OAKLAND – If Frutivale is dangerous, it could be even harder for the Latinos. On June 24, Judge Robert B. Freedman supported the creation of a “safety zone” of two square miles of Fruitvale district. In the “safety zone” the police will monitor the movements of five individuals allegedly affiliated with the Norteños gang.
Who are these five: Alberto Acosta, Antonio Lambaren, Joey Anthony Martínez, Javier Quintero and Abel Manzo his lawyers have said that one does not exist. In the original complaint of District Attorney John Russo, are 40 the prosecuted. Russo did not wait for the judge’s decision. He looked for another job. Today he’s the Alameda city manager. Russo requested the gang injunction in October 2010. It was his idea to solve the crime in the area, one of the most insecure of the fifth most dangerous city in the United States, Oakland, California, alias “Baby Iraq”.
Fruitvale is also one of the most dynamic economies in Oakland. Residents and businesses are the second largest taxpayers group in the city. A half of the inhabitants of the “safety zone” are Latinos. It was dawn on April 8, Chuy Campos crossed the 39 Street, leaving his house to open his restaurant, Otaez. It is still unclear who did it, but Campos was murdered that day. Was prominent, was wealthy, was committed to his community. He was left bleeding on the sidewalk.
Along with other retailers in the International Boulevard, in the area closest to the Bart station, Campos had asked for police surveillance for many years. Latinos most of them, traders still wondering who killed Chuy Campos. José Antonio Dorado, owner of Dorado Tax and Bookeeping Services, supports the “safety zone”, while acknowledging that the police abused. He believes Chuy Campos murder is not gang related.
Fruitvale security is a complex issue. The case of the policeman who killed an unarmed civilian, Oscar Grant, at the Bart station has been controversial. More police on the two-square-mile “safety zone” of Fruitvale and increases the likelihood of Latinos, half of the residents of the neighborhood, confront the process of verification of immigration status which mandates Secure Communities program (S-Comm.)
S-Comm has proven that operates as a dragnet, and hits the road to deportation the same for dangerous criminals, supposedly its only goal, and immigrants who have committed misdemeanors. Three states, Massachusetts, Illinois and New York has chosen to leave the program.