Riverside’s anti-gang injunction is in force
Members of a notorious east Riverside gang are prohibited from loitering in many public areas under the terms of a preliminary injunction granted Friday by a Riverside County judge.
Superior Court Judge Edward D. Webster gave preliminary approval for the county’s first permanent gang injunction, which prohibits members of the East Side Riva gang -- under threat of prosecution -- from gathering in several public areas with any of the others named in the civil lawsuit. Members are also banned from possessing or using alcohol or drugs and disobeying imposed curfews.
Law enforcement officials say gang activity has made the community unsafe and eroded residents’ ability to enjoy public parks.
“This is a huge gang that commits a lot of crimes, and we’ve done everything we can to let the gang know, ‘Hey, we’re suing you,’ ” said Riverside County Deputy Dist. Atty. Jack Lucky.
Authorities named 114 of the suspected 500 members and associates of the gang, considered the county’s largest, in the injunction. Those named have had a combined total of more than 300 criminal convictions, including some for murder and assault, Lucky said.
Three alleged gang members who had been served the lawsuit appeared in court Friday to contest their inclusion in the injunction.
The judge gave them until Oct. 12 to submit written declarations disputing police investigators’ claims that they are affiliated with the gang.
Outside the courtroom, a half-dozen east Riverside residents said they felt that the injunction was too restrictive and would make traditional family gatherings at local parks impossible.
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