Blog Archives

Justice for Ishmael

Another family needs your help, please get the word out by copying and sharing this post. It has been six agonizing months since the Escalante family lost their beloved Ishmael who has been described by many as loyal, honest, generous, special and loved.

The family has organized an event at the intersection of ‘G’ Street and Olive Avenue in Merced, CA on June 20, 2015, from 4:00pm – 8:00pm. Supporters of the #JusticeForIshmael initiative will be rallying for justice and passing out flyers, a bake sale has also been organized to help fund #JusticeForIshmael. A march to raise awareness of this unsolved murder will begin at 6:45pm and all concerned citizens are invited to attend.

The city of Merced has seen a recent spike in the number of homicides this year with most of the victims being young people in their teens and early twenties.

However, this city with a population of over 81,000 people, employs a police department with less than 30 sworn officers. It is nearly impossible for them to keep up with the needs of such a growing city. The public’s help is needed more than ever; we must be the eyes and ears of our communities, and we must work together with local law enforcement to push forward the wheels of justice.

For more information on how you can help, please contact site administrator, Michelle Thompson at ContactUs or (559) 681-1185.

#JusticeForIshmael
Ishmael Web

Calling All Anti-Violence Advocates!!!

Did you know 40% of the Prosecutors in the Fresno County DA’s Homicide Division have resigned their positions since receiving a 9% pay cut in 2011? This is important to all of us because these Prosecutors are the people responsible for putting murderers behind bars. The reason there have been pay cuts is because of the budget imposed by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Yet, according to this insightful report “…current County contracts give higher salaries to Public Defenders than to Prosecutors.” An attorney working in public service is already taking a huge pay cut compared to what they could make in the private sector. Paying for college after law school is a huge expense; the dedicated Prosecutors who choose to represent “the People” rather than defending scum do so because they want to what is right by all of us.

If you think the Fresno County Board of Supervisors should reconsider their position on this matter and or raise the salaries of Prosecutors, let them know.  Express your concern to them in the name of public safety, their failure to reconsider is a danger to all of us. Criminals can and will find the loophole in the system and exploit it.

Here is a list of the Supervisors, including the areas they represent and an email address. We urge you to email the Supervisor in your District and tell them how you feel about this situation. Remember through our combined efforts we can make our communities safe for one and all!

~Together Against Violence

Fresno County

  • Supervisor Phil Larson

Western Fresno County (Firebaugh, Kerman, Mendota, San Joaquin and Neighboring Communities)

jbarlow@co.fresno.ca.us

  • Supervisor Debbie Poochigian

Eastern Fresno County (Clovis, Sanger, Prather, Auberry and Neighboring Communities)

District5@co.fresno.ca.us  

  • Supervisor Henry Perea

Central Fresno (Tower District, Mayfair, Calwa)

ppinedo@co.fresno.ca.us

  • Supervisor Andreas Borgeas

Fresno and Clovis (Fig Garden, Fashion Fair, Fresno State, Riverpark and Neighboring Areas)

district2@co.fresno.ca.us

  • Supervisor Judy Case

Southern Fresno County (Selma, Coalinga, Kingsburg, Fowler and Neighboring Communities)

district4@co.fresno.ca.us

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.

Our First Post For All Our Social Media Advocates

2 bRoThErS, 2 LiVeS, tAkEn FrOm tHiS EaRtH 2 sOoN.

No matter how bad this person feels about testifying against his “friend”, nothing he feels could compare to the pain Daniel and Rene Leon’s Parents will have to endure for the rest of their lives.

Reluctant Witness Blames Friend For Two Murders

As Reported By ABC 30 KFSN-TV Fresno, CA

iF yOu kNoW sOmEoNe wHo NeEds hELp…

Even if we knew why tragedies like this happened, it still would not make sense for young children or anyone for the matter to fall victim to such a horrific crime. If you know of any parents who need help with emotional or substance abuse problems, it is of the utmost importance that you try to get them some help; whether it be a social worker, public health agency, law enforcement or a family/church intervention. Crimes like this just don’t happen, they can be months or even years in the making.

Jan. 17th, 2o12 – KFSN-TV ABC 30 – Fresno, CA.

Expert weighs in on Fresno’s latest murder-suicide