The Lakireddy Bali Reddy Case
A Family's Criminal Conspiracy Involving Sexual Slavery & Indentured Servitude In Berkeley
by Diana Russell & Marcia Poole
Further News & Events
December 25, 2012
Narika is organizing a huge protest outside the Indian consulate office on Arguello Blvd. in the city on Friday, Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. We want to say we solidly stand behind the protestors of the gang rape in India. The protests there are swelling by the day all over the country, and we should act here. We are hoping to get at least four or five other groups, to join us. It will be peaceful, but powerful and we are going to make sure the Indian government hears our voices.
It will be great if you and your friends and acquaintances of both sexes join the protests. We are proud that Indian women (in India) are out on the streets protesting.
The woman was raped for almost an hour by six drunken men on a Delhi bus. When they were done with her, one of them stuck an iron rod into her vagina and yanked it out with so much force that her intestines came out. She is on life support.
Vote Yes on 35
Fall 2012
The proposed CASE ACT ballot initiative
- Increase prison terms for human traffickers.
- Require convicted sex traffickers to register as sex offenders.
- Require all registered sex offenders to disclose their internet accounts.
- Require criminal fines from convicted human traffickers to pay for services to help victims.
- Mandate law enforcement training on human trafficking
For Information:
C.A.S.E. Act
March 2012
A a six-unit apartment building that was home to an estimated 20 to 30 people was totally destroyed by fire. The apartment building, owned by Lakireddy Bali Reddy, reportedly had no working smoke detectors. Berkeley Fire Department declares it an accident and Reddy avoids responsibility for negligence once more.
For Information:
Dwight apartment building fire forces dozens to evacuate
February 2012
The SF Public Press has a well researched article by Viji Sundaram on how the Lakireddy case reformed federal and state laws regarding sexual trafficking.
For Information:
How an infamous Berkeley human trafficking case fueled reform
October 2011
Prasad Lakireddy proudly opened a new restaurant a block away from the former Pasand Restaurant. You might remember the boycott against the sex-slave family's restaurant. Business went down & Pasand closed. Now they have opened a new restaurant with a different name, Nameste, down the block in the fomer Citibank building at 2323 Shattuck Ave.
Below is the article from Berkelyside on Oct 11, 2011:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/10/11/shop-talk-the-ins-and-outs-of-berkeley-business/
"The landmark former Citibank building at 2323 Shattuck — sitting empty for the last five years — is the new home of Namaste Madras Cuisine, a restaurant featuring food from south India. Prasad Lakireddy and his partners installed cherry wood detailing throughout the building to complement the ornate beamed ceiling designed in 1926 by architect Walter Ratcliff. The chef and owner is Venkat Yaramala, who has 20 years experience running restaurants in Roseville, Chico, and the Bay Area. Meals will be served family-style and the restaurant will be open from 11am to 10pm seven days a week."
November 2010
Recently a lesbian group, BaSappho, has been having an extensive discussion about the appropriateness of having the 2006 Girl Fest festival at Berkeley's Down Low, (a building owned by the Reddy Family.)
Below is an article from the Berkeley Daily Planet that appeared at the time of the controversy.
For Information:
Sex-Slavery Opponents Picket Girl Fest Venue(on page 5)
October 2010
For Information:
Who Paid for the Sierra Club's Yes on R mailer?
October 2010
For Information:
Another Reddy arrested in Berkeley for sex crimes
2010
For Information:
Unsafe Buildings Place Tenants at Risk
Presented through the Partnership of:
San Francisco Department on the Status of Women
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
Jewish Coalition to End Human Trafficking
For the directory:
Directory of Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking
For Information:
Meghan's Law List of Sex Offenders
on April 2nd, 2008
Lakireddy Bali Reddy was released from Federal prison on 2 April 2008.
Let us all hope that after 8 years in prison, Reddy has reflected on the error of his ways and is now ready to move forward as a new man.
for Safety Violations
28 Nov 2006
The Lakireddy's never learn. The Berkeley City Council approved a lien against Vijay for continuing to allow his rental property to be in violation of Berkeley's Safety Codes.
The vote against Vijay was almost unanimous, with Councilmember Gordon Wozniac pleading Vijay's case, citing he had so much property, how could he be expected to do repairs in a timely manner. Councilmember Dona Spring, always a protector of tenants' rights & safety, replied that Vijay and his family's real estate empire never responded to any calls from tenants and, in fact, never called her back on the occasions she phoned to express her concerns about safety violations.
by Judith Scherr (12-01-06) in Berkeley Daily Planet
The council turned down a request from landlord Vijay Lakireddy to reduce fees for slow compliance in fixing violations under the city’s Rental Housing Safety Program in 47 of 60 units he owns at 2033 Haste St.
Lakireddy argued that because he had so many repairs to do he should be given some leeway. “A lot of items were flagged. We did our best,” he said.
“When a property owner has far flung real estate holdings, he bears some responsibility for upholding safety laws of the city,” Councilmember Max Anderson responded.
Mayor Tom Bates addressed Lakireddy directly: “We hope this is a wake up call.”
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com
of Lien to Recover Rental Housing Safety Program Fees
The Housing Department rejected Mr. Vijay Lakireddy’s objection to $7,800 in fees imposed by the City of Berkeley’s Rental Housing Safety Program, thereby allowing a special assessment lien to be filed on Mr. Mosleh’s rental property. These fees were incurred in the enforcement of the Housing Code on the property located at 2033 Haste Street, Apartments 101, 102, 104, 119, 201, 203, 204, 211, 214, 306, 314, 318, and the Common Area.
For further information, please contact Carlos Romo, Housing Inspector Supervisor at 510.981.5440.
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/
publichearings/htm