Former gang member is first to be removed from injunction list

City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo today, accompanied by several council members, said that an unidentified former gang member had become the first to complete a new gang injunction removal petition process his office has set in place to get people off the court orders.

Some 11,000 members of 57 gangs are subject to court injunctions that do everything from forbidding them from gathering together to carrying something that could be consider a graffiti tool. More than a quarter of city gang members are named in various injunctions restraining their behavior.

An individual can be subject to the injunction if he or she has admitted to gang membership, was identified by a reliable informant, displays gang tattoos or signs or is associated or arrested with known gang members.

Civil rights and community activists, particularly in Watts, have long complained that those tarnished as gang members on the injunctions can never escape the label.

"The gang injunctions in Los Angeles have been a highly effective tool in bringing a level of safety to our communities," Delgadillo said. But, he said, city leaders have come to realize in the last few years that the injunctions cannot be a one-way street, and those who reform need a second chance.

"We need an exit ramp for those who want to turn their lives around," he said. "If you're a member of a gang, you'll likely end up dead or in jail. We want you to leave the gang life behind. We can get you out from under injunction."

Some officials said they are happy removals are finally occurring.

"For years there have been major concerns about possible violations of individuals' civil rights because no person has ever successfully been removed from a gang injunction," said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who for three years has worked with city prosecutors to craft a removal process. "It was like being part of mafia; you'd get in but you couldn't get out."

Cardenas, who chairs the council Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence, said the new process shows the city is not just about enforcement but gives one-time gang members a chance at life without the negative label. He said those renouncing the gang life won't be required to talk about the past to authorities just to show they are personally no longer involved in gang activity. "It in no way requires that someone be a snitch," Cardenas said.

richard.winton@latimes.com