A Call to Action : Slain Child’s Mourners Urged to Help Stop Violence

Facing a pink banner reading “Stephanie Kuhen, God’s child, taken home to change our world,” mourners wearing pink lapel ribbons gathered Sunday to commemorate the child whose shooting death shocked a nation--and galvanized the neighborhood where it happened.

David Dalton, the 3-year-old girl’s grandfather, brought tears to the eyes of about 200 guests, who included police officers and a reformed gang member, when he recalled stopping at the grocery store every evening to buy candy for his grandchildren. When they saw him walking up the driveway, the four children would scream, “Grandpa home!” and stretch their small hands toward him. “Now,” said Dalton quietly, “I only buy three pieces of candy.”

“This has to stop somewhere,” Dalton pleaded as the girl’s mother, Robynn Kuhen, wept in the front pew. “People have to do something to stop this.”

The service at Angelus Temple in Echo Park, which was founded in 1922 by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, drew uniformed police officers and locals. A huge color photograph of the dead child dominated the lectern throughout the ceremony, which began with the mournful playing of “Taps” and ended with “Amazing Grace.”

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One speaker, invited to the lectern by the church’s ministers, was “Rick,” a reformed gang member and a member of the congregation. Stephanie Kuhen’s relatives look astonished when he spoke, telling mourners that before he found God and left the gang nearly 10 years ago, “I did things just for the heck of it to hurt people.”

Senior Pastor Harold Helms called on everyone to get involved in stopping gang violence. “This child’s murder is known around the world. We believe she can be a catalyst to bring us to our senses.”

And Steve Gooden, an Orange County African American minister who recently attracted attention by hanging a banner proclaiming “Love Mark Fuhrman, To Help End Racism!” near landmarks in Los Angeles and Orange counties, told mourners:

“We are calling for black Americans, white Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans to stand up and get mad.

“What happened last week was the theft of the innocence of a nation,” said Gooden, adding that, like the kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma, Stephanie’s death had galvanized people to stop the murders of scores of children each year in Los Angeles.

Even as the service was under way, residents in the Cypress Park community where the child was killed Sept. 17 were taking action of their own, rolling up their sleeves to wash hundreds of cars at $3 each and donate the proceeds to the child’s family.

A huge sign in front announced, “Stephanie Kuhen, God bless you. Cypress Park has heart!”

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Cars waited in long lines as dozens of neighborhood volunteers scrubbed down vehicle after vehicle. Teen-age girls stood on the street madly waving signs, whistling, even flagging down a passing firetruck for donations; the driver of the highly polished truck joked that he was afraid the amateur washers would “leave spots,” and donated money to the fund. By midday, $1,000 was already in hand.

“We can’t bring her back. But we are going to give her something to go to heaven with,” said Art Pulido, vice president of the Cypress Park Chamber of Commerce.

“People in this community aren’t baby killers,” said Alicia Perez, 34, who had spent the day before putting up flyers about the carwash throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Volunteers streamed in from Whittier, Norwalk, Echo Park. “This child hadn’t even started her life yet,” Perez said, pressing her hand to her heart.

Emotions continued to run high over the shooting. Last week, police announced that they had arrested Vincent Caldera as a suspect, but later said he would not be charged. Relatives insisted he was 350 miles away the night of the shooting. Even after police announced that Caldera would not be charged, his mother, Tomasa, continued to receive death threats, she recalled fearfully.

“You are the assassin’s mother! You will pay!” she said one woman screamed over the phone in Spanish. Others warned her in English, “Get out of [the country]! Go home!” (Police Chief Willie L. Williams said Sunday that Caldera, who remains in custody on parole violations, remains a suspect.)

At a standing-room-only Eastside community meeting attended by Williams on Sunday afternoon, the Cypress Park shooting, along with the Mark Fuhrman audiotapes and the recent fatal police shooting of a Lincoln Heights youth, were cited by residents demanding several changes--foremost among them more police officers but fewer “bad apple” cops.

“We’ve had to live with countless tragedies,” said the Rev. Gabriel Gonzales of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where more than 500 members of the United Neighborhoods Organization met with Williams. “[We] represent the 97% of those who are victimized by [gang members].”

Responding to the list of demands, Williams said he would seek an increased Eastside police presence as more than 600 new patrol officers are hired citywide in coming months. He also said he would find a site for a police community center in Lincoln Heights and would continue efforts to root out police officers with racist attitudes or who are guilty of misconduct.

Police were weighing charges against three suspects arrested Friday in the shooting death of the girl.

Williams refused to identify the three suspects, saying that decision was based on the recommendation of the district attorney’s office. He said only that two adults and one minor are in custody in the slaying.

Froylan Delgado, 21, who was questioned last week in the shooting, said, “The police are making themselves look bad. They are just fishing. Fishing for anybody.

“It was a little innocent bystander that got hurt. That kinda hurts,” said Delgado, whose chest and arms are covered with tattoos. “They say it ain’t racial. But when a Mexican girl died, there was no reward, no President talking about it.”

Times staff writer Paul Feldman contributed to this story.