Release Date: April 15, 2008

Contact:   Michael D. Schwartz, Special Assistant District Attorney

(805) 654-2719

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the Court of Appeal upheld the gang injunction against the Southside Chiques.

Southside Chiques, active in the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, is the second largest and most violent (per capita) criminal street gang in the county of Ventura . The injunction, issued October 23, 2006, prohibits gang members within a 4.26 square mile “Safety Zone” from associating with other gang members, possessing weapons or drugs, publicly consuming alcohol, or violating other laws.

In a decision issued on April 14, 2008, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 6, affirmed the injunction. The court rejected the argument that an individual who denied being a member of the gang should have been permitted to participate in the superior court proceedings.

This ruling upholds an important tool of law enforcement to protect the community from criminal street gangs.