Stockton City Council considers banning ski masks to curb crime
STOCKTON — The Stockton City Council is considering a ban on ski masks after a string of crimes involving suspects wearing them.
"When you have an 8th grader robbed at gunpoint with people wearing ski masks in a city where there is no snow, you have to address some of those issues," said Vice Mayor Jason Lee.
Lee is looking into the idea of introducing a ski mask ban ordinance.
"This started months ago, where there was a violent crime in my district where other people were shot and they were wearing ski masks," he said.
On May 30, down the street from Delta Sierra Middle School, police say two teenagers and a 31-year-old man were robbed at gunpoint by men in ski masks after a graduation ceremony.
"It's a great memory and, unfortunately, this family doesn't have a great memory," said City Councilmember Michelle Padilla, who represents the district where it happened.
She supports the idea of a ski mask ban and says that stopping crime starts at home.
"They need to ask those questions. Why are you buying that mask? Who are you hanging out with? Where are you going after dark?" she asked.
Police say ski masks were also involved in a homicide from March. Recently released police sketches show two people, wearing ski masks that only reveal their eyes, wanted in connection with that homicide.
"Where there may have been pockets of crime, it's plaguing our entire city. Now, we have to address the crime that is happening," said Lee.
Part of the Stockton City Council hopes that if people are walking the streets of the city wearing a ski mask, they can be stopped and questioned by police.
However, some advocates here in Stockton say this doesn't address the root issues that are causing crime.
"Violence is rooted in challenging educational conditions, and poverty, and Stockton suffers from both of those," said Nuri Muhammed with Advance Peace Stockton. "So until we can address those two issues, they'll have to do things like a ban on face masks."
Vice Mayor Lee says the ordinance could be introduced before summer and would not infringe on religious practices.
