Crime rates fell in East Lake Courts between 2016 and 2017, but that isn’t enough evidence to justify a permanent “safety zone” that would fine 30-or-so alleged gang members for associating with each other, defense attorneys argued Tuesday.
During a roughly 45-minute trial in Hamilton County Criminal Court, attorney Chrissy Mincy argued prosecutors hadn’t proven their case against the Grape Street Crips and Gangster Disciples: They didn’t enter criminal convictions into evidence, didn’t show how each man contributed to violence in East Lake, and mostly relied on gang validation forms to prove the men were a public nuisance.
Plus, attorneys said, nobody’s been enforcing the “safety zone” since Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston got a temporary version approved in December 2016. So can prosecutors link the falling crime rates to the safety zone?
“For those reasons I think [this case] should be dismissed,” Mincy said.
The final decision maker is Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman, who said he will issue a written order at a later date. Steelman has presided over the case since Pinkston filed a petition in September 2016 saying both gangs are a public nuisance in East Lake Courts.