We needed some good news this week, and we got some – this press release from Todd came out today, but somehow the LA Times’ fine James Quealy beat us to the story. (Which is a bit of a pisser since we’ve done our share here fighting against gang injunctions in OC, sometimes as part of Chicanxs Unidxs, who were the plaintiffs here that made Spitzer do the right thing.)
But – all of a sudden! – after 18 years of pushing, 13 racist-in-practice, dubiously constitutional gang injunctions, severely limiting the civil liberties of 317 young men and women are gone from the OC! Todd has his own long press release which we’ll print, but first let’s let the plaintiffs have their say. Here’s Chicanxs Unidxs:
“This victory was made possible by our unwavering perseverance. After 18 years of struggle, we dismantled the oppressive system of gang injunctions. Our fight began over a decade ago when we won in Federal Court on the grounds of “Due Process,” a win that remains deeply relevant today.
“We were determined to find alternatives to the cycle of violence in our communities, alternatives that don’t rely on criminalization. This is a victory for the abolition of mass incarceration. Gang injunctions never worked – unless we define “working” as the criminalization of basic freedoms of expression. These injunctions terrorized youth and families while fueling the very industry of incarceration.
“Our strength came from partnerships with dedicated attorneys and a united community. This victory is rooted in a deep love for our people – a love that inspired us to keep pushing, even when the odds seemed insurmountable.”
See where they mention the “dedicated attorneys” – that would mainly be the great & tireless Sean Garcia-Leys and his Peace & Justice Law Center, who explained to Quealy that these OC injunctions were racially-biased because they only targeted alleged Latino criminal organizations despite Orange County being home to a number of white supremacist gangs who were never subjected to injunctions.
I’ll call Sean later to see what else he has to say, but for now here’s the rest of his statement to Quealy:
“Gang injunctions turned everyday activities into crimes for a generation. They were built on racial profiling, deliberately used to bypass due process, and for those reasons, abandoned in nearly every other county in California.
“With the Trump Administration weaponizing this kind of racist gang suppression to undermine due process across the country, it is more important than ever that we ensure all of Orange County’s communities are treated equally under the law.”
Caught between the rock of this righteous lawsuit AND the hard place of a 2022 state law that narrowly redefines gangs and gang activity, Todd Spitzer embraced the inevitable and finally gave up these “tools” that Tony Rackauckas left him. But he wants you to know he did it all “PRO-ACTIVELY.” Fine. I won’t argue or make fun of Todd today, we should all be celebrating. Here’s your DA:
OCDA Proactively Files Motion to Dissolve 13 Active Civil Gang Injunctions
Santa Ana – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has proactively filed a motion to dissolve 13 active gang injunctions against 317 individuals across Orange County from being restricted by the injunctions’ requirements, including associating with known gang members and wearing known gang clothing, in a specific area claimed by a criminal street gang. The injunctions were implemented between 2006 and January 2015.
Assembly Bill 333, enacted on January 1, 2022, significantly narrows what can be legally considered a “pattern of criminal gang activity” under Penal Code § 186.22 and changes the procedure for trial on gang enhancements, now requiring prosecutors to provide evidence of a pattern of criminal gang activity involving more than one gang member. At the time that each of the Orange County Gang Injunctions were signed by the Courts, a pattern of criminal gang activity by individuals could alone support a gang injunction.
The decision to dissolve the 13 gang injunctions was made after careful consultation with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the police chiefs of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Fullerton, and Orange who patrol the previously enjoined gang territories, as well as members of the community. There has been no law enforcement objections to this action.
The request for the dissolutions are without prejudice and the People can seek new injunctions in the event new gang activity occurs.
“After numerous audits and years of proactively removing individuals from these injunctions, we are now satisfied that these 13 gang injunctions have served their intended purpose and have now sought their dissolution. Gang injunctions are not intended to last for perpetuity; they are designed and implemented to correct criminal behavior, and it is clear that these 13 gang injunctions have served that exact purpose,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “We are constantly reevaluating the tools we have in order to protect our communities in the most efficient and effective way possible. These injunctions proved to be an incredibly powerful vehicle to protect people who have to live in gang-infested neighborhoods with those who terrorize and cannibalize their own neighborhoods through criminal street gangs.”
The 13 gang injunctions the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has moved to dissolve are:
- Boys From The Hood Criminal Street Gang – 06CC10916 – Anaheim – initiated February 9, 2006
- Santa Nita Criminal Street Gang – 06CC06903 –Santa Ana – initiated November 3, 2006
- Varrio Viejo Criminal Street Gang – 07CC19689 – San Juan Capistrano – initiated January 25, 2008
- Varrio Chico Criminal Street Gang – 07CC19690 – San Clemente – initiated January 25, 2008
- Orange County Criminals Criminal Street Gang – 30-2008 00107172 – Orange – initiated September 26, 2008
- Orange Varrio Cypress Criminal Street Gang – 30-2009-00118739 – Orange – May 14, 2009 [Wait a second, that one was never approved! – Vern]
- Hard Times Criminal Street Gang – 30-2009-00325327 – Garden Grove – initiated January 28, 2010
- Jeffrey Street Criminal Street Gang – 30-2010-00363220 – Anaheim – initiated June 25, 2010
- Family of Latin Kings Criminal Street Gang – 30-2011-00444493 – Anaheim – initiated March 30, 2011
- Fullerton Tokers Town Criminal Street Gang – 30-2011-00449392 – Fullerton – initiated May 23, 2011
- Crow Village Criminal Street Gang – 30-2012-00599218 – Stanton – initiated December 10, 2012
- East Side Anaheim Criminal Street Gang – 30-2012-00611844 – Anaheim – initiated January 14, 2013
- Townsend Criminal Street Gang – 30-2014-00727728 – Santa Ana – initiated January 15, 2015
Gang injunctions remain a lawful crime prevention tool, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office reserves the right to implement additional gang injunctions in the future in conjunction with local law enforcement.
In partnership with local law enforcement, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office continues to prioritize gang crime prevention and early intervention by dedicating resources to the Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP). OC GRIP has been, and continues to be, an important tool used to reduce the pervasiveness of gang activity in Orange County.
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Yeah, yeah, Mr. Proactive. Congratulations Sean & Chicanxs! Here are a couple of this blog’s previous posts about gang injunctions:
- T-Rack’s $4 Million-Dollar Gang Injunction Faceplant in Orange Varrio Cypress (2013)
- What’s a poor law-abiding person gotta do to get themselves off a GANG INJUNCTION in this County? (2020)
- Spitzer & SAPD Seek to EXPAND Townsend St. Gang Injunction Today. (2020)
- Chicanos Unidos Success: Spitzer Makes Gang-Injunction Removal Easier! (2020)
There are no ‘white supremacist’ gangs committing violent street crimes, despite your fantasies about it — these measures targeted mestizos (Latino, Hispanic are not racial categories) because they are the ones committing violent street crimes that take lives and harm people — it’s obvious that mestizos commit way more violent street crime than Whites.
And what a shocker: Spitzer is a Jew.
Not any more, he ain’t. He is of Jewish heritage, but he converted to Christianity — possibly out of faith, possibly because at that time it was the price of success in OC.
If you’re saying that Spitzer was born Jewish and that status is therefore irrevocable, get fucked, Nazi scum.
He was a Jew. He changed to appease Rackackaus (?). Way back Wednesday machine
https://www.ocweekly.com/todd-spitzer-keeps-digging-6414361/
Yeah, I remember being snarky about that when he broke with Tony, asking if he became Jewish once again.
If he wanted to become Jewish again, he would have to convert, and they don’t make that easy.
Is he still a Jew, then? Or is religion something to and from which one can convert?
Spit into the tube so we can test you for Nazism.
Ah yes – it was my 2010 “When Scumbags Collide” article, how could I forget? https://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2010/09/when-scumbags-collide-let-spitzer-do-his-damage-to-williams-and-t-rack/
“As Moxley details in his recent piece “Will the Real Todd Spitzer Please Stand Up,” Spitzer’s gone from being:
1. A Jewish firebrand decrying the corruption of T-Rack and the Schroeders and threatening the former with electoral challenge; to:
2. Spending 18 months as a loyal assistant prosecutor to the same crowd, “converting to Christianity” and fully expecting to be T-Rack’s anointed successor; to:
3. Now, after his sudden firing for asking the wrong questions of T-Rack ally John Williams’ office, becoming an aggrieved critic once again of the crowd’s corruption. (And perhaps even once again Jewish? Moxley doesn’t ask.)”