Pomona forum scheduled to bring community together after park shooting

POMONA - It wasn't necessary to be hit by a bullet to be affected by the recent shooting incident at Ted Greene Park.

That reaction may have come from knowing the teens involved, because they live in the neighborhood or just because they were shocked by what happened.

To help deal with the incident a group made up of Pomona residents and local organizations will hold a forum at 6 p.m. Monday (Feb. 8) at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 2343 N. San Antonio Ave. in Pomona.

The purpose of the forum is "to help people voice their concerns. This is the opportunity to share those frustrations," said Fernando Meza, a member of the group which calls itself Cultural Equity and Race Relations, or ClEARR.

The shooting incident involved a group of teens who engaged in a confrontation at the park Jan. 29 and result in the death of two and another wounded. Five have been arrested and one is being sought by Pomona police.

Of those arrested, the oldest is 17, three are 16 and the alleged shooter is 14.

Residents are concerned about the shooting but may not know how to begin to address it or other problems, Meza said.

The forum is meant to provide a way to begin the process of healing after the incident, said Meza, who is also interim administrative director of pupil and community services at Pomona Unified School District.

Resources are available through the school district and groups across the city that can offer services to help address youth violence in the city, he said.

The forum is not meant to provide a place for finger-pointing, said Bernardo Rosa, co-chairman of the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan Community Board.

It is a place to speak out and find others who are also interested in creating a better place for young people and their families, he said.

"What we can't do alone we can do together," Rosa said.

Those who are part of ClEARR include representatives of the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan, the Pomona Unified School District, the city, the Boys & Girls Club of Pomona Valley and the Pomona Valley Human Relations Council.

Although different entities are involved in the effort this is an effort that ultimately is being driven by members of the community, Meza said.

"It's not a PUSD thing. It's not a city thing. It's not a church thing," he said. "It's a community thing."

All the members are saying what others in the community have said separately before that "enough is enough, we want to make changes in our community and in the lives of our children," Meza said.

Candace Barry, a community board member of the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan and the Pomona Valley Human Relations Council, said by helping people overcome shock and pain of this recent shooting, residents can come together and begin working on the solutions that prevent such violent acts.

ClEARR has a mission to address violence and racial tension, she said.

This was an act of violence, Barry said.

The motivation exists in the community to be consistent and tackle both problems.