Gang-Injunction Once Again Grinds To a Halt

Yolo County prosecutors have to go back to the drawing board yet again after another state appeals court struck down very similar language.

Jay-Allen Eisen who is one of several defense attorneys representing some of those named as alleged Broderick Boys said:

“These (gang injunction) cases seem to be coordinated. The complaints look pretty much the same around the state… “They all ask for the same thing, so as the court rules one part of one of these injunctions is okay or is bad, that affects the other cases… They don’t tell you what ‘outside’ means. In your own front yard, in your own backyard? The curfew language is so vague that nobody can understand it.”

As I have suggested for sometime on this blog, the West Sacramento Gang Injunction pushes up against constitutionality by its very nature. Instead of trying people for what they have done and can be proven to have done, it attempts to somehow distinguish people in advance and then permanently enjoin them for participating in activities that are permissible to all other citizens.

The problem now is that in order to cover a broad range of activities, the laws have had to be very vague. This had led to legal challenges and portions of laws being thrown out.

For instance, the last gang-injunction was so broad that it only named one individual by name and that individual did not even live in West Sacramento. So the individuals affected eventually by the injunction had no opportunity to challenge it in a court of law.

They also used a portion of the law known as unincorporated association in order to tie gang members together in some sort of common bond, again as a means to make their very association illegal and thus enjoin them from specific activities.

The tragedy of all of this is that there are enough laws on the books already that make gang activities illegal. The difficulty apparently with following those laws is that they have to actually wait for a crime to be committed and then to convict an individual in a court of law.

It would seem to me that if you want to use the law as a preventative rather than reactive measure here, then you simply need to prove with the burden of proof on the prosecution that the individual is an actual and current gang member and if you can prove that, then you have a good chance of having the law upheld.

There seems to be resistance for that. Proponents of this and other gang injunctions have argued that the law has worked and reduced crime. I would counter that the law does not work when it gets repeatedly thrown out by various courts.

And having laws that are written vary similarly are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is clearly a joint and collective understanding of how laws need to be written in order to pass constitutional muster.

On the other hand, what we see here is that a law that is thrown out in one location, affects many other locations. When the West Sacramento law got thrown out last summer primarily due to a failure to properly notice defendants, another clause–the unincorporated association clause–got thrown out as well which caused a number of jurisdictions to face either similar challenges or to hastily re-write their laws.

In the end, attempts to skirt constitutional protections put both law breakers and law abiders in peril.

Critics have argued that some of those specifically named are not involved in criminal activity or gangs. Some have turned their lives around. Others are already in prison.

So while there are many who swear by it, one has to wonder if they have actually achieved what they have hoped to achieve and in the meantime, they have to re-write the law yet again–probably not for the last time.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting

About The Author

David Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

Related posts

32 Comments

  1. 無名 - wu ming

    i suspect that these injunctions are about incompetent, lazy police forces trying to cover for their inability to actually investigate, prosecute and convict criminals with actual evidence.

    if you know who has committed an actual crime, investigate them, arrest them, and make the charges stick with solid evidence.

    if you can’t do that, and you don’t know who actually is committing crimes, you have no business arresting people for legal behavior.

    innocent until proven guilty, even if you are poor, black or latino. even if you have friends and family who have gotten in trouble with the law. even if you “look like a criminal.”

    because the same tools that can be used to treat one class of people or one community as potentially criminal can be used to do the same to any group or community, once a precedent is set.

  2. 無名 - wu ming

    i suspect that these injunctions are about incompetent, lazy police forces trying to cover for their inability to actually investigate, prosecute and convict criminals with actual evidence.

    if you know who has committed an actual crime, investigate them, arrest them, and make the charges stick with solid evidence.

    if you can’t do that, and you don’t know who actually is committing crimes, you have no business arresting people for legal behavior.

    innocent until proven guilty, even if you are poor, black or latino. even if you have friends and family who have gotten in trouble with the law. even if you “look like a criminal.”

    because the same tools that can be used to treat one class of people or one community as potentially criminal can be used to do the same to any group or community, once a precedent is set.

  3. 無名 - wu ming

    i suspect that these injunctions are about incompetent, lazy police forces trying to cover for their inability to actually investigate, prosecute and convict criminals with actual evidence.

    if you know who has committed an actual crime, investigate them, arrest them, and make the charges stick with solid evidence.

    if you can’t do that, and you don’t know who actually is committing crimes, you have no business arresting people for legal behavior.

    innocent until proven guilty, even if you are poor, black or latino. even if you have friends and family who have gotten in trouble with the law. even if you “look like a criminal.”

    because the same tools that can be used to treat one class of people or one community as potentially criminal can be used to do the same to any group or community, once a precedent is set.

  4. 無名 - wu ming

    i suspect that these injunctions are about incompetent, lazy police forces trying to cover for their inability to actually investigate, prosecute and convict criminals with actual evidence.

    if you know who has committed an actual crime, investigate them, arrest them, and make the charges stick with solid evidence.

    if you can’t do that, and you don’t know who actually is committing crimes, you have no business arresting people for legal behavior.

    innocent until proven guilty, even if you are poor, black or latino. even if you have friends and family who have gotten in trouble with the law. even if you “look like a criminal.”

    because the same tools that can be used to treat one class of people or one community as potentially criminal can be used to do the same to any group or community, once a precedent is set.

  5. Attorney at Law

    As difficult a process as this is, it is typically how appropriate law devolves. Someone proposes language that they think will stick, then some clever defense attorney challenges it. If the statute does not pass muster, the courts will strike the law down (and usually give some indication of how it can be corrected). This operation will go back and forth a number of times, and is part of the natural legal process, painful as lay people find it.

    The problem here is that the Broderick Boys are known to be a violent gang, or at least that is my understanding from what I read in the newspapers. Apparently members of this gang have been linked with a crime in which two engineers were dragged off a train heading toward Davis. The pair of victims were badly beaten, and hospitalized with serious injuries. If you know anything about bad head injuries, often the person effected is never the same again physically or emotionally. Just ask the trucker who was nearly beaten to death during the “Rodney King riots” in Los Angeles.

    Law enforcement and the DA’s Office would like to head off this sort of violence BEFORE it happens – a laudable goal. However, they must still abide by the constitution – which at times gives wide latitude in interpretation. The founding fathers built this flexibility into the Constitution on purpose – to allow for a natural tension between competing interests. In this case the tension is between constitutional rights versus the public safety.

    It is not an easy line to walk; neither is it a bright yellow line; and it is difficult to craft language that offers protection from violence to citizens while safeguarding consitutional rights – including the rights of potential perpetrators of crime. Remember, the police actually saw the aftermath of this bloody episode of gang brutality – and I am sure it was a sobering experience. How would you feel if it was your family member laying on the ground at death’s door because some hoodlum was participating in a gang initiation ritual or whatever?

    The courts have asked the DA’s Office to go back to the drawing board and get it right. Well, what is right? Perhaps commenters on this blog would like to offer suggestions to the DA’s Office as to how the language needs to be crafted to protect the public without running afoul of the Constitution. Believe me, it is not an easy task, and takes many iterations to get it right.

    Be glad law enforcement is at least trying to address the gang problem. If you don’t like the way they are handling things, make some suggestions as a community – because it will take an entire village to solve the problem. Citizens must work hand in hand with law enforcement, and vice versa, to get a firm handle on crime.

  6. Attorney at Law

    As difficult a process as this is, it is typically how appropriate law devolves. Someone proposes language that they think will stick, then some clever defense attorney challenges it. If the statute does not pass muster, the courts will strike the law down (and usually give some indication of how it can be corrected). This operation will go back and forth a number of times, and is part of the natural legal process, painful as lay people find it.

    The problem here is that the Broderick Boys are known to be a violent gang, or at least that is my understanding from what I read in the newspapers. Apparently members of this gang have been linked with a crime in which two engineers were dragged off a train heading toward Davis. The pair of victims were badly beaten, and hospitalized with serious injuries. If you know anything about bad head injuries, often the person effected is never the same again physically or emotionally. Just ask the trucker who was nearly beaten to death during the “Rodney King riots” in Los Angeles.

    Law enforcement and the DA’s Office would like to head off this sort of violence BEFORE it happens – a laudable goal. However, they must still abide by the constitution – which at times gives wide latitude in interpretation. The founding fathers built this flexibility into the Constitution on purpose – to allow for a natural tension between competing interests. In this case the tension is between constitutional rights versus the public safety.

    It is not an easy line to walk; neither is it a bright yellow line; and it is difficult to craft language that offers protection from violence to citizens while safeguarding consitutional rights – including the rights of potential perpetrators of crime. Remember, the police actually saw the aftermath of this bloody episode of gang brutality – and I am sure it was a sobering experience. How would you feel if it was your family member laying on the ground at death’s door because some hoodlum was participating in a gang initiation ritual or whatever?

    The courts have asked the DA’s Office to go back to the drawing board and get it right. Well, what is right? Perhaps commenters on this blog would like to offer suggestions to the DA’s Office as to how the language needs to be crafted to protect the public without running afoul of the Constitution. Believe me, it is not an easy task, and takes many iterations to get it right.

    Be glad law enforcement is at least trying to address the gang problem. If you don’t like the way they are handling things, make some suggestions as a community – because it will take an entire village to solve the problem. Citizens must work hand in hand with law enforcement, and vice versa, to get a firm handle on crime.

  7. Attorney at Law

    As difficult a process as this is, it is typically how appropriate law devolves. Someone proposes language that they think will stick, then some clever defense attorney challenges it. If the statute does not pass muster, the courts will strike the law down (and usually give some indication of how it can be corrected). This operation will go back and forth a number of times, and is part of the natural legal process, painful as lay people find it.

    The problem here is that the Broderick Boys are known to be a violent gang, or at least that is my understanding from what I read in the newspapers. Apparently members of this gang have been linked with a crime in which two engineers were dragged off a train heading toward Davis. The pair of victims were badly beaten, and hospitalized with serious injuries. If you know anything about bad head injuries, often the person effected is never the same again physically or emotionally. Just ask the trucker who was nearly beaten to death during the “Rodney King riots” in Los Angeles.

    Law enforcement and the DA’s Office would like to head off this sort of violence BEFORE it happens – a laudable goal. However, they must still abide by the constitution – which at times gives wide latitude in interpretation. The founding fathers built this flexibility into the Constitution on purpose – to allow for a natural tension between competing interests. In this case the tension is between constitutional rights versus the public safety.

    It is not an easy line to walk; neither is it a bright yellow line; and it is difficult to craft language that offers protection from violence to citizens while safeguarding consitutional rights – including the rights of potential perpetrators of crime. Remember, the police actually saw the aftermath of this bloody episode of gang brutality – and I am sure it was a sobering experience. How would you feel if it was your family member laying on the ground at death’s door because some hoodlum was participating in a gang initiation ritual or whatever?

    The courts have asked the DA’s Office to go back to the drawing board and get it right. Well, what is right? Perhaps commenters on this blog would like to offer suggestions to the DA’s Office as to how the language needs to be crafted to protect the public without running afoul of the Constitution. Believe me, it is not an easy task, and takes many iterations to get it right.

    Be glad law enforcement is at least trying to address the gang problem. If you don’t like the way they are handling things, make some suggestions as a community – because it will take an entire village to solve the problem. Citizens must work hand in hand with law enforcement, and vice versa, to get a firm handle on crime.

  8. Attorney at Law

    As difficult a process as this is, it is typically how appropriate law devolves. Someone proposes language that they think will stick, then some clever defense attorney challenges it. If the statute does not pass muster, the courts will strike the law down (and usually give some indication of how it can be corrected). This operation will go back and forth a number of times, and is part of the natural legal process, painful as lay people find it.

    The problem here is that the Broderick Boys are known to be a violent gang, or at least that is my understanding from what I read in the newspapers. Apparently members of this gang have been linked with a crime in which two engineers were dragged off a train heading toward Davis. The pair of victims were badly beaten, and hospitalized with serious injuries. If you know anything about bad head injuries, often the person effected is never the same again physically or emotionally. Just ask the trucker who was nearly beaten to death during the “Rodney King riots” in Los Angeles.

    Law enforcement and the DA’s Office would like to head off this sort of violence BEFORE it happens – a laudable goal. However, they must still abide by the constitution – which at times gives wide latitude in interpretation. The founding fathers built this flexibility into the Constitution on purpose – to allow for a natural tension between competing interests. In this case the tension is between constitutional rights versus the public safety.

    It is not an easy line to walk; neither is it a bright yellow line; and it is difficult to craft language that offers protection from violence to citizens while safeguarding consitutional rights – including the rights of potential perpetrators of crime. Remember, the police actually saw the aftermath of this bloody episode of gang brutality – and I am sure it was a sobering experience. How would you feel if it was your family member laying on the ground at death’s door because some hoodlum was participating in a gang initiation ritual or whatever?

    The courts have asked the DA’s Office to go back to the drawing board and get it right. Well, what is right? Perhaps commenters on this blog would like to offer suggestions to the DA’s Office as to how the language needs to be crafted to protect the public without running afoul of the Constitution. Believe me, it is not an easy task, and takes many iterations to get it right.

    Be glad law enforcement is at least trying to address the gang problem. If you don’t like the way they are handling things, make some suggestions as a community – because it will take an entire village to solve the problem. Citizens must work hand in hand with law enforcement, and vice versa, to get a firm handle on crime.

  9. Anonymous

    One of the ways that people like the “Broderick Boys” members can be stopped is to catch them before they mature into hardened criminals. This means it is IMPERATIVE for people to call the police when they see “petty” crimes such as graffitti happening. In doing so, the citizen ensures 1) a stop to the graffitti; 2) the criminal being permanentely associated with the gang whose symbols he tagged (and thus being subject to gang injuctions); and 3) prevention of further graffitti at the same location which further marginalizes the gang. If people would report these types of crime more, it would result in more of “Them” in the system (which, in anticipation of arguments to the contrary, is a good thing). We are not powerless in this struggle…we *can* help law enforcement succeed! After all, is anyone really free in America if they’re afraid to sleep with thier windows open, or walk down to the store at night for cigarettes etc.?

  10. Anonymous

    One of the ways that people like the “Broderick Boys” members can be stopped is to catch them before they mature into hardened criminals. This means it is IMPERATIVE for people to call the police when they see “petty” crimes such as graffitti happening. In doing so, the citizen ensures 1) a stop to the graffitti; 2) the criminal being permanentely associated with the gang whose symbols he tagged (and thus being subject to gang injuctions); and 3) prevention of further graffitti at the same location which further marginalizes the gang. If people would report these types of crime more, it would result in more of “Them” in the system (which, in anticipation of arguments to the contrary, is a good thing). We are not powerless in this struggle…we *can* help law enforcement succeed! After all, is anyone really free in America if they’re afraid to sleep with thier windows open, or walk down to the store at night for cigarettes etc.?

  11. Anonymous

    One of the ways that people like the “Broderick Boys” members can be stopped is to catch them before they mature into hardened criminals. This means it is IMPERATIVE for people to call the police when they see “petty” crimes such as graffitti happening. In doing so, the citizen ensures 1) a stop to the graffitti; 2) the criminal being permanentely associated with the gang whose symbols he tagged (and thus being subject to gang injuctions); and 3) prevention of further graffitti at the same location which further marginalizes the gang. If people would report these types of crime more, it would result in more of “Them” in the system (which, in anticipation of arguments to the contrary, is a good thing). We are not powerless in this struggle…we *can* help law enforcement succeed! After all, is anyone really free in America if they’re afraid to sleep with thier windows open, or walk down to the store at night for cigarettes etc.?

  12. Anonymous

    One of the ways that people like the “Broderick Boys” members can be stopped is to catch them before they mature into hardened criminals. This means it is IMPERATIVE for people to call the police when they see “petty” crimes such as graffitti happening. In doing so, the citizen ensures 1) a stop to the graffitti; 2) the criminal being permanentely associated with the gang whose symbols he tagged (and thus being subject to gang injuctions); and 3) prevention of further graffitti at the same location which further marginalizes the gang. If people would report these types of crime more, it would result in more of “Them” in the system (which, in anticipation of arguments to the contrary, is a good thing). We are not powerless in this struggle…we *can* help law enforcement succeed! After all, is anyone really free in America if they’re afraid to sleep with thier windows open, or walk down to the store at night for cigarettes etc.?

  13. attorney at law

    To last comment by anonymous, I couldn’t agree with you more! Heading off the gang problem and the crime that goes with it is the best possible solution. But the police cannot do it alone – citizens have to step up to the plate and be committed to assisting to solve the issue. Now trust me, that is not a fool proof solution either – as evidenced by neighborhood “whistle blowers” being targeted for retribution by gang members. However, if an entire neighborhood stands together – there is a much greater likelihood of removing crime and gangs from our neighborhoods.

    I would also suggest after school programs, where kids can go when parents aren’t home. Supervision is imperative – kids with too much time on their hands get into a lot of trouble and are more vulnerable to outside influences.

    Additionally, citizens need to stand up against the filth that is coming out of the music industry, encouraging gang activity and violence against cops. Gangsta rappers, etc. of all ethnicities are making boatloads of money off of corrupting our youth. The formation of gangs is an insidious process, that has many root causes. Prevention is key!

  14. attorney at law

    To last comment by anonymous, I couldn’t agree with you more! Heading off the gang problem and the crime that goes with it is the best possible solution. But the police cannot do it alone – citizens have to step up to the plate and be committed to assisting to solve the issue. Now trust me, that is not a fool proof solution either – as evidenced by neighborhood “whistle blowers” being targeted for retribution by gang members. However, if an entire neighborhood stands together – there is a much greater likelihood of removing crime and gangs from our neighborhoods.

    I would also suggest after school programs, where kids can go when parents aren’t home. Supervision is imperative – kids with too much time on their hands get into a lot of trouble and are more vulnerable to outside influences.

    Additionally, citizens need to stand up against the filth that is coming out of the music industry, encouraging gang activity and violence against cops. Gangsta rappers, etc. of all ethnicities are making boatloads of money off of corrupting our youth. The formation of gangs is an insidious process, that has many root causes. Prevention is key!

  15. attorney at law

    To last comment by anonymous, I couldn’t agree with you more! Heading off the gang problem and the crime that goes with it is the best possible solution. But the police cannot do it alone – citizens have to step up to the plate and be committed to assisting to solve the issue. Now trust me, that is not a fool proof solution either – as evidenced by neighborhood “whistle blowers” being targeted for retribution by gang members. However, if an entire neighborhood stands together – there is a much greater likelihood of removing crime and gangs from our neighborhoods.

    I would also suggest after school programs, where kids can go when parents aren’t home. Supervision is imperative – kids with too much time on their hands get into a lot of trouble and are more vulnerable to outside influences.

    Additionally, citizens need to stand up against the filth that is coming out of the music industry, encouraging gang activity and violence against cops. Gangsta rappers, etc. of all ethnicities are making boatloads of money off of corrupting our youth. The formation of gangs is an insidious process, that has many root causes. Prevention is key!

  16. attorney at law

    To last comment by anonymous, I couldn’t agree with you more! Heading off the gang problem and the crime that goes with it is the best possible solution. But the police cannot do it alone – citizens have to step up to the plate and be committed to assisting to solve the issue. Now trust me, that is not a fool proof solution either – as evidenced by neighborhood “whistle blowers” being targeted for retribution by gang members. However, if an entire neighborhood stands together – there is a much greater likelihood of removing crime and gangs from our neighborhoods.

    I would also suggest after school programs, where kids can go when parents aren’t home. Supervision is imperative – kids with too much time on their hands get into a lot of trouble and are more vulnerable to outside influences.

    Additionally, citizens need to stand up against the filth that is coming out of the music industry, encouraging gang activity and violence against cops. Gangsta rappers, etc. of all ethnicities are making boatloads of money off of corrupting our youth. The formation of gangs is an insidious process, that has many root causes. Prevention is key!

  17. mrsedeet

    As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.”

    The Police Injunction on the residents of Broderick is more criminal then the claims they make in their complaint against the 23 named defendants, oops not 23 any more since the DA made a deal with the Public Defender’s office against their client(s?) to dismiss their cases since Barry Melton no longer wanted his office on the matter (hmmm, wander why?)Maybe too political? I guess yes.

    As for community involvement, we have as a community tried to engage civic leaders on the issue by having a town hall meeting (hmm, no city council members showed up) and they are the overseeing body of this city, including the police department.

    What it all boils down to is politics, gentrification and profiling (yes, I used the race card because that’s the God-honest truth)!!!

  18. mrsedeet

    As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.”

    The Police Injunction on the residents of Broderick is more criminal then the claims they make in their complaint against the 23 named defendants, oops not 23 any more since the DA made a deal with the Public Defender’s office against their client(s?) to dismiss their cases since Barry Melton no longer wanted his office on the matter (hmmm, wander why?)Maybe too political? I guess yes.

    As for community involvement, we have as a community tried to engage civic leaders on the issue by having a town hall meeting (hmm, no city council members showed up) and they are the overseeing body of this city, including the police department.

    What it all boils down to is politics, gentrification and profiling (yes, I used the race card because that’s the God-honest truth)!!!

  19. mrsedeet

    As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.”

    The Police Injunction on the residents of Broderick is more criminal then the claims they make in their complaint against the 23 named defendants, oops not 23 any more since the DA made a deal with the Public Defender’s office against their client(s?) to dismiss their cases since Barry Melton no longer wanted his office on the matter (hmmm, wander why?)Maybe too political? I guess yes.

    As for community involvement, we have as a community tried to engage civic leaders on the issue by having a town hall meeting (hmm, no city council members showed up) and they are the overseeing body of this city, including the police department.

    What it all boils down to is politics, gentrification and profiling (yes, I used the race card because that’s the God-honest truth)!!!

  20. mrsedeet

    As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.”

    The Police Injunction on the residents of Broderick is more criminal then the claims they make in their complaint against the 23 named defendants, oops not 23 any more since the DA made a deal with the Public Defender’s office against their client(s?) to dismiss their cases since Barry Melton no longer wanted his office on the matter (hmmm, wander why?)Maybe too political? I guess yes.

    As for community involvement, we have as a community tried to engage civic leaders on the issue by having a town hall meeting (hmm, no city council members showed up) and they are the overseeing body of this city, including the police department.

    What it all boils down to is politics, gentrification and profiling (yes, I used the race card because that’s the God-honest truth)!!!

  21. Anonymous

    To Wu Ming,
    I am surprised at your blanket condemnation of law enforcement. You made a very biased statement without any facts. If you know who did it “investigate and arrest etc.”. How simplistic wow you’re more clueless than I thought.
    I would imagine the West Sac Police Department has a ride along program. Why don’t you call them an do a ride along on a Friday or Saturday night or both.
    Or better yet so that you don’t have to endanger your life like the lazy police forces do, why don’t see if you can get hold of the crime stats for the last year or two in west sac and see which group commits the most number of
    crimes.
    Another thought ,could these criminal gangs be the offspring of illegal immigrants? How about shutting the border down for 10 or 15 years to prevent further growth of the norteno’s or sureno’s in one hell of alot of American cities.
    Have you been to broderick lately? How about going there and talking with victims, preferrably on a late Friday or Saturday night. You could go door to door and walk the neighborhood alone. If you are accosted by the criminal element while doing this don’t expect help from the lazy police forces.
    Is this a class war? No, it’s a war against the criminal element. I grew up in those kinds of neighborhoods and you are so ignorant of the facts it’s hard to believe.

  22. Anonymous

    To Wu Ming,
    I am surprised at your blanket condemnation of law enforcement. You made a very biased statement without any facts. If you know who did it “investigate and arrest etc.”. How simplistic wow you’re more clueless than I thought.
    I would imagine the West Sac Police Department has a ride along program. Why don’t you call them an do a ride along on a Friday or Saturday night or both.
    Or better yet so that you don’t have to endanger your life like the lazy police forces do, why don’t see if you can get hold of the crime stats for the last year or two in west sac and see which group commits the most number of
    crimes.
    Another thought ,could these criminal gangs be the offspring of illegal immigrants? How about shutting the border down for 10 or 15 years to prevent further growth of the norteno’s or sureno’s in one hell of alot of American cities.
    Have you been to broderick lately? How about going there and talking with victims, preferrably on a late Friday or Saturday night. You could go door to door and walk the neighborhood alone. If you are accosted by the criminal element while doing this don’t expect help from the lazy police forces.
    Is this a class war? No, it’s a war against the criminal element. I grew up in those kinds of neighborhoods and you are so ignorant of the facts it’s hard to believe.

  23. Anonymous

    To Wu Ming,
    I am surprised at your blanket condemnation of law enforcement. You made a very biased statement without any facts. If you know who did it “investigate and arrest etc.”. How simplistic wow you’re more clueless than I thought.
    I would imagine the West Sac Police Department has a ride along program. Why don’t you call them an do a ride along on a Friday or Saturday night or both.
    Or better yet so that you don’t have to endanger your life like the lazy police forces do, why don’t see if you can get hold of the crime stats for the last year or two in west sac and see which group commits the most number of
    crimes.
    Another thought ,could these criminal gangs be the offspring of illegal immigrants? How about shutting the border down for 10 or 15 years to prevent further growth of the norteno’s or sureno’s in one hell of alot of American cities.
    Have you been to broderick lately? How about going there and talking with victims, preferrably on a late Friday or Saturday night. You could go door to door and walk the neighborhood alone. If you are accosted by the criminal element while doing this don’t expect help from the lazy police forces.
    Is this a class war? No, it’s a war against the criminal element. I grew up in those kinds of neighborhoods and you are so ignorant of the facts it’s hard to believe.

  24. Anonymous

    To Wu Ming,
    I am surprised at your blanket condemnation of law enforcement. You made a very biased statement without any facts. If you know who did it “investigate and arrest etc.”. How simplistic wow you’re more clueless than I thought.
    I would imagine the West Sac Police Department has a ride along program. Why don’t you call them an do a ride along on a Friday or Saturday night or both.
    Or better yet so that you don’t have to endanger your life like the lazy police forces do, why don’t see if you can get hold of the crime stats for the last year or two in west sac and see which group commits the most number of
    crimes.
    Another thought ,could these criminal gangs be the offspring of illegal immigrants? How about shutting the border down for 10 or 15 years to prevent further growth of the norteno’s or sureno’s in one hell of alot of American cities.
    Have you been to broderick lately? How about going there and talking with victims, preferrably on a late Friday or Saturday night. You could go door to door and walk the neighborhood alone. If you are accosted by the criminal element while doing this don’t expect help from the lazy police forces.
    Is this a class war? No, it’s a war against the criminal element. I grew up in those kinds of neighborhoods and you are so ignorant of the facts it’s hard to believe.

  25. attorney at law

    “As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.””

    If the “juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick” (involved in the Amtrak incident) were not Broderick Boys, then why didn’t the community and the Broderick Boys do something substantive to catch the bad guys? Are you saying the Broderick Boys are never involved in violent crime, despite what we read in the newspapers? Because if the newspapers got it wrong, they can be sued for libel. Would newspapers go that far out on a limb to report untruths? For what purpose? Did you right a letter to the editors of the various newspapers, asking them to set the record straight? Have the Broderick Boys done anything to show their commitment to the community lately – other than to post signs they are giving away free trees to improve their image? How about the Broderick Boys actively doing something about the high crime rate in West Sacramento? Perhaps they could raise funding to create after school programs for at-risk youth. The Broderick Boys need to be part of the solution, not the problem.

  26. attorney at law

    “As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.””

    If the “juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick” (involved in the Amtrak incident) were not Broderick Boys, then why didn’t the community and the Broderick Boys do something substantive to catch the bad guys? Are you saying the Broderick Boys are never involved in violent crime, despite what we read in the newspapers? Because if the newspapers got it wrong, they can be sued for libel. Would newspapers go that far out on a limb to report untruths? For what purpose? Did you right a letter to the editors of the various newspapers, asking them to set the record straight? Have the Broderick Boys done anything to show their commitment to the community lately – other than to post signs they are giving away free trees to improve their image? How about the Broderick Boys actively doing something about the high crime rate in West Sacramento? Perhaps they could raise funding to create after school programs for at-risk youth. The Broderick Boys need to be part of the solution, not the problem.

  27. attorney at law

    “As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.””

    If the “juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick” (involved in the Amtrak incident) were not Broderick Boys, then why didn’t the community and the Broderick Boys do something substantive to catch the bad guys? Are you saying the Broderick Boys are never involved in violent crime, despite what we read in the newspapers? Because if the newspapers got it wrong, they can be sued for libel. Would newspapers go that far out on a limb to report untruths? For what purpose? Did you right a letter to the editors of the various newspapers, asking them to set the record straight? Have the Broderick Boys done anything to show their commitment to the community lately – other than to post signs they are giving away free trees to improve their image? How about the Broderick Boys actively doing something about the high crime rate in West Sacramento? Perhaps they could raise funding to create after school programs for at-risk youth. The Broderick Boys need to be part of the solution, not the problem.

  28. attorney at law

    “As a community member of West Sacramento, I plead to outsiders: please don’t believe everything you read in the paper about how our community is being held under siege by the Broderick Boy gang, and especially when it comes to the Amtrak incident. These kids were juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick, but of course, the media profiles and then they are labeled “Broderick Boys.””

    If the “juvenile delinquents who happened to live in Broderick” (involved in the Amtrak incident) were not Broderick Boys, then why didn’t the community and the Broderick Boys do something substantive to catch the bad guys? Are you saying the Broderick Boys are never involved in violent crime, despite what we read in the newspapers? Because if the newspapers got it wrong, they can be sued for libel. Would newspapers go that far out on a limb to report untruths? For what purpose? Did you right a letter to the editors of the various newspapers, asking them to set the record straight? Have the Broderick Boys done anything to show their commitment to the community lately – other than to post signs they are giving away free trees to improve their image? How about the Broderick Boys actively doing something about the high crime rate in West Sacramento? Perhaps they could raise funding to create after school programs for at-risk youth. The Broderick Boys need to be part of the solution, not the problem.

Leave a Reply

X Close

Newsletter Sign-Up

X Close

Monthly Subscriber Sign-Up

Enter the maximum amount you want to pay each month
$ USD
Sign up for