Lawsuit Claims LA Gang Injunction Curfews Unconstitutional
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two men have filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles authorities challenging a key provision of many of the city's gang injunctions.
The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed by Christian Rodriguez and Alberto Cazarez, says curfews aimed at keeping gang members off the street after 10 p.m. are unconstitutional.
Rodriguez and Cazarez were arrested in 2009 after police found them outside after 10 p.m. Police said they were gang members, though both men denied the claim and charges against them were dismissed.
Curfews are a key provision in many of the city's injunctions, which have been credited with reducing gang crime in troubled neighborhoods.
Gang injunctions were pioneered in Los Angeles and are being increasingly used across the nation and overseas.
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