Buck Wargo
GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE -- The deaths of two teenagers in La
Crescenta wasn't far from the minds Thursday night of members of a group
looking for answers to reduce violence in the community.
A coalition of community activists, police and government officials
held a study session for a community summit on Sept. 23 to address
problems with gangs, ethnic tensions and violence. The idea for the
summit sprung from the death in May of Raul Aguirre, a 17-year-old
student who was beaten and stabbed trying to break up a fight between
gang members. Three teens have been charged with murder.
The deaths of Christopher McCulloch and Blaine Talmo Jr., whose beaten
bodies were found on a school playground have given another reason for
the importance of the summit called "Planting the Seeds of Peace." A
15-year-old has been charged with murder.
"This process started as a result of Raul Aguirre," said Glendale
Police spokesman Sgt. Rick Young. "These deaths give us an additional
reason why we need to get together as a community and look at these
issues."
The purpose of the all-day summit at the Glendale Community College is
to identify problems in the community such as racial tensions, gangs,
youth violence and develop solutions to deal with them.
"Violence is the issue, and youth are part of that," Young said.
"There is child abuse and other abuse in the home like domestic violence.
There is violence on television. Kids are raised on violence. We need to
look at the causes."
Residents of La Crescenta are expected to meet in mid-August with the
Crescenta Valley Town Council, officials said. The meeting is expected to
mirror those following the death of Aguirre in which residents and youths
spoke out about their concerns and called for strategies to deal with the
problems. Those residents will be invited to join the September summit.
"That incident will impact our summit," said Susan Hunt, community
resource specialist for the Glendale Unified School District. "It is
another example of violence in our community. It confirms our need to
have this summit we have in the works."
Emily Eggleston, a senior administrative analyst for the city, said
the La Crescenta deaths shows violence in a problem of the entire
community and not just one in certain parts of Glendale.
