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About 100 people recently marched from one house of worship to the next in San Bernardino to call for an end to a rash of gun violence across the city. Steven Cuevas/KQED
About 100 people recently marched from one house of worship to the next in San Bernardino to call for an end to a rash of gun violence across the city. (Steven Cuevas/KQED)

San Bernardino Struggles to Remain 'SB Strong' in the Face of Rising Violence

San Bernardino Struggles to Remain 'SB Strong' in the Face of Rising Violence

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All eyes fell on San Bernardino after 14 people were gunned down in a terrorist attack more than four months ago. Media flocked in from across the globe. Mourners filled a baseball stadium. Elected leaders expressed their sorrow.

"They were white and black, Latino and Asian, immigrants and American-born,” said President Obama in an address to the nation on Dec. 6. “And all of them were part of our American family.”

But since the attack there’s been much less attention given to 17 other people who have been slain on the streets of San Bernardino in the first three months of this year.

That’s more than double the number of people murdered in San Bernardino in the first three months of 2015. It’s a torrid pace for a city of just over 200,000 people, and one that could make 2016 one of the bloodiest years in recent memory.

The names of the victims may not be as well-known as those murdered by Islamic extremists on Dec. 2. But most were killed in a similar manner, gunned down, in many cases by unknown assailants who are still on the loose.

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When about 75 people gathered to pray on the lawn of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino and recite the names of those murdered so far this year, the death toll was up to 15.

Detail of San Bernardino 2016 homicide map.
Detail of San Bernardino 2016 homicide map. (San Bernardino Police Dept.)

One of the latest was Jason Spears, a 12-year-old boy cut down in a drive-by shooting outside a Circle K market. A 14-year-old cousin was wounded.

“I was able to play in my front yard and on my street when I was a kid, and my kids don’t have that opportunity now,” says Keesha McGee, who was among those who attended the interfaith vigil and march sponsored by Inland Congregations United for Change. “So I would like to give them that opportunity, so that's the reason why I'm here."

San Bernardino can feel a bit like a shellshocked community these days. And not just because of the bloodshed.

The city is still struggling to emerge from bankruptcy. That’s why streetlights go dim at night, why parks go unmowed and why cops take private donations to help pay for new equipment.

But after the terrorist attack that killed 14 people, there was a sense of unity. "San Bernardino Strong" became the adopted slogan.

Advertisement for an April 15th fundraiser sponsored by the Inland Empire 66ers minor league baseball team. The city adopted the San Bernardino Strong slogan in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist mass shooting in December
Advertisement for an April 15 fundraiser sponsored by the Inland Empire 66ers minor league baseball team. The city adopted the San Bernardino Strong slogan in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist mass shooting in December (Inland Empire 66ers)

“When Dec. 2 came that was a terrible thing, but the community came together and it wasn't people fighting the police,” says state Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, who represents San Bernardino. She worries that resolve is slipping.

“It was thanking (the police) for what they did, so that there was no more death, no more carnage,” says Brown. “So I'd love to see us get back to that. I’m so sad about all this.”

“There's always the factors of poverty and lack of opportunity for people,” says Sergio Luna.

Luna is organizing a series of citywide anti-violence events in coordination with Inland Congregations United for Change. Luna says ICUC plans to sponsor regular rallies and community meetings revolving around the issue of street violence, gang intervention and the city’s response -- or lack of response, as Luna sees it.

“I believe that we are (just) focused on the suppression piece,” says Luna. “That having more police will make us feel safer. When in reality they are just the first responders when something happens.”

The Rev. Norman Copeland of St. Paul A.M.E Church in San Bernardino speaks to residents gathered for a peace vigil and march.
The Rev. Norman Copeland of St. Paul A.M.E Church in San Bernardino speaks to residents gathered for a peace vigil and march. (Steven Cuevas/KQED)

Luna wants the city to adopt a more holistic approach. He points to Operation Ceasefire programs in the cities of Richmond and Stockton that supporters say have helped curb violence with more than just policing.

“They're talking about buying shotgun-proof vests for our police department,” says Luna. “How would that have saved the 12-year-old that just got killed? Or would it maybe be better for us to actually work with individuals involved in the violence to begin with?”

Ten years ago under a different mayor and administration, San Bernardino launched Operation Phoenix. It offered an array of programs to help draw kids away from gangs and other trouble.

Voters also approved Measure Z, a sales tax designed to help pay for those programs. Revenue was primarily used to hire more cops and to beef up street patrols and community outreach.

After the launch of Operation Phoenix the number of homicides dropped significantly in San Bernardino. Then the housing market imploded. The local economy went down with it. In 2011 the city filed for bankruptcy protection. Operation Phoenix was grounded. All city departments were slashed to the bone.

“We went from having 350 cops to where we’re down to like 220, 230 right now,” says San Bernardino police Lt Rich Lawhead.

Measure Z is still generating millions in revenue each year. Virtually every dime now is going to the cops, around $7 million in the last fiscal year alone. But the city is still spending less on policing now than it was 10 years ago -- about $17 million less than in fiscal year 2009-10.

About 100 people recently marched from one house of worship to the next in San Bernardino to call for an end to a rash of gun violence across the city.
About 100 people recently marched from one house of worship to the next in San Bernardino to call for an end to a rash of gun violence across the city. (Steven Cuevas / KQED)

“The thing that has taken the biggest hit is our proactive resources,” explains Lawhead. “We don't have a whole bunch of officers going out trying to make inroads with the community. I used to have 16 officers assigned to that, now I have four. Officers not just rolling out on 911 calls but actually trying to catch trouble before it gets out of control.”

On the floors of the state Assembly and Senate last month, San Bernardino’s chief of police and other first responders were honored for their courage on the day of last year’s mass shooting.

And there’s a bipartisan effort in Congress to help cities like San Bernardino recoup the cost of major emergencies like the December terrorist attack.

But there’s been little tangible offered in the way of state or federal funding to beef up day-to-day policing in San Bernardino or expand diversion programs for at-risk youth. Assemblywoman Brown does say a state public safety committee will soon meet to discuss crime and public safety in the city.

Rev Bronica Martin Taylor (center), at a recent peace march and vigil in San Bernardino, is calling on the city to do more to address a spike in street violence.
The Rev. Bronica Martin Taylor (center), at a recent peace march and vigil in San Bernardino, is calling on the city to do more to address a spike in street violence. (Steven Cuevas / KQED)

“To put a laser focus on what is happening here, and then we can look at what resources we might be able to get in our budget this year,” says Brown.

“We can’t just keep meeting to meet. Let’s do what we need to do in order to make the change,” adds the Rev. Bronica Martin Taylor.

Taylor heads the citizen oversight committee that offers recommendations for how San Bernardino’s Measure Z tax revenue should be spent. But given the city’s shaky finances, it’s been tough to convince city leaders to divert some of that money away from a resources and cash-strapped police department.

“We want to continue to fund our police department,” insists Taylor. “But how do we fund intervention and prevention programs as well? How are our city leaders going to come together for those programs to be provided? That is the question.”

The San Bernardino City Council did agree last year to increase the police budget by around $50 million over the next five years and bring staffing back to pre-bankruptcy levels. But even with that go-ahead, Lawhead says, it remains a challenge to retain officers and recruit qualified new officers to the struggling city.

But December’s horrific terrorist attack did at least spur a local effort to aid the police department.

Last month the San Bernardino Police Foundation formed an alliance with area businesses with the aim of raising some $300,000 to purchase new weaponry and protective vests.

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