Azusa Marks King’s Message With Call Against Hate Crimes

The firebombs thrown at three Azusa houses--homes to African American families with children--sparked more than flames. The acts have ignited the foothill city’s passion to rid itself of the roots of racism.

More than 500 people from across the ethnic rainbow gathered outside City Hall for “Hands Across Azusa” Sunday afternoon, the city’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

As Kimasi Browne, director of Azusa Pacific University’s gospel choir, led the crowd in verses of “We Shall Overcome,” residents joined hands to form a giant circle of unity. In speeches, participants pledged to honor King’s memory by rejecting the kind of racial hatred that has struck close to home.

The gathering comes after Molotov cocktails crashed through the windows of two homes and were tossed at another. None of the residents were injured during the late-night attacks on Dec. 5.

Investigators suspect that Latino gang members are responsible for the crimes, the possible result of racial fights in state prisons that have spilled into the community and have targeted innocent African Americans.

Despite a $25,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the attacks and FBI involvement in the probe, no arrests have been made.

But Azusa officials continue to confront hate crime issues head-on. While some municipalities try to play down hate crimes, Azusa has aggressively reported suspected acts of hatred for years to state and federal authorities.

They have recently formed a city human relations commission and widely promoted Sunday’s event.

The Rev. Logan Westbrooks led the crowd in a community pledge to “interrupt prejudice,” speak out against bias and reach out to those targeted for harassment.

“I believe that one person can make a difference and that no person can be an innocent bystander when it comes to opposing hate,” he said.

“This response to hate is something Dr. King would have been proud to be part of,” said Westbrooks, an African American minister who grew up in Memphis during the fight for desegregation.

Westbrooks, pastor of Faith Temple Church of God In Christ, is one of nine members of the newly selected Azusa Human Relations Commission. Their goal is to come up with ways to curtail hate and prejudice in this city of nearly 45,000.

The task, Westbrooks said, begins with breaking the cycle of hate from generation to generation.

African Americans are less than 4% of the population, while Latinos account for nearly two-thirds. In the last few years, the city--located 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles--has gone from being labeled “the caboose of the San Gabriel Valley” to an attractive site for new homes and retailers.

But Azusa’s comparatively high numbers of hate crimes for a city its size has attracted headlines and dubious publicity.

Azusa police reported nine hate crimes in 2001, including the three attempted firebombings. And 13 were reported in 2000, including three other firebombings.

But experts say much of that is due to the Police Department’s policy that pays special attention to considering when a crime is motivated by racial hatred.

“Some cities such as Azusa are far more vigilant when it comes to reporting hate crimes, while others prefer to downplay the hate aspect of a crime,” said Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, which tracks hate crimes across the county.

Azusa City Manager Rick Cole said there can be no downplaying the magnitude of terror experienced by the three families attacked last December.

He called them “a random choice for acts of terrorism.”

In one instance, a burning bottle crashed through Sandra Sanni’s bedroom window, causing her to bolt up from bed and see sparks fly past her dresser.

The bottle landed at the entrance to her 6-year-old boy’s bedroom door and burst into flames. She screamed at her son and 9-year-old daughter to stay away as she smothered the flames with a pillow.

Minutes earlier, the same kind of firebomb crashed through the living room window of Dion Smith and his family. Smith, 31, snuffed out the smoldering bottle before it ignited his carpet.

“We can bind together to fight this hate that has struck our city,” George Younan, an Azusa Pacific University student, told the crowd. “We can come together to accomplish the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King.”

Younan’s father, who is of Middle Eastern descent, was shot and killed Oct. 17 in Sylmar in an incident his family believes was motivated by prejudice.

Jorge Agundez, 16, an Azusa High School junior, said that thanks to King’s legacy he is able to make friends across the ethnic spectrum. “We’ve got to relate to one another, no matter what our color,” he said.

Councilwoman Diane Chagnon warned the crowd that the community cannot afford to be complacent.

“Today we see the power of a community united,” she said. “The real test is when we leave. We need to stay united.”