Police Search Residences of Gang Members

For the second time in four days, police searched the homes of gang members in Fillmore, arresting seven and drawing the ire of Latino activists who say such early morning raids constitute harassment.

More than 80 officers from four Ventura County law enforcement agencies Friday searched 10 homes of young men who had agreed to spot searches as a term of probation, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard Diaz.

The searches are vital in the fight against gang violence, Diaz said. “This is an ongoing effort to take guns, criminals and gang members off the streets and kind of break their step a little bit,” he said.

The officers confiscated weapons, arrested four men and three juveniles, and scuffled with one suspect, Diaz said.

The man, Eloy Ramirez, 18, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He later required stitches to his head, a nursing supervisor at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital said.

Friday morning, about 40 people gathered for a press conference at the home of 20-year-old Jesse Gomez Jr., who was wounded last week by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy. They said their culture is under attack by a society that equates dark skin with gangs.

Most of the participants also decried the Friday raids.

“In the absence of education about what is and what is not a Latino culture versus behavior that is popularly referred to as gang-related, there will continue to be an abuse of our segment of the community by law enforcement,” said Gabriel Serrano, who heads an activist group.

Gomez’s father, Jesse Gomez Sr., said he doesn’t discount problems of youth violence but questioned why gang labels are often attached to Latino teen-agers and not to their white counterparts.

“These kinds of (images) keep Anglos in fear of us,” Gomez said. “Stop the stereotyping now.”

The younger Gomez was shot in the face Feb. 26 by an off-duty deputy who answered a call about a disturbance at D Street and Bluejay Avenue. Deputy Michael Hasty fired after he saw Gomez shoot a gun into a crowd and then point the gun at Hasty, police said.

Two of his friends, who were running from the scene when Gomez was shot, said the group was fleeing a fight after they heard police were called. Gomez did not shoot his gun and probably did not have time to point the weapon at Hasty, said Jaime Gonzalez, 20.

“We were running and I turned around when I heard two gunshots. . . . All I saw was Jesse dropping to the ground,” said Gonzalez of Fillmore. The officer shot to kill, Gonzalez said. “He wasn’t shooting to slow him down or stop him,” he said.

“It was unnecessary use of force that appears to have resulted in the permanent disabling of a 20-year-old,” Gomez Sr. said.

Jesse Gomez was upgraded to stable condition Friday at Ventura County Medical Center.

However, police have concluded that Gomez shot his gun, said Detective Sgt. Mike Barnes. An empty shell casing matching Gomez’s gun was found in the area where Hasty said he saw the youth fire the weapon, Barnes said.

The investigation into the shooting was expected to be completed within two weeks, Barnes said.

The press conference, attended by protesters holding placards reading “Fight Police Prejudice” and “Stop Police Terror,” was organized late Thursday.

Organizers also addressed the Friday searches after being contacted by a mother of three suspects arrested in her home, said Serrano, head of the group Lucha, which in English means struggle.

One of her sons was confronted by officers while showering, Ramona Ramirez said through a translator. They scuffled and her son was hit, leaving blood on the walls, she said. All three sons were taken away, Ramirez said. “They took them without shoes or shirts,” she said.

But Diaz said Eloy Ramirez kicked and punched at officers as they tried to arrest him after finding weapons in the house. One of the officers who helped subdue Ramirez was wearing a ring, which caused a cut on his head, Diaz said.

Nine people were arrested and seven weapons were confiscated Tuesday in similar gang searches in Fillmore, police said.

Diaz said Latinos are not being singled out, but it may appear that way in a town where the population is 65% Latino. The majority of residents don’t see it as a racial issue but a crime problem, he said.

“The majority of people are fearful and concerned about their kids’ welfare,” Diaz said.

Serafin Garibay, 18, one of those arrested in Tuesday’s searches, said the police assumed a syringe found at his home was used for drugs. He said it was used for a medical condition of his infant daughter.

“Police are harassing us because we fail to fit the dress code,” Garibay said.