Oakland City Attorney
Oakland's latest gang injunction would cover part of the Fruitvale district.
The defense attorneys in the Norteño gang injunction case have asked Judge Robert Freedman to direct both parties to mediation hearings that would limit the scope of the proposed court order.
Judge Freedman has yet to issue a ruling. Closing arguments in the Fruitvale injunction were held on May 6. Meanwhile, City Attorney John Russo’s last day in office will be June 10. A replacement has yet to be named by the Oakland City Council, and Russo’s successor will most likely be chosen during a special election later this year.
On May 17th, attorneys for the city noted that the defense’s May 13th deadline for filing revisions to the proposed injunction had passed with no submissions by the defense, and asked the court to approve the court order against 40 alleged gang members.
The defense’s brief, filed on May 27th, points to recent developments as grounds for moving the case towards mediation to possibly remove some defendants from the injunction, limit the size of the injunction area and modify some of the restrictions on the movements and associations of the named defendants. On May 18, the Oakland City council voted to continue with the North Oakland and Fruitvale injunctions, with some modifications and barred the City Attorney from proceeding with a third injunction until the strategy is independently evaluated. Continue reading
