St. Paul wants to ban gang members from Cinco de Mayo fun

Usually gangs really bring the party to any celebration. The suspense just brings a whole new level of crazy to any get-together when party-goers have to dodge bullets while dancing in the street. Well St. Paul thinks otherwise.

The city is trying to ban gang members from hanging out during the Cinco de Mayo festival by creating a "safety zone" they can't enter. They caused some trouble last year, so no one wants them there any way.

The celebration, scheduled for May 1-2 would include a "specific zone" bounded by Plato Boulevard, Ohio Street, Hwy. 52 and Sidney Street.

Members of the Surenos 13 gang would be banned from entering the zone. Go celebrate Cinco de Mayo elsewhere, gang bangers.

More from the Strib:

The city of St. Paul is expected to announce this afternoon a plan to ask the courts to bar gang members from congregating during the Cinco de Mayo celebration on the city's West Side.

The city will ask for a civil gang injunction, essentially a lawsuit that limits actions or places requirements on a defendant. In this case, it would ban known members of the Surenos 13 gang from associating with one another in a specific "safety zone," an area bounded by Plato Boulevard, Ohio Street, Hwy. 52 and Sidney Street.

The gang is responsible for a drive-by shooting and numerous assaults and incidents of disorderly conduct during last year's Cinco de Mayo festival, police say.