Guest Opinion | Councilmember John J. Kennedy: It’s Time to Come Together and End the Violence

Dear Pasadena, 

As the outgoing chair of the Public Safety Committee, I would like to share a brief statement.

One of the worst horrors in Pasadena history occurred on Halloween of 1993 when gang members gunned down a group of boys trick-or-treating who happened to be doing what kids do on Halloween. These boys were 13 and 14 years old, African American, not affiliated with any gang, but they were easy targets for members of a violent street gang who decided to go hunting that evening. Justice was eventually done, but nothing can ever restore these boys to those who loved them.

The facts surrounding that senseless act of violence in 1993 are known. With respect to the recent murders of three men at Villa Parke in the past couple of weeks, two were fatally shot last week and an earlier victim in November, the only facts known at this point are that the three men were murdered in cold blood.

The victims were Latino and they were doing what residents do in this great city, enjoying time in one of the City’s many parks. Justice will eventually be done, but nothing can ever restore these men to those who loved them. We mourn for them together as one community.

Whether or not these particular murders turn out to be the result of gang violence, the fact is that our community is plagued by a gang culture and plagued by young men who pick up a gun as a way of life to solve their problems. We must come together as one community, in unity, and bring justice to the victims, punishment to the perpetrators, and the grace to help lead our youth, and in some cases adults, into better values and to a better way of life.

I pledge my support to any efforts to move forward, together. We need our new Mayor, we need our new Council; we need our communities and we need our Police to walk through this together. I offer my condolences and prayers to the men whose lives were lost, to their families, and to all of us who mourn together as we look for a better way.

With a profound sense of loss, I am

Respectfully yours,