Councilmember Gordo, Underscoring Concerns About Rash of Shootings, Calls Wednesday Community Meeting

District 5 Councilmember Victor Gordo has scheduled a community meeting in the Villa-Parke Community Center Wednesday night as a “followup” meeting to earlier discussions about the large number of shootings which have plagued certain Northwest Pasadena neighborhoods in recent months — in particular, one instance of gunfire which erupted next to the park, while a children’s soccer game was being played.

On April 2 people watching a youth soccer match at Villa Parke were startled to hear several shots fired somewhere along Garfield Avenue when a man fired at a group of men at about 1:50 p.m., police said at the time. No one was injured, police said.

When police arrived, witnesses described a group of four to five male Hispanics, ages 20 to 30, who were shot at while they were either standing or sitting on the east curb about mid-block on Garfield between Parke and Villa Parke streets.

That situation — in which no one was injured — highlights the danger that ordinary citizens have faced in some neighborhoods as the number of shootings at virtually all hours of the day has continued for months.

The plague of shootings erupting primarily in the northwest neighborhoods of Pasadena is “an urgent and important matter,” Gordo said on April 21, “because it involves the safety of children and families in their neighborhoods, and in our city parks. And beyond that, it involves the image and reputation of the City of Pasadena. So, for all of those reasons, especially the safety reasons, I believe that this matter deserves to be at the top of the list in our public safety discussions.”

“If we were going to set aside for the full City Council to discuss a public safety matter, then the discussion should be that there were 80 shootings in 2015, and 26 so far this year,” Gordo elaborated in an April interview. “If we are going to prioritize anything outside of the budget process, it should be towards curbing the violence and shooting that is occurring.”

A city announcement said that in addition to Councilmember Gordo, at least one representative from the Pasadena Police Department will participate.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4 in the Villa-Parke Community Center auditorium, 363 East Villa Street in Pasadena.