Injunctions make the gang life harder

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Street gangs have become such a disruptive and dangerous element in our community that we welcome almost any effort to squelch them.

A civil lawsuit filed by the Stanislaus County district attorney's office against members of the Deep South Side Norteños is a promising approach to reducing the chaos this gang is causing in a large section of south Modesto.

A judge will be asked today to issue preliminary injunctions against 20 men who have been identified as members of that gang. If the judge approves, the injunctions will severely limit what the 20 can do on their home turf — the area south of the Tuolumne River and north of Whitmore Avenue, between Crows Landing and Carpenter roads.

Our Point

We welcome another strategy to reduce gang violence in our community.

Many people in that large neighborhood live in fear because of gang shootings, drug sales, assaults and general intimidation. The injunctions spell out 14 rules for the designated gang members, things like no association with others named in the injunction, no alcohol in public view, no wearing red and strict curfews. Violators can land in jail. These aren't the kind of rules most people would want to live with — or should have to.

Ironically, one identified gang member told a Bee reporter that he felt the injunction would be unfair "because they're only targeting certain individuals."

That's the point: Go after the offenders so law-abiding residents can live in peace. It's incumbent upon the district attorney's office to make sure it is only seeks injunctions against the genuine bad actors and avoids sweeping wannabes or minor delinquents into the net.

That concern aside, gang injunctions have proven effective in several other California counties, and we applaud Stanislaus prosecutors and law enforcement agencies for devoting the effort to implement the strategy here. The key to success will be consistent enforcement, so that the gang members get the message.

The injunction won't eliminate gang activity in the neighborhood or solve all its problems, which also include illegal dumping, poor streets and the lack of sidewalks. But the injunction can help make it easier for law-abiding residents to reclaim control of their neighborhood and can take some of the appeal out of the gang lifestyle. Those are worthwhile goals.