Members of statewide law enforcement organizations and federal agencies are currently attending training sessions on gangs at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel. The 22nd Annual Gang Conference started yesterday and will end on Friday, but not before police brutality groups plan to stage a protest outside.
The conference is really a two-for-one set up with the California Crime & Intelligence Analysts Association (CCIAA) partnering up their annual effort with that of the California Gang Investigator's Association (CGIA). National government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are also a part of the week's events.
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Information about the four-day conference is limited as the link for the tentative schedule of classes from the CGIA's website is down. The flyer for the gathering states that “Training will explore approaches in enforcement and prevention,” going further to state that it “will be the most current and relevant available in the nation.” Subjects include Mexi gangs, black gangs, gang injunctions, crime analysis, intervention and prevention techniques to name a few.
As officer-involved shootings by the Anaheim Police Department and the city's gangs gained attention last summer when days of rage transformed into clashes in the street, a number of grassroots activist groups from OC to Oxnard will take the opportunity to denounce police brutality right outside the conference. “My main concern is gang injunctions,” says Albert Castillo, co-chair of Chican@s Unidos. “It basically puts a militarization zone in that area. We're trying to put a stop to that.”
“They have come to ground zero, Anaheim. For them to come out here and find ways to spread injunctions nationwide is wrong.”
With that, Chican@s Unidos, United Survivors of Anaheim, Law Enforcement Accountability Network (LEAN), Guerreros de la Trinidad, and Colectivo Todo Poder Al Pueblo are set to assemble outside the Marriott near the city's Convention Center tomorrow beginning at 8 in the morning right on through to 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, inside the hotel and true to Anaheim form, discounted Disneyland tickets will be available for purchase at the conference to all interested participants…
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Gabriel San Román is from Anacrime. He’s a journalist, subversive historian and the tallest Mexican in OC. He also once stood falsely accused of writing articles on Turkish politics in exchange for free food from DönerG’s!