Superior Court Judge Yaffee Issues Preliminary Injunction against Two Monrovia Gangs
By Terry Miller
Published: Friday, December 18th, 2009
With yet another murder that appears connected with gangs just three days ago in the city of Monrovia, tensions are high again. and parents want answers.
Judge David Yaffee of Los Angeles Superior Court granted a temporary injunction Friday, specifically-naming 21 members of the Du-Roc Crips gang and 17 members of the Monrovia Nuevo Varrio gang.\
According to Monrovia’s city website:
Anti-gang injunctions are orders, issued by judges after hearings, that prohibit specifically identified individuals with proven gang affiliations from engaging in specific gang-related activities in specific geographical areas.
Monrovia’s injunction specifies that the identified members of the two gangs cannot congregate in public, drink alcohol, unlawfully possess weapons or cause graffiti inside of, or within 100 yards of, a “safety zone” that covers specific portions of the City and adjacent unincorporated County area – from Mountain Avenue on the east to Fifth Avenue on the west, and from Live Oak Avenue on the south to Foothill Boulevard on the north.
Violation of the injunction will be a misdemeanor, the same as any violation of a court order.
The District Attroney’s office has indicated that it will seek to make the injunction permenant in about a year.
The injunction was sought jointly by the City of Monrovia and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The agencies jointly compiled a long list of crimes in the City and adjacent County area that have occurred over time and that were tied to the two local gangs – along with a list of gang-related individuals who have been convicted of, or are suspected of, involvement in those crimes.
Other activities that police believe contributed to or enabled the criminal involvement of specific individuals were also documented, as was the geographic area in which the crimes and the related activities took place.
All of the documentation was submitted to the court as part of the hearing process. Gang members named in the injunction all had the opportunity to be represented and heard before the judge as the injunction hearings progressed over several months, and all will have a continuing right to appeal their inclusion on the list.
Monrovia Police Chief Roger Johnson said that his department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department and the District Attorney’s Office will be constantly evaluating the effectiveness of the injunction and, should it be made permanent, will continue to report back to the court periodically. The Monrovia Police Department will also report to the City Council on the injunction’s impact on crime and gang activities during the life of the order.
Chief Johnson said, “We continue to work with our community partners to take a wide approach to gang intervention. From the School District and YMCA to Monrovia’s churches, youth groups and neighborhood organizations, this is a communitywide effort on every front. The injunction is an important part of that overall plan.”
Both Chief Johnson and Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz stressed that the injunction is one of many tools being used in the fight against gang crime in the community.
“This is a major step in our long-term strategy to eliminate gang violence from Monrovia,” said Mayor Lutz. “It is not a panacea. The injunction alone does not solve the problem. But it adds an important new element to our anti-gang arsenal and over time it’s going to make a difference.”
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