Residents raised community concerns to Riverside County D.A.

Residents met at the first District Attorney’s Public Safety Town Hall meeting, Wednesday night. The meeting began with Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin encouraging the public to voice any safety concerns they have in their communities.

Rosaelena Sahagun, an Immigration attorney from Indio said, the presence the D.A. shows in the community is what will open up the line of communication. “There’s always been a disconnect with the District Attorney’s office. The only time they would see the district attorney’s office is unfortunately when they are being charged with a crime,” Sahagun said.

Sahagun came to the meeting to ask the D.A. and assure the public that undocumented immigrants can speak out about crimes that happen to them without the fear of deportation. Hestrin said, another major problem in the area is gang activity. A problem the D.A. continues to battle.

“We are here to say look we are serious about confronting this problem. It’s not just lip service. We are here to hear any thoughts the public has about how we are doing so far and what else we can do,” Riverside County District Attorney, Michael Hestrin said.

The room was not filled, but those who came received the answers they were looking for and opened a new line of communication for the District Attorney’s office.

“To see the District Attorney’s office as a community ally is very important and it’s key in crime prevention,” Sahagun said.

Hestrin said this was a first of a series of meetings throughout Riverside County.