Gathering Decries Athlete’s Slaying at Park in Pacoima

Mixing defiance, anxiety and religious fervor, community members and city officials gathered Thursday at Hubert H. Humphrey Park in Pacoima to decry last weekend’s fatal shooting of an 18-year-old football player at the park.

City Councilman Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles Police Capt. Ron Bergman and a host of community activists and clergy also proclaimed their intentions to keep the park open, despite the frustrated pleas of some--including the victim’s family--to shut it down.

“We will not let gangs take this park away from us,” Alarcon said. “There are a couple of knuckleheads messing it up for the whole community.”

Jaret Harris, who starred on offense and defense for the Kennedy High School football team, was shot at dusk Sunday while riding motor scooters with a friend. Police have little information and no suspects, but they believe the killing was gang-related.

Humphrey Park has witnessed several violent episodes in recent years, most of which police have attributed to tensions between Latino and black gangs. A dusk curfew--a departure from the 10:30 p.m. closure of most city-run parks--remains in effect, and sports leagues have only recently returned after being scared off by gunfire.

With a dozen uniformed police officers and several dozen residents in attendance Thursday, speakers delivered brief remarks, several quoting Scripture for emphasis.

Tensions occasionally bubbled over during the one-hour midday event. Chris Richards of Pacoima was one of several residents to aim bitterly pointed questions and comments at Alarcon and other officials.

“The effect that you’re making is superficial,” he said, pointing at Alarcon. “You need to have police here [24 hours a day]!”

Later, Bergman countered by calling Humphrey “the best-patrolled park in the city” and said the violence was “not a police problem, but a community problem.”

Alarcon, Bergman and other officials invited residents to meet at the park at 9 a.m. Saturday for further discussion of the shooting and other matters.

Police urged anyone with information about the slaying to call the LAPD’s Foothill Division detectives at (818) 834-3115.