September 25, 2003

Councilman Dennis Zine, D03
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring Street, Rm 450
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Councilman Zine:

When I addressed the Los Angeles City Council yesterday, September 24, 2003, when it held its meeting in Van Nuys at the Marvin Braudy Center, I again pressed for the council to modify Special Order 40 not to apply to known and identified gang members.

You again repeated your usual mantra that LAPD officers are not immigration officers. Since by the public comment rules, you had the last word, I did not have the opportunity to rebuff your misleading comment.

Former Police Chief, Councilman Parks followed with the usual explanation that Special Order 40 does not prohibit the LAPD from turning over to the INS, illegal alien gang members once they have violated the law.

Somehow, I was not able to get my point over that I was lobbying the council to amend Special Order 40 to allow the LAPD to turn known illegal alien gang members over to the INS for deportation BEFORE THEY VIOLATED ANY LOCAL LAWS.

I later spoke informally with Councilman Parks in an attempt to get him to understand that the community (including those who are undocumented)  would favor a crackdown on illegal alien gang members. Parks responded that it is not against the law to be a gang member. I responded by asking: if it is not against the law to be a gang member, then isn't it a violation of gang members' rights to place injunctions upon them which prohibit them from congregating in certain numbers and locations -- just because they are gang members? Parks replied in the most illogical way. He said that the injunctions are placed on them so that they could be arrested and charged if they violated the injunctions. ???

It is of course not against the law to be a gang member, but I feel certain that we all do agree that gang members are predisposed to crime. If this were not so, there would be no need to place injunctions upon them in the first place, even when they are not charged with a crime.

It may not be against the law to be a gang member, but I remind you and Councilman Parks, that it is against federal law for an illegal alien gang member to reside in Los Angeles, and the LAPD has the RIGHT to arrest gang members and turn them over to the INS solely on the basis of illegally being in the U.S. This is no different than turning a criminal who is suspected of having committed the federal crime of bank robbery, over to the FBI.

I also remind you and Councilman Parks, that gang members are NOT innocent victims or witnesses to whom Special Order 40 protection should apply. In fact, innocent undocumented immigrants do not report crime out of fear of retaliation by gang members, not out of fear of the LAPD or the INS.

From my own personal involvement with the community, I can tell you that we as a majority, want a zero tolerance policy with regards to gang activity. We don't want to give them another chance and we want the responsibility for their rehabilitation to be left to their own country's government.

Since, as a mover and shaker of Special Order 40, you seem to have an intransigent mind set on this issue, I am taking it to your constituents. Perhaps then, you might be willing to reason.

Please visit www.ZineWatch.com.

Respectfully,



Hal Netkin
POB 3465
Van Nuys, CA 91407

818-989-3043, Email: ZineWatch@pacbell.net

CC: All council members, unnamed recipients, posted on www.ZineWatch.com
ENC: Cost of jailing undocumented felons...