INDUSTRY – Officials from several area restaurants have made citizen’s arrests on 27 day laborers at the Home Depot on Gale Avenue in Industry, authorities said Thursday.

Day laborers look for work at the Industry Home Depot on Gale Avenue May 28, 2009. The day before police arrested 27 men seeking work on the site. (SGVN/Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb)

Officials from businesses near the Home Depot at Gale and Fullerton Road near Rowland Heights recently complained that laborers were urinating in public and harassing customers in the parking lot.

On Tuesday, deputies warned the laborers to stay on public property. Then on Wednesday, citizens acted as witnesses and had 27 men arrested for trespassing by sheriff’s deputies, said Lt. John McBride of the sheriff’s Industry Station.

In the case of a misdemeanor, officers or deputies cannot make an arrest if the act is not done in his or her presence – with the exception of drunk driving.

During a citizen’s arrest, a private person who witnessed the alleged crime fills out a form testifying to what he or she saw, and an officer or deputy detains the person on the witness’ behalf.

Lt. Jim Wolak said deputies haven’t had problems in the past. But issues have recently been cropping up.

“We may possibly follow the lead of some other cities and put in (an area) to have them stay in an organized fashion,” said Wolak. “Of course, there are lots of politics involved in that.”

Sheriff’s officials wouldn’t release the names of the those who made the citizen’s arrests, saying the matter was still being investigated.

The General Manager of Frisco’s Diner denied being one of the restaurants involved in the citizen’s arrest, but he said people from his store have complained about day laborers.

“They are kind of an eyesore in front of our business,” said General Manager Frank Millan. “I have customers that are sometimes afraid to go out to their cars because (laborers) are surrounding the area. It is bad for all businesses around here.”

He wasn’t surprised when many of the day laborers returned Thursday.

“Tough times right now,” he said. “People need to work.”
Marcos Estrada has been looking for work every day at a spot outside a Home Depot in Industry for seven years.

In that time, the 52-year-old La Puente resident only remembers one instance where police have come to the area – and that was an immigration raid.

“Yesterday, the sheriff’s said no more people here, too many problems,” said Estrada, who was not arrested.

Estrada was back Thursday, standing in the parking lot of a Del Taco across the street. Laborers are allowed to look for work as long as they stay behind a fence that marks private property. On Thursday, many failed to stay behind the fence.

Loyda Alvarado, an organizer with day labor advocacy group the National Day labor Organizing Network, said sheriff’s officials were eager to work with them toward a solution.

“With what is happening in Industry, it is important and essential that we sit down with the different parts of the community so we can come up with a way to collaborate and coexist,” Alvarado said.

By Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/28/2009 04:33:16 PM PDT
daniel.tedford@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2730

(SGVTribune.com)