Rudy’s story illustrates
not only the nature of Ojai Valley gang activity but the increasing
violence of its largest gang — a Latino group with perhaps 35
members and associates. A second gang — mostly white youths
from Oak View — is about half that size and much less active,
police say.
And while Ojai Valley’s 50 or so gang members represent a relatively
small problem compared with gangs in Oxnard, Santa Paula, Fillmore
and Port Hueneme, violent incidents over the last 14 months have shown
how quickly gang activity can spread and escalate.
A series of gang-related attacks—shootings, stabbings and assaults—have
unsettled Ojai, city leaders say. And some residents have complained
of intimidation by gang members who walk the center of some streets,
blocking traffic and taunting drivers who ask that they step aside.
“Even if it’s gang member on gang member, the fact is
that a large part of a community’s identify is personal safety,”
said City Manager Jere Kersnar. “It’s what people think
about: Do they feel safe?”
City police, under Sheriff’s Capt. Bruce Norris, have pressed
the case against Rudy and a dozen other gang members in the last year,
cutting crime in the last few months. And unannounced searches of
criminals on probation and their homes have sent a message, the city
manager said.
“But it’s difficult,” he said. “If it were
easy, we’d solve this problem.”
In December, the county Board of Supervisors approved funding of a
special four-deputy anti-gang task force to focus on West County activity,
including gangs in the Ojai Valley.
Norris, in an October memo, summarized the problem:
“Historically, serious gang activity in the Ojai area has been
relatively uncommon. Over the past year, however, gang-related crime
has become increasingly violent and frequent....Without increased
staffing, or the creation of a gang enforcement team, local gangs
will likely increase in number....With more focus and intervention,
the trend might be reversed.”
Indeed, violent incidents have dropped dramatically since last fall
as local gang members have spent time in jail. But no one thinks that
is a long-term solution.
“It was like they just sprouted,” Norris said. “We
put some of the baddest dudes away. But about everyone has been released.”
To work gangs harder, Norris has assigned four Ojai officers partial
gang responsibilities, up from two when he arrived 18 months ago.
“We did an organized probation search of six or eight houses
three months ago, and we found essentially nothing. That’s good.”
Another positive is that Victor Medina is one of the special four-officer
gang task force that could create more lasting change, Norris said.
Deputy Medina, now on-campus officer at Nordhoff High School, begins
his new duties next week, and will be replaced by Deputy Jeff Marrs.
“I’ve been all over the county,” Norris said. “And
Nordhoff is one of the cleanest schools I’ve had anything to
do with. The faculty is very proactive. They stop problems before
they start.”
Yet, the litany of incidents during the last year or so tell a disturbing
story about what is happening off campus.
There were about 50 calls to the Police Department for service related
to gangs in the last year, Norris said in his October memo. “Most
of those were to report graffiti in the city of Ojai, (but) serious
crimes such as assault, robbery and weapons violations occurred throughout
the valley. Because many crimes go unreported by the victims, I believe
that gang-related crimes were significantly higher....”
The ledger of reported crimes were serious enough, Norris noted. Those
by the Ojai gang, as cited by Norris, included:
• Oct. 2005—A shattered windshield of a car driven by
a white youth in Meiners Oaks. A gang member was arrested.
• Dec. 2005—Two men chasing teenagers suspected of vandalizing
a car were confronted by gang members, including Rudy, resulting in
beating and stabbing the two pursuers. The incident was related to
a feud. Injuries were minor. Seven convictions resulted.
• Dec. 2005—Some of the same gang members as in the previous
assault used a replica firearm to rob a white man of $20 in Meiners
Oaks. Three youths were arrested.
• Jan. 2006—In apparent retaliation for the December stabbing,
friends of the victims confronted youths they thought to be Ojai gang
members. None were. Still, a serious stabbing resulted, and three
men were prosecuted for assault with a deadly weapon.
• July 2006—Five Ojai gang members battered a 22-year-old
white, non-Latino customer at the Valero gas station on Ojai Avenue
“for no reason.” The victim had minor injuries but would
not testify, fearing retaliation. No arrests were made.
• Aug. 2006—A Latino Nordhoff High student was battered
in a similar fashion at the same Valero station. The victim refused
to name his assailants.
• Aug. 2006—A suspect shot two Ojai gang members in the
leg. “Investigators suspect that gang members went to an Oak
Street address to intimidate or rob the migrant workers living there,
and they were shot in the process.” No victims nor witnesses
would cooperate. No arrests have been made.
• Sept. 2006—Ojai gang associates and Oak View gang members
fought at the Ojai Skate Park. Four people were involved, but no one
reported injuries. The only weapon reported was “a sock containing
a heavy object.”
“With the exception of occasional white power graffiti,”
Norris wrote in a memo, “the Oak View group has been relatively
quiet.” But a probation officer for the area has “heard
that some of the youth in Oak View are resentful of the Hispanics
taking over the neighborhood, and they intend to take the offensive.
Deputies have noticed the Oak View (group) has been more active in
the past couple of months. There is potential for escalating activity
by this group.”
Community response to last year’s violence was predictable—an
outpouring of concern about what was happening to Ojai and what could
be done about it.
In an e-mail to a local resident following the August shootings on
Oak Street, Norris confirmed that there had been three violent incidents
in that area in the previous nine months—the scissors stabbing,
a Valero assault and the double shooting in the leg of gang members.
“In general, our tactics are to make contact with any gang members
we see, arrest them at every opportunity, and conduct random searches
of the homes of those on probation,” Norris wrote. “Our
school resource officer interacts with students suspected of gang
association, and he takes action, where possible.
“Though the public doesn’t often see it, we frequently
arrest gang members and their associates. Unfortunately, it’s
not against the law to associate with a gang, so until these groups
break the law our options are limited,” Norris wrote.
Some of the things police do to stem gang activity include the work
of the Nordhoff officer, the gang focus of four local officers, prompt
grafitti abatement and pressing for stiff sentences when gang members
are involved in crimes, Norris said.
Street Terrorism Gang Enhancement laws allow for increased sentences
for gang members, Norris noted. And after the December 2005 stabbing
and robbery by the same gang members, some gang members received extra
time in jail as a result.
Rudy was one of those, Norris said.
Now 20 years old, he got extra months for his assault conviction.
“I believe gang enhancements used in a small town like Ojai
send a message that gang activity is not accepted here,” said
Norris. “If you do it, you’ll pay the price.
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