Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said he won't back down from an anti-gang injunction in Oxnard despite alleged death threats against him and other authorities.

The threats, detailed in court documents filed Wednesday, allegedly surfaced in March after prosecutors proposed a crackdown on what they consider the largest and most violent street gang in the county, the Colonia Chiques.

Authorities said threats are consistent with gang behavior and offer more proof an injunction is needed.

"It's a true reflection of how dangerous this gang is," said Totten, who is identified in court papers as the target of an alleged "hit."

Regardless, Totten said, his office remains committed to its duty to protect the community.

"It's the right thing to do," he added. "No amount of threats from these thugs will prevent us from moving forward."

'We cannot back down'

In court documents filed this week, prosecutor Karen Wold said the alleged threats show how little Colonia Chiques members respect their community. She described La Colonia as a community terrorized by gangs, a neighborhood where residents are afraid to walk their dogs, wash their cars or let their children play outside.

"We cannot back down and let them prevail," Wold said in an interview Thursday. "If we back down, what's left for the community?"

The injunction would prohibit gang members from wearing gang clothing, making gang signs, possessing alcohol, associating with other gang members and intimidating witnesses within a "safety zone," a 6.6-square-mile portion of Oxnard that includes La Colonia.

Superior Court Judge Frederick Bysshe is expected to decide the fate of the injunction at a hearing Monday. Opponents have argued the injunction is too broad and gives police too much power to stop and question anyone, anytime, within the safety zone.

Francisco Romero, a representative of the Committee on Raza Rights, a group opposed to the injunction, said the alleged threats brought to light this week detract from the civil-rights issue at stake.

"To us, the threats (against authorities) are hearsay," Romero said. "We're more concerned about the threat of the injunction against the community ... and exposing the unilateral decisions of the Police Department."

But a Torrance attorney representing the unnamed 500 people alleged to be part of the Colonia Chiques said threats against law enforcement officers could make it difficult to fight the injunction.

The alleged threats give prosecutors a passionate argument for cracking down on gangs, John Hachmeister said. Further, he said, he will not represent individuals if he discovers they made threats.

Though gang members may be using the injunction to justify threats against authorities, Hachmeister said, the injunction is also already being used by police officers.

Oxnard called war zone

"From what I've seen, Oxnard has become pretty much a war zone," he said. "The police are using this injunction as another one of their weapons, and the people in La Colonia are lashing back."

Oxnard police Detective Neail Holland agrees the injunction has become a tool for law enforcement.

Crime is down 32 percent in the safety zone since the injunction was filed in March, Holland reported in court documents. There has been only one major assault involving the Colonia Chiques in the past three months, down from eight during the same period last year.

But in the same document, Holland detailed an increase in graffiti and reported threats against police by Colonia Chiques gang members.

Graffiti protesting the injunction was found on houses and businesses. A death threat to police was found on a wall on Terrace Avenue in Oxnard. A news reporter told police a gang member identified Totten as the target of a "hit," and other informants said Colonia Chiques members are planning assaults on police officers.

"We've seen these kinds of threats in the past," Holland said. "They tend to surface on events like an officer-involved shooting or a crackdown (on gangs) in the neighborhood. ... We've heard worse, but these are a concern."

Police are not taking special precautions against threats but say they are "on alert."

On a related note, Judge Bysshe last week denied county Public Defender Kenneth Clayman's request to join the fight against the injunction but left the door open for a second plea. Clayman's office has said it will file a motion renewing its request and presenting new arguments.

-- Staff writer Tamara Koehler contributed to this story.