The county attorney is trying to ban gang members from the East Aldine safety zone. That area runs east of Highway 59 and south of Bush Intercontinental Airport and contains two schools, and both residential and retail areas.
County Attorney Vince Ryan is asking a judge to ban 37 members of the 'Bloods' gang and 17 members of the 'Crips.' It's basically like a restraining order. If the judge grants these injunctions, the gang members can be arrested just for being in the safety zone.
"It's to keep the gang members from in essence scaring people and terrorizing people within this safety zone," Ryan said..
Last year, the county was granted a similar injunction in southwest Houston and both the county attorney and business areas in that area say that gang activity has been drastically reduced there.
"All kinds of drugs, violent activity going on against other gangs, against citizens, so this is to create safety zone that they can't even go into," said Ryan.
Gang members also will face extra charges if they're wearing gang clothing or carrying cell phones or graffiti materials.
We did speak to several admitted gang members, who tell us it's not fair to ban them from areas where they work or go to church.
"My mother of my child was staying over there. That was the reason I was going over there," admitted former gang member Joseph Reynold said. "There are gang members who are robbing and stealing and there are not gang members who are robbing and stealing. they can't just say gang members."
The hearing is expected to go well into the evening.
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