I wrote a poem in response to another man being killed in our Uptown area this year. The article is below
Barriers too high
In response to the article “Fatal shooting reported in Whittier:”
Keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
And while we’re waiting
We lose another generation
A man walks down the street
With 4 kids and a wife
He gets shot and loses his life
Now his wife and 4 kids
Have to listen to an organ
That’s playing amazing grace
And because he’s Mexican
Many perceive him as a gangster
Instead of an American
Although I don’t know the full story
But this story has been read
in our streets
Far too many times
So it’s about time
We pay attention
To the tension
That’s building
Advertisement
on our streetsBecause if we don’t
We will lose a generation
And the older generation
Will build with frustration
Leaving barriers in our community
Too high to climb
Because many moons ago
My grandparents taught me
Love is a universal language
That we all can speak
So together let’s patch up those leaks
So people in East and West Whittier
Can speak the same language
May God continue to bless the victim’s family, the public safety officers and our city of Whittier.
Fred Hawthorne
Whittier
Whittier
Fatal shooting reported in Whittier
Blog
WHITTIER - A 30-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday in front of a Milton Avenue apartment building, police said.
The victim's identity was not released Saturday night, but authorities believed he lived in the area, police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
Few details surrounding the incident were available, but police believe the gunman was on foot when he fired at about 5:30 p.m. and then fled in a dark grey Toyota Camry.
Witnesses described the shooter as a Latino man with short black hair and wearing a baseball cap. It was unclear Saturday if the victim had any gang ties. It was also unclear what events preceded the shooting.
Investigators spent much of Saturday night taking photos of the crime scene in the 6300 block of Milton and collecting evidence as about a dozen neighbors watched.
Several residents on the block said they heard three loud shots.
One resident, who asked her name not be published for fear of retaliation, said the shooting made her nervous.
"We live here," she said. "If it could happen in the broad daylight, it could happen anytime."
Cynthia Gamez, 47, who lives on Milton, said she didn't know the victim personally, but believed he had several children and was expecting one more.
"He didn't bother anybody," Gamez said. "He wasn't a troublemaker. Every time I saw him he'd either be taking his wife to work or cleaning his car.
