Judge Issues Limits on Gang in Long Beach : Violence: Order bans being armed, painting graffiti and includes a curfew. Neighbors praise action, but ACLU calls it a ‘shortcut around the law.’

At the request of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, a Superior Court judge issued an order Friday prohibiting members of a notorious Long Beach gang from carrying weapons, staying out late at night and painting graffiti.

Prosecutors and Long Beach city officials requested the temporary restraining order against 30 of the most active members of the West Side Longos, who authorities say have terrorized a 20-square-block community for at least two decades. Judge Victor Barrera signed the injunction.

“Residents have literally been held hostage,” Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti said at a news conference before the order was issued. He said the Latino gang has stricken such fear in the neighborhood that witnesses to recent slayings will not cooperate with police because they are afraid of retribution.

Authorities said members of the gang have committed crimes that include murder, shootings and robberies. Like a similar restraining order against a Norwalk gang that was recently made permanent, the tactic hinges on showing that the gang represents a public nuisance.

An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the action, calling it a “shortcut around civil law.”

“Why don’t they actually charge these people with those criminal offenses?” asked Mark Silverstein, a staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. Silverstein expressed concern that the defendants could be denied free legal defense because the action was filed in civil, not criminal, court.

But a 10-year resident of the neighborhood, Frank Ferrow, thanked prosecutors for their work. Nevertheless, he said he remains terrified of the gang and plans to move out of the area.

“I am literally afraid to go to my car in the morning,” Ferrow said. “I just want to get out of Long Beach.”

So far, no other city gang turf is being targeted for similar action, prosecutors and city officials said. But prosecutors added that they may focus later on other problem areas.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jessica Goulden, who has worked on the case since January, said the Longos have become increasingly active and violent recently. Graffiti activity has dramatically increased in the last few weeks, she said, as have drive-by shootings in nearby areas.

“These are really, really hard-core people,” Goulden said.

City officials said the injunction will help efforts to improve and reclaim the neighborhood. With the support of city officials, property owners have begun repairing dilapidated buildings, forming community groups and working more closely with police.

“Every neighborhood deserves basic human dignity . . . and that’s what we are giving back,” said City Councilwoman Jenny Oropeza, whose district includes the neighborhood, which is bounded by 20th Street, the Long Beach Freeway, Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Fe Avenue.

Earlier this year, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development demolished a building in the area that gang members had apparently inhabited and filled with bullet holes and graffiti.

The restraining order is in effect for three weeks. After that there will be a hearing to consider extending it. Prosecutors ultimately hope to make the order permanent, which would restrict the gang members’ activities in the area for the rest of their lives.

Defendants who defy the restrictions could face criminal charges for activities that normally are not criminal violations. For instance, the order would prohibit members from whistling to warn others of police in the neighborhood. Also, the injunction would set curfews of 8 p.m. for the gang’s minors and midnight for adult members.

In September, a Superior Court judged signed an injunction against 22 members of a Norwalk gang. Police say they have received far fewer complaints from residents since the initial restraining order was issued in August, 1994.

Other cities across the nation are considering using the legal tactic, including Chicago and Houston.

The state Supreme Court is now considering an appeal by San Jose gang members who say that a similar injunction against them would restrict their constitutional rights of association.