BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER
Tears streamed down the faces of hundreds who gathered at a funeral mass today for 15-year-old Emmanuel Roldan, who was stabbed to death on the Fourth of July during a gang brawl near Stearns Wharf.
Dozens of people young and old wore white and black T-shirts with a photo of Roldan and the words: “Rest in peace. You will always be in our hearts.”
Roldan’s funeral service was the second for a slain boy at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in the past year, and came a week before a scheduled one-year anniversary mass to mark the stabbing death of Lorenzo Valentin Carachure, 16, who was killed in a gang-related attack on July 16, 2007 near his home on San Pascual Street.
Fr. Ludo DeClippel, who presided over both funerals and also conducted a large prayer service after 15-year-old Luis Angel Linares was killed in a gang brawl on March 14 2007, implored the young people in the audience to direct their energy and talents on good causes.
“I told them to make a commitment to never use any type of violence in their lives,” DeClippel said after the service, which was conducted mostly in Spanish. He urged gang members to attempt to be, “Good friends to each other, call a truce and disarmament pact because they are hurting themselves, their families and putting shame on the Mexican community.”
During the funeral service, DeClippel lighted three candles, which he said are the same three he’s used in the prayer service and funeral masses of all three homicides.
The first candle, he explained, represents anger, shame and negative feelings, while the second is community solidarity. The third, he said, represents mutual support and committing oneself to not repeating the same mistake twice.
DeClippel said the candles are symbolic of what needs to take place in the Santa Barbara community, which has seen a surge in gang violence over the past year and half.
Four people have been charged with murder in connection to Roldan’s death. Three of those charged are juveniles and one is David Roldan, the victim’s 17-year-old brother.
While the elder Roldan has been charged, DeClippel said from the podium in English and Spanish that to suggest the older brother had anything to do with the death of his sibling is false, and urged the media to apologize to the family.
The other two juveniles charged are Victor Arroyo and Daniel Cervantes, both 15. The District Attorney’s Office has opted to try all three boys as adults. The lone adult charged is 21-year-old Miguel Marquez. The four alleged suspects are scheduled to be arraigned July 16 in Superior Court.
A fundraising barbecue to help the Roldan family will take place at the Holy Cross Catholic Church from noon to 6 p.m. this Sunday. The event is open to the public and costs $6 for adults and $4 for children.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Slain boy laid to rest
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8 comments:
It's interesting to me that there will be a fundraising BBQ for the family as if the kid was killed in a car accident or died of a horrible disease.
No, unfortunately he died in a way of his own choosing. If the family supported him and perhaps his older brother's gang lifestyle they should be paying the community for the damage they're doing to US.
This is just another example of our local community enabling this destructive criminal behavior. Until someone gets up and takes responsibility it will continue on...
You left out one detail, where is Holy Cross church so we can go???
I really hope the community comes together and punts these little kids into shape. I hate to see the whole mexican community keep taking blame for the violence that further divides this great city. Then again, I have no sympathy for all the little wannabe gang bangers, whether they dress the part, look the part, or act the part...they should be tried as adults; period.
If you want a peek into the life of one of the accused Daniel Cervantes take a look at his public myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomhomies4life
This page will probably come back to haunt this guy: a whole trend when the DA investigates into the mind of those involved ( note to all you kids, watch what you post...it may get you 25 to life!)
A year or two ago another stabbing in santa barbara made me think to try to talk sense into society. It didn't work. Nobody listens. They think they have all the answers, or, they are invested neck deep in continuation of the problem. Sociology and Education reform as well as reform of the criminal justice system are called for. This will keep happening and it will keep getting worse, until people start looking at the answers science provides. Don't look to the police, they are half the problem. Don't look to the parents, they are overworked and underpayed. Society as a whole has to fix this problem,
and it starts when people being to listen to social scientists.
I wonder if the Mayor, Police Chief and other "leaders" responsible for this death were in attendance.
This is a culture they are proud of. It is romantic to them. The kid is a martyr and this death will only encourage more of the same and escalation. Just wait for Fiesta.
Do have a look at the my space page. What makes anyone think they will want to change and start going to Police Activities League or any of the other non-profits offering help? Yet we have a Police Chief that acts like a Youth Director and Camp Counselor instead of a Law Enforcer. there is a single minded group think with only one solution in mind - that if we give them opportunity this will stop. Well we have had a year and a half of that to no avail.
When are people going to wake up and realize that a "nice" Mayor and an "understanding" Police Chief are not going to do anything harsh enough to stop this other than saying "just stop this". My grandmother was nice to, but at least she had the sense not to be a Mayor. by the way, can anyone think of why the service has to be in Spanish and English? Last I checked, English was a requirement for legal citizenship. Demand gang injunctions, 287(g) agreements with ICE to untie the hands of local law enforcement! Now! Anything less is racist as it does nothing to protect a race of young people from killing each other off. In her naive world of "OK" and "Not OK" is that "OK" with Mayor Blum?
All these kids need to be cleaned off the streets, send them to camp or lock them up until they chose to make wiser choices. THIS IS A NEVER ENDING WAR WHAT WILL IT TAKE UNTIL THEY ARE ALL WIPPED OUT? OR UNTIL SOMEONE INNOCENT BECOMES THERE VICTIM? ITS NOT FAIR TO THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH INDIVIDUALS LIKE THIS! Its pathetic they are killing there own people and this will not stop only more will die. ITS NOT FAIR TO THE COMMUNITY TO LIVE IN FEAR BECAUSE THESE GANGS ARE TERRORIZING OUR STREETS. I DONT FEEL SAFE, I WALK WITH FEAR. THESE GANGS ARE WAY OUT OF CONTROL. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. THEY HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY DONT GIVE A F*** AND THAT NOTHING WILL STOP THEM. SOLUTION LOOK THEM UP!!! I USE TO FEEL SRRY FOR GANGSTERS BECAUSE I FIGURED POOR KIDS THEY JUST NEED LOVE AND ATTENTION BUT BY NOW I HAVE REALIZED THATS NOT THE PROBLEM ITS JUST THEIR MENTALITY PUT THEM AWAY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE ANYONE WHO IS GANG AFFILIATED SHOULD BE PUT AWAY!!!!!
the Mayor and the Chief need to grow some stones. stop trying to find outlets for these gang banging losers. stop wasting taxpayers money on these programs. it is bad enough our taxes are feeding, clothing and housing most of these anchor babies with their illegal parents, aunts and uncles.
Is it going to take the murder of one of the thousands of tourists who spend thousands of dollars in this city to get them to do something worthwhile?
Get ICE involved. let our cops check illegal status of the criminals in this town. if we get rid of the ones who are not supposed to be here anyways, it will free up some more time to focus on the criminals who are actually citizens.
stop wasting our money!!
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