By Armando Vazquez
After 16 years of illegal profiling, harassment and enjoining Mexican youth and adults, the racist and unconstitutional Oxnard Civil “Gang” Injunction is DEAD! Irrational fear, ignorance, and racism created this unconstitutional monster. There is the universal antidote to irrational fear, and racist hate and it is love; and love is at our miraculous and transformative disposal any time we wish to act boldly and put love into action. Oxnard here is where we must act boldly and immediately with love on a local level.
We all know that the best community safety and wellness is where all adults, kids, young adults and everyone else in Oxnard feels a real sense of civic participation, ownership, peace, love and respect. We have relied much too long on cops alone to bring us safety. We all know full well that safety is mostly perceptual. As a sobering reminder, let us not forget that Oxnard is yearly designated by highly reputable research groups as one of the safest cities in the country for it size. We have let others assign us the “bum rap” about crime riddled Oxnard. We have often been responsible and complicit in perpetuating our city as being “taken over by gangbangers, terrorist and drug dealers” by enacting bonehead and stupid local laws and programs run by cops like the Oxnard Civil “Gang” Injunction, the zero tolerance policies for “anti-graffiti and tagging” that has resulted in astronomical fines for youth offenders and their parents, cops in every public city school, PALS, DARE, CalGrip to mention just a few ill-conceived examples.
Now that the Oxnard Civil “Gang” Injunction is DEAD! We can and must change our perception from irrational fear and hate to active all inclusive love. A new bold perception on how we view our youth, the immigrants, troubled and down on their luck adults, the homeless, and the folks that don’t look like us. We can embrace the diversity and differences that make us the Oxnard residents so uniquely beautiful and special, rather than suspect and to be feared. There are still a few “sanctuaries” in Oxnard that practice this kind of community defined practices of social and restorative justice work that is complimented by culturally competent and ethnically congruent professional and volunteer educational and psychological programming supported by an unwavering foundation of love.
Here is what CORE, The Acuna Art Collective, Oxnard Multicultural Mental Health Collective, and other community based organizations and activist supporters want to be initiated immediately in the city of Oxnard as they begin a reparation and healing period for the damage and harm caused by the many egregious constitutional violations that the Oxnard Civil “Gang” Injunction inflicted on at least three generations of our residents.
- Reparation for the 16 years of Unconstutional conduct and damages committed by the Oxnard Police Department. Reparation can be, but not limited to, jobs, training, medical treatment and counseling, housing and transportation assistance.
- An immediate and official city of Oxnard Police Department notification document that advises ALL the individuals enjoined by Oxnard Civil “Gang” Injunction that they are legally free from any and all constraints.
- Total and complete transparency of the Oxnard Police Departments discretionary funding stream for PALS, DARE, CalGrip, Measure O, Public school policing funding and any and all other OPD funds that are discretionary and grant funded.
- Begin immediately the development and creation of A Police Review Board that is solely administered and managed by the Oxnard residents.
- Provide the Acuna Art Collective (formerly known as the Cafe on A) an immediate contract to occupy the abandoned Children’s Museum.
- For Services render by the Acuna Art Collective to the residents the city of Oxnard will “lease” the Children’s Museum or the old Social Security Building for the nominal fee of $1.00 per year. The city of Oxnard will pay for all utilities and city fees.
- The Oxnard Police Department will get out of the business of social work, recreation, and education by immediately turning any and all contracts that the OPD currently provides to residents of Oxnard to reputable and professionally trained community based organizations. The cops were trained and hired to enforce the local laws, be servants of the people and follow the law, nothing more!
The Acuna Art Collective/Café on A was (we want to continue to be) a unique FREE community center for marginalized and at-risk populations in Oxnard for over 25 years. It was in our downtown storefront that art, social and restorative justice and community service, best practices programs, small business incubators, dreams, ideas and aspirations were developed, made real and put into loving practice to empower the marginalized community by everyday folks like you and me. CORE and the Acuna Art Collective and other partnering community based organizations are committed to working to help empower the newly freed youth, adults and their families that were ensnarled in the Oxnard Civil “Gang’ Injunction.
In these troubled apocalyptic time in our country and in Oxnard, community based centers like the old Café on A, are needed now more than ever to assist the “huddled and marginalized masses” so they may integrate, participate and become empowered stewards and active contributing residents of Oxnard. In providing “franchise and ownership” to the marginalized and disenfranchised we move from “the obsolete policing communities into safety syndrome” toward a holistic wellness and safety paradigm that involves the entire community, that places rightful knowledge, ownership, power and authority in the hearts and minds of the affect residents. Together we can dispel the fear and hate, open our minds and hearts and create an Oxnard that is truly worthy of its title of the “The City that Cares for all it Residents!”
Armando Vazquez, M.Ed. is Executive Director of Acuna Art Gallery/Café on A, Executive Director for The KEYS Leadership Academy and Chairman of the Oxnard Multicultural Mental Health/coalition
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.
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This dude needs to quit crying and get back on his psych M.Ed.ication.
The author fails to mention that its the parents/guardian failure to not teach their children responsibility and accountability. You make mistakes, now own up to it and pay for it.
This article is dumb but it just reflects the author’s mind, the failed education system and the lack of parental guidance. The liberal mind is the opposite of progressive, it is corrupting this already decaying society at a faster rate.
Why do you publish anything from this racist, anti-American commie agitator?
The injunction was working, was constititional, at least in its latest version.
Reparations, LOL! This entitled rent seeker haS been getting freebies his whole life.
If you were targeted as a Hispanic by cholas you must had disrespected us Chicanos by calling us fake Mexican or pochas.. which Mexicans love to call us names but hate when we bounce on them. A chicana!
Lots of self-indulgent prose to explain away decades of violence and intimidation from the Oxnard gangs. Where are the reparations for the victims? Instead of jumping on the anti-police wagon we should be focusing on the disintegration of our public schools and sports programs that help to curb the gang issue altogether.
Cafe on A was a scam, Acuna Art Gallery is a scam and Mr. Acuna is a scam “artist”.
Where does he come up with these obsurd demands?
I wonder how much Mr. Acuna pays in taxes each year???
My guess would be 0.
Bob in the “Nard”
It’s good gang injunction is dead but I don’t believe in Mr. Vasquez. I helped organize a few free events at Acuña gallery for the community. The last event we did was a success in matters of attendance, we were delighted until Mr. Vasquez hit us up for money. We all volunteered our time and we were all upset. Free! Far from it.
Until the ‘highest death rate in the nation for the homeless’ is addressed, “healing” is just a word.
This place seethes with all sorts of hatred, but it is all coming to an end. This seems like a step in the right direction.
PWR
And demand a building to continue to create a left wing activism all around. Go to college get a cheap degree in liberal arts, to be a life long protester. Talk about abuse on the hands of someone to claim to help the people. They don’t help the are corrupt take foundation money from the same people they claim they Hate.
In time you will see how this reversal of good policy will end up hurting Latino youth.
Reparations and healing? For what? Crime went down during the injunction. It was aimed at gang members from Oxnard to curtail their criminal activities. This Armando fellow must be pro-crime. There’s no two ways about it.
Yeah… This Armando guy is full of himself…as a Hispanic female, I know what it was like to be be targeted by cholas in High School and far into my twenties. I was jumped and beaten by several individuals at once on several occasions. Nothing ever done these individuals continue to break laws because they are not held accountable. They also pass their entitled mentality down to their children. Leaving citizens vulnerable and in danger.
Hey guys! Looks like Oxnard’s gang problem has been solved by an executive art director! Wow! (Single person slow clapping)
Someone from Oxnard PD… Please give this “love cholo” a ride along so he can be reminded just how REAL the gang issue is here. What your asking is for us as citizens to normalize this behavior by accepting it with love and compassion.
Just last week a man robbed a middle class working couple in the parking lot behind Levity Live at gunpoint, all the LOVE in the world won’t stop criminals from trying to take shortcuts in life.
More funding for police = better, more frequent training to keep the real assets of this community safe; the taxpayers.
We don’t need anymore terrorist sympathizers in America.
It is not about stereotyping some one, is about protecting the honest citizens. If people does not want to be stereotype as gang members stop acting like one. Gang members have no respect towards others and act so disrespectful toward others, Oxnard does not need to give a free pass to these delinquent groups.
Excellent editorial… law enforcement are getting paid by taxpayers to serve all Oxnard to protect only. It got out of hand when their gang junction took effect. I know an immensity of reputable people that due to the stupid collaborated police and affiliated agencies became racist and tried to take the law in. Their hand, Im taking about the person. I know has been a hard working man, just because he was born In well known Colonia, Mcmasters, a former prosecutor now retired. Now retired had became obsessed and consumed with racism. Fuck him and his presumption,
Good luck!! I’m not sure where you live in Oxnard, but I’m afraid to go to the market without being mugged. Crime is up in Oxnard. Get your head out of the sand!
Gotta crack down on the Criminals! Police need to protect Citizens from the Criminals!!
Kumbaya!
Mr. Acuna claims a M.Ed. I hope that our children have not been exposed to him at any level of their education.
It’s always great to read that gangs and crime have been eradicated. Good job Oxnard!
Once again, the Organized Left in Ventura County continues to be unjustly exclusive and lack diversity of thought – as shown by Armando Vazquez (once again).
As of today… Of the 20 most recent progressive/liberal op-eds on Citizens Journal, 16 are by Armando Vazquez.
Let that sink in.
It’s time for some of these “old school” cholos to grow up. If you don’t want to be stereotyped, start dressing like an adult. And don’t talk to me about “whitewashed”. I want not only me, but everyone in Oxnard to live without fear of walking there dog, playing in playgrounds or hanging out with friends.
Great, now the police can just arrest the same gang banger’s and not have so much paperwork. All they need is Probable c use and and a set of handcuffs. Now the likes of this communist plagiarizer won’t have any complaints for the arrest of active criminals.