Memorial for Homeless Man Dedicated

A small group of relatives and friends gathered near Surfers Point on Saturday to dedicate a bench bearing the name of a homeless Ventura veteran who was beaten to death last summer.

The guests, who included surfers and homeless people, wanted to make sure 58-year-old James Richard Clark is not forgotten.

“People thought a lot of him,” said James Fields, 46, of Ventura, who knew Clark during their time on the streets.

Fields watched the afternoon ceremony on the Ventura Promenade with his pet iguana perched on his shoulder.

Clark, who had served in the Korean War, was kicked and stoned to death June 29 while in his sleeping bag at Ventura’s Hobo Jungle, a brushy area next to the Ventura River. He had lived on the streets for two decades.

Four teenage boys from Ventura have been jailed. Each has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Authorities have said the slaying was done for fun.

Clark was a peaceful man, said his friends.

He was well-liked by surfers because he would watch their gear when they were riding waves.

As people waited in line at a table filled with hot dogs, beans and cake, Tom Clark, the victim’s nephew, said, “I never thought this would happen. I was proven wrong.”

To remember Clark, guests dedicated an oak bench with a small metal plaque, which includes his name and a phrase selected by his family.

The plaque reads: “The stars are my ceiling. Heaven is my home. Homeless nevermore.”

Suggested phrases for the plaque were collected by Keith Akins, president of the Ventura Surf Club, who asked for submissions from Clark’s friends, as well as from strangers.

He sent the phrases to Clark’s family.

Akins also collected $1,100 to pay for the bench and plaque.

“We should always remember Jim and his situation,” Akins told the crowd.

After the ceremony, three musicians who surf in the area performed a song written in the victim’s honor. Nearby, a collection of poems, snapshots, newspaper clippings and crucifixes sat under several palm trees. The collection will be gathered and given to Clark’s sister in New York.