Little League vs. Bulldozers : Parents Block Demolition of Pacoima Church Baseball Diamond

Parents protesting the destruction of a baseball diamond at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Pacoima rushed onto the field Wednesday and persuaded workers to leave after a bulldozer plowed through a backstop and tore up the infield.

Despite plans by the church to turn the 25-year-old field into a parking lot, parents vowed Wednesday afternoon to have a new backstop ready, the diamond graded and the dugouts in shape for Saturday’s opening-day ceremonies for the Mary Immaculate Little League.

“We’re not going to give it up,” said Rafael Nava, president of the league, as he stood near where the pitcher’s mound used to be.

“It’s not just the field, it’s the tradition,” Nava said. “I played on this field, my kids played on this field.”

Parents Cite Need

The dispute between church leaders and parishioners who want to save the field spilled into the open on March 8 when scores of parents and children picketed outside the parish hall. The demonstrators said the field serves as an important alternative for children who might otherwise be caught up in youth gangs, drugs and street crime.

The protests apparently did not change the mind of the Rev. Fernando Iglesias, head pastor of the church. Iglesias said then that plans to renovate the field were final and supported by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The next day, Mary Immaculate School Principal Marie Kronheimer sent a letter to school parents saying that those who picketed the church at 10390 Remick Ave. were showing disrespect for the parish.

Iglesias was not available for comment Wednesday. But he said earlier that the loss of the field was due to the inability of the Little League’s board of directors to meet requirements set by the church advisory board in 1985. At the time, the board was unable to account for $2,000 in missing funds, and the field was in deplorable condition, Iglesias said.

Little League officials have conceded past management problems, but said they are willing to do whatever the parish requires to save the field.

Father Sees Bulldozers

Nava, who has two sons on Little League teams this year, said he spotted the bulldozer rumbling across the field about 7:45 a.m. as he was dropping his son off at Mary Immaculate School. Nava said he climbed a fence and ran onto the field to confront three workers.

“They were starting to tear the bleachers down,” Nava said. “I pleaded with them. I was crying my heart out.”

Other parents saw what was happening and joined in support, Nava said. Los Angeles police sent officers to the church in response to a report that 30 parishioners were protesting on the field, a police spokesman said. There were no arrests, and the workers left with their bulldozer, the spokesman said.

Nava said parents would meet and develop a plan to refurbish the field by Saturday.