Oakland Community Members Gather in Opposition to Gang Injunction

Within this so-called "Safety Zone," such activities as "driving, standing, sitting, walking, gathering or appearing" are punishable by fines up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.

City Attorney Russo's website states, "An injunction is similar to a restraining order. It would protect the neighborhood by restricting the behavior of a small group of hard core gang members within a specific area called a 'Safety Zone.'" Russo himself claims that these individuals "are part of a malevolent force that has crippled our city for decades and continues to hold Oakland back today."

However, the community members gathered at the downtown courthouse on Thursday did not support the notion that specific individuals are to blame for violence in Oakland, or that an injunction is the proper method to deal with violence in their community. Opponents believe that the injunction not only concentrates unnecessary power in the hands of police officials, it also essentially mandates racial profiling of Oakland youth. Concerns that the injunction violates the rights of Oakland’s youth – including that of due process – brought many to the rally that day. Oakland residents have expressed frustration that the root causes of violence, such as a lack of jobs and educational programs, are not addressed by the injunction.

Dorsey Nunn, Program Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, described the injunction as an attempt to categorize certain individuals as “a few bad apples,” justifying the abuse of their rights. He stated, “A ‘few bad apples’ ultimately mean they chop down the whole damn tree.”

Minister Keith Mohammed of the Nation of Islam also addressed the crowd. He stated that, upon interviewing some of the 19 individuals specifically targeted by the injunction – who presumably belong to the same gang – he discovered that some of them did not even know one another. He demanded that city officials “stop scapegoating the poor,” claiming that money and resources should be allocated to education and community-building efforts. He condemned the almost half a million dollars of Oakland’s budget spent on the injunction.