WERE YOU PLACED ON A GANG INJUNCTION BY THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES?

Updated: March 17, 2020


If so, read this important information about your rights and the settlement of a class action lawsuit.

If you were placed on a gang injunction by the City of Los Angeles (which includes any gang injunction “Safety Zone” in the City of Los Angeles), you have several rights that were affected by an ongoing class action lawsuit, Youth Justice Coalition v. City of Los Angeles.

Some people that the City of LA enforced gang injunctions against were actually listed as defendants on the complaint in the civil lawsuit where they won the injunction.  But most of the people put on gang injunctions in the City of LA were just handed injunction papers by LAPD officers and told that because police thought they were members of the gang named in the injunction, they were now on the injunction and had to obey the rules listed in the injunction.  If you were ever put on a gang injunction by the City of Los Angeles in this way, you are a member of this class and are considered a Plaintiff in this lawsuit.  Both of the changes below apply to you.

First, since March 2018, the City has not been allowed to enforce its injunctions against any person who the City or LAPD told it was subject to a gang injunction without first proving to a court they were an active member of a gang.  If you were put on a gang injunction, and were not a named defendant in a gang injunction case, the City cannot enforce its injunction against you.  You may have received a letter from the City notifying you that you were removed from the gang injunction list, but even if you did not get a letter, you are no longer on the injunction and cannot be arrested for not following the rules in the injunction.

Second, the City of LA has agreed to a proposed settlement in the Youth Justice Coalition v. City of Los Angeles lawsuit that will prevent it from being able to enforce gang injunctions against someone the City or LAPD claim is a gang member without first proving to a court that the person is an active gang member. 

Under this settlement, the City will not enforce injunctions against people without first giving them the opportunity to argue in a court and present evidence that they are not gang members – in other words, all Class Members are “off” gang injunctions and can only be put back on an injunction in the future if the City follows the process described in the settlement and proves gang membership to a court.  They can no longer just hand people a copy of the injunction and then enforce it against them.

If you think you or someone you know may be affected by this lawsuit, please:

 

 

  • See a full list of the gang injunctions brought by the City of Los Angeles that are affected by this lawsuit. Note that some gang injunctions in Los Angeles County have been brought by the County of Los Angeles or by cities other than the City of Los Angeles. This settlement does not apply to those injunctions. If you are on an injunction but are not sure if this settlement applies to you, please check the list.

As a class member, you have the right to object to the proposed settlement and tell the court why you disagree with this settlement.  We must receive your objection through the process described in the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement no later than April 12, 2021.  You may also send comments in support of the settlement.  If you do not object to the settlement, you do not have to do anything and the terms will apply to you if the Court approves the settlement.

 

The lawyers representing the Plaintiffs in this lawsuit are:

ACLU of Southern California

Urban Peace Institute

Munger Tolles and Olsen

 

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of individuals as well as on behalf of the Youth Justice Coalition.

You can read answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the lawsuit HERE, or about what to do if the City serves you with an injunction in the future HERE.  You can also contact the lawyers representing the Plaintiffs if you have any questions or are not sure whether you are a member of the class by sending an email to LAganginjunctions@aclusocal.org or leaving a voicemail at (213) 201-8933.