All Latino Youth Are Not Gang Members

Northern California Latino youth have been battling injunctions that underscore latent fears that all latino youth are gang members. According to the blog Dream Deployed:

On March 4th 2011 , Xicana Moratorium Coalition youth from various Oakland and East Bay High Schools affected by proposed “gang” injunctions targeting Raza Youth in the Fruitvale WALKED OUT and shut down the streets of the Town demanding an END to criminalization of youth and displacement of brown people in the name of “violence prevention.” These injunctions, that have been similarly applied across California cities including San Francisco, San José, Modesto, affect more than just the 50 people named Norteño gang members or associates on the gang injunction list: all young people fitting the “description” may be stopped, searched, harassed with no right to legal representation.

It’s a phenomenon that’s tired, if you think about it, but just like many other racist stereotypes, it lingers. Check out a few videos below for more information.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD