On Tuesday, May 17, Oakland City Council voted to move forward on the proposed gang injunction for the Fruitvale neighborhood.
This controversial crime fighting tool---which identifies supposed ‘gang members’ and limits their movement in a certain geographic area—is not new. We’ll look at the origins of the gang injunction strategy—in Los Angeles in the 1980’s—and see how far it’s spread: from LA, to San Francisco, to England and Wales.
The Oakland community is split in many ways. Across the board, there’s consensus that there’s too much crime and violence in Oakland; but where to direct the meager public money available is central to the debate.
This half hour radio-documentary would examine this controversial policing strategy, its impact on community safety, and examine the costs (both financial and human). We also want to address some of these questions:
-- What are the true costs of implementing the gang injunction? Do enforcement and legal/prosecution fees of gang injunctions divert resources from crucial community programs?
--Does this gang injunction lead to more racial profiling of young black and Latino men? Do the injunctions have a disproportionate impact on low-income communities of color?
--What are other solutions for folks who want to work for safer streets? We’ll look at alternative programs in other cities and states.
--Who stands to gain politically and financially from this strategy of fighting crime?
Mainstream media frequently presents gang injunctions in isolation as 'a way to fight gangs' without also examinining (or even mentioning) that other strategies exist.
This program will look at alternative strategies in Chicago, Salinas, and other communities. We'll examine why Contra Costa County recently de-funded its gang injunction program.
Mainstream media also doesn't look at the history of gang injunctions and examine the data on whether gang injunctions actually reduce crime rates.
This program will look at other cities' experiences with gang injunctions and will provide deeper analysis and investigation of this controversial policing trend.
