A week ago, three-year-old Carlos Fernando Nava was killed on International Boulevard in East Oakland by a stray bullet fired in a drive-by shooting.
This past weekend, neighbors flocked to the location to spread the message: they’re sick of the violence.
Dozens of volunteers barbecued, collected donations and washed cars for $10 apiece. Hundreds of cars rolled through dropping cash into paper boxes for the family. Neighbors dropped of stuffed animals and lit candles at a makeshift shrine.
Eduardo Nava, cousin to the slain child, said the family is heartened by the outpouring of support. He hopes his cousin’s death will serve as a wake up call.
“If you can’t walk down the street with your kid anymore and go to the market to get some food, then everybody needs to step out because that’s everybody’s responsibility,” he said. “Everybody at least has the right to go to the street and get something to eat without feeling like their kids are going to die.”