Penn’s Father Calls for Truth : 2 Strive to Ease Police, Community Tensions

Two fathers, brought together by their sons’ violent confrontations with police, joined Friday to revive efforts to ease tensions between Southeast San Diego residents and the San Diego Police Department.

Thomas Penn is the father of Sagon Penn, 23, accused of fatally shooting one police officer and wounding a second officer and a civilian. Robert Holden is the father of Wayne Holden, a UC San Diego student who was gunned down by San Diego police in May.

Speaking at a press conference at Penn’s Southeast San Diego home, both men said they were dissatisfied with attempts to improve relations between the police and community.

Thomas Penn said he is still shocked by his son’s arrest and, at times, has a hard time believing his son will stand trial for murder.

Sagon Penn, charged in the slaying of Officer Thomas Riggs on March 31 and the wounding of Officer Donovan Jacobs and Sara Pina-Ruiz, a ride-along with Riggs that night, has pleaded innocent to all charges and will stand trial in October.

Saying he still has faith in the judicial system, Thomas Penn called for the truth as a means to end the friction between Southeast residents and the San Diego police force, and to ensure that “justice will be done” in his son’s case.

“The main thing that I’m after is the truth,” Penn said. “I’m tired of the friction that’s going down between the community and the Police Department. . . . We need to pass the truth along. Don’t add to it, don’t take away from it . . . just tell the truth.”

But Holden, a San Carlos resident, called for more than the truth at Friday’s news conference as he accused Police Chief Bill Kolender of supporting a double standard of justice for police and other citizens. Holden sent a letter to Kolender requesting an appointment “to discuss certain police practices of the San Diego Police Department.”

“While we cannot bring my son back to life, perhaps by changing police practices we can prevent future tragedies of this type from happening again,” Holden said in the letter.

Assistant Chief Bob Burgreen said he doubted Kolender would grant Holden an appointment.

Kolender was attending a California Community Colleges board meeting Friday and was unavailable for comment.

“He had the opportunity to meet with our top brass on two occasions and express his sentiments,” Burgreen said, referring to a series of town meetings between Southeast San Diego residents and police officials.

Holden spoke at both town meetings, where he denounced the practices and policies of San Diego police officers whom he said made too many “attitude” arrests. Holden and Penn met at the town meetings.

“It’s not a crime to have a bad attitude,” Holden said.

Holden’s son, Wayne, was shot after crashing through a window in a San Carlos home as police chased him. The shooting followed a 20-minute standoff with officers who tried to persuade Holden to give up a knife he threatened to use on himself.

“Police were called to prevent his (Wayne’s) suicide with a kitchen knife. They ended up aiding and abetting his suicide by shooting him six times in the back,” Holden said.

To symbolize the unity between the black and white communities in improving police relations, Holden made a $50 contribution to the Sagon Penn Defense Committee fund and donned a Sagon Penn T-shirt under his blue suit.

The defense fund is sponsoring a rally July 20 at Martin Luther King Park at Skyline Drive and 65th Street in Southeast San Diego. Police officials say they do not intend to send representatives but are open to future conferences with Southeast residents.

Burgreen said town meetings between Southeast residents and San Diego police have done little to improve relations.

“There’s a dead officer, a young black person in jail and a number of witnesses who say the officers initiated the scuffle. These are the making of a natural polarization,” Burgreen said.