gang Injunctions
Preguntas Frecuentes: Mandatos Judiciales Contra Pandillas Criminales