Targeting two of the largest and most violent street gangs in the area, the Long Beach Police Department and the city prosecutor's office announced a new type of injunction at a press conference today.
This injunction, a civil order that prohibits documented gang members from participating in specific activities within a designated area, is significant because it includes individuals from all over Los Angeles County who commit crimes in Long Beach, not just those based in the city.
It is named the “North Side Longo and Sureno Gang Injunction” after two local gangs which, according to police chief Jim McDonnell, have networks answerable to the Mexican Mafia.
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More than 100 individuals have been barred from various acts such as associating with known gang members, possessing a can of spray paint and drinking in public, all within a set seven-square-mile “safety zone” in North Long Beach. If one violates the injunction, he or she would be charged with the crime committed, along with the willful disobedience of a court order, a misdemeanor that could tack on six months in jail.
