Crime
Last October, Oakland City Attorney John Russo proposed a gang injunction against 40 alleged members of the Nortenos gang in the Fruitvale neighborhood. This is Oakland’s second proposed gang injunction. It’s a controversial legal theory that says gang activity is a public nuisance that prevents non-gang members from enjoying peace in their communities.
The Oakland Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the man in this video, who the department is calling a “person of interest,” not a suspect, in the February 7 sexual assault of a woman in the Lake Merritt area.
Abel Manzo, one of the alleged gang members named in the Fruitvale gang injunction, was the only person to testify in the hearing on Wednesday. His lawyer, Jose Luis Fuentes, used his line of questioning to paint a picture of Manzo as a person who had some minor run-ins with the police but was never involved in gangs.
On Tuesday night, Oakland City Council’s public safety committee heard a report from the City Attorney’s Office about the effectiveness and cost of gang injunctions, but despite nearly three hours of heated public commentary, the committee decided not to take actions regarding the report on the proposed Fruitvale gang injunction.
Oakland residents give testimony about officer-involved shootings and racial profiling in the community at the Oakland Tribunal: A People’s Hearing on Racism and Violence.
A hearing Wednesday to determine whether to impose a preliminary injunction against 40 alleged members of the Norteño gang in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood ended without a decision and will be resumed next week.
Four sexual assaults been reported in the Lake Merritt area over the past five months, including one last week near Jackson and 8th Streets. Oakland police have stepped up patrol in the area but do not have a suspect in custody yet.
A female victim reported being sexually assaulted and beaten as she returned home at 10 pm Tuesday night to her apartment complex located near the corner of Jackson and 8th Street. This is the fourth report the Oakland Police Department has received of a sexual assault of a female in the Lake Merritt area since September.
Two men were arrested and booked for attempted murder early Saturday evening after shooting at police officers near the corner of 58th and Genoa Streets in Oakland.