Blog Archives
Pitch, Hit & Run!
Together Against Violence and Kerman Cal Ripkin League will host a free Major League Baseball® Pitch, Hit & Run™ Competition for area youth.
Date: Sunday, May 12th Time: 1:00pm
Location: Rotary Park on West ‘D’ Street and Vineland Avenue in Kerman, CA
Pitch, Hit & Run™ is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball®. This grassroots program is designed to provide youngsters with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball/softball skills.
Boys and girls are divided into four age divisions: 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, and have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including Team Championships at Major League ballparks and the National Finals at the 2013 MLB™ All-Star Game®.
The individual Pitching, Hitting and Running Champions, along with the All-Around Champion in each age and gender group at the Local Competition will be awarded and advance to the Sectional Level of Competition.
All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and have their parent or guardian fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition. For questions concerning the competition, please contact your Local Coordinators, Michelle Thompson at 559-681-1185 or Roxanne Ochoa at 559-348-7003 and Hugo Rios at 559-473-3169, email inquiries may be sent to: 2getheragainstviolence@gmail.com.
Justice for Sarah Roberts
We wanted to revisit the story of Sarah Roberts, Sarah was a young mother from Kerman, CA and the victim of a random act of violence on New Year’s Eve 2011. Over six months have gone by without any arrests and leads are few and far between. Police believe she was the unintended victim, caught in the crossfire of a nearby shooting in Fresno, CA.
As with many other crimes this case remains unsolved due to of a lack of witnesses willing to come forward with information. Valley Crime Stoppers has issued a $2000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. Anyone with information is urged to call Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP (7867) or Detective Chris Serrano at 559-621-2452.
This crime is a reminder that anyone can be a target, there are far too many innocent victims to turn a blind eye. It is of the utmost importance to report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Many people these days allow apathy to take over and adopt the “I just don’t want to get involved” mentality. It is sad and dangerous, reporting a possible crime before it happens could mean the difference between life and death.
The habit of reporting crime and suspicious activity needs to be ingrained into the hearts and minds of our communities. Don’t ever hesitate to call police if you think someone needs help and make an effort to find out the non-emergency numbers for your local law enforcement officials as well. These elements are key in achieving peaceful communities
for you and your families.
23 Ways To Stop Youth Violence
Here are some great tips for stopping youth violence. These points can serve many purposes from promoting self-reflection to building self-esteem. Don’t just read it, think about it, turn your thoughts and ideas into actions. Take this list and use it to lead you toward a positive outcome.
http://theronniebrownproject.org
Straight talk on how to stop youth violence. Courtesy of the Ronnie Brown Project.
- Walk away
- See the big picture
- Give respect to get respect
- Think before you act
- Learn to manage your anger
- Talk to someone you trust
- Listen & Understand
- What would your family say?
- Tell the truth
- Speak up
- Exhibit tolerance
- Speak with a professional
- Lead, don’t follow
- Adjust your attitude
- Remember your faith
- Think about your future
- Know the consequences
- Get involved at school, in your community
- Who you are really hurting?
- Stay in school
- Surround yourself with positive people
- Believe in yourself
- Negotiate
A Personal Message from Marcus Lynn Snowden’s Mother…
Hello everyone, I would like to start by introducing myself to those of you who don’t know me. My name is Roxanne Ochoa and I live in Kerman, CA. On October 22, 2011…lives were forever changed in a horrific act of violence. My beloved son, Marcus Lynn Ochoa Snowden (18 years old) was killed at a house party on Sunset and 8th St. in Kerman, CA. There were approximately 70-80 young people who attended this party and some were witnesses to this tragedy. So far, there have been two individuals arrested in the murder of my son. However there are still more people who were involved, who have not been arrested due to a lack of witnesses willing to come forward. The police cannot make an arrest based on hearsay and need more information to arrest and convict these individuals.
Marcus (also affectionately known as D-bo) was always a happy child and was so full of life and love since the day he was born. He always put a smile on our faces and liked to make everyone laugh with his jokes and impersonations. He was a good friend to those who knew him and was always willing to help out a friend need. He loved to spend time with his family and enjoyed visiting his grandparent’s house to eat and watch movies. Marcus had many artistic talents including drawing, music, tattoo art and cutting hair. He was getting ready to finish up his senior year and had planned to get his Barber’s license. Following that he would attend Fresno City College as a business major. He had dreams of one day being a business owner and having his own Barber Shop. He was also a standout athlete; the heart and dedication he put forth was noticed by everyone around him.
The dreams that Marcus had for his future have been cut short because of this senseless act. I am here to be a voice for my son and take a stand against violence. So I am asking each person to please help me in getting the word out about this tragic event. As parents we want our children to be safe in our town. And yet there are still people in this community…walking in our streets, in our grocery stores and in the parks where our children play who had something to do with this crime.
Please ask your friends and family to visit our “Together Against Violence” website founded in memory of Marcus Lynn Ochoa Snowden.
http://wearetogetheragainstviolence.com/
T.A.V. is a public service campaign, used to inform and educate everyone about the impact that violence has on our youth and their families. Please take a minute of your time to view it and forward this information to all of your friends and family. You can also LIKE the “Together Against Violence” page on Facebook, which would allow you to subscribe and share our updates.
With the utmost sincerity I ask the public, if anyone knows any information about this case, please contact the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at 559-488-3111.
“We will always love and miss Marcus and his humor, his larger than life personality and willingness to help others.”
Thank you for your support and God Bless.
Roxanne Ochoa
Together Against Violence 