Doing something against gangs.
Way to go Guys!
keep it up.
Authorities have made it illegal for some suspected members of a violent street gang to congregate within a 1-square- mile area on the East Side where in recent months the gang has been involved in at least three drive-by shootings, two of them fatal, according to law enforcement officials.
District Attorney Susan Reed filed a petition Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order against 19 documented members of the gang, and 73rd District Judge Andy Mireles of the 73rd district signed the order creating a so-called East Side Safety Zone.
Within the zone’s boundaries, the suspected gang members are restricted from congregating or engaging in certain activities, including using a cell phone for illegal purposes and possessing alcohol. Violating a provision could result in a misdemeanor charge that could land a defendant in jail for up to one year.
“This is trying to break up the gang, break up the enterprise,” Reed said. “It’s a tool we give law enforcement to deal with the situation, to deal with the gang members.”
Police Chief William McManus said those targeted have been arrested on charges ranging from marijuana possession to murder and that 10 of them already were incarcerated Tuesday. Some of those arrests occurred as officers were investigating the gang’s activities for the proposed injunction.
A court hearing set for Aug. 11 could allow a more permanent injunction against the men, who range in age from 18 to 41 and whom? One police officer called the “most notorious” of the gang’s 249 members documented by local law enforcement.
Such injunctions typically last about two years. Two others ordered in 2006 that covered roughly the same area expired this year.
