Redondo Wary of Ban on Gangs in Parks
It is unlikely that a ban on gang members in Redondo Beach parks, similar to the one approved this fall in the city of San Fernando, would work, city officials said this week.
Supported by Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner, San Fernando passed an ordinance in September banning gang members from a local park to quell a longstanding turf war that had left some residents injured. Soon afterward, Redondo Beach Mayor Brad Parton asked city staff members to investigate whether such a ban would work in Redondo Beach.
Though some local gang members have congregated in Redondo Beach parks, officials reported to the City Council this week that local parks lack the “clear and present danger” to justify such a ban. San Fernando’s ban only applies to gangs classified as criminal street gangs under state law.
“We could not demonstrate a clear and present danger or a state of emergency threatening the welfare of the public which is required to pass this type of ordinance,” Police Chief Roger Moulton said in a memo.
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