Blog Archives
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.
Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Violence
These are crazy times that we live in, early releases have shown a marked increase in violent crime. Don’t put yourself in a situation that may result in you becoming a victim.
Here are some tips:
1) Don’t look like a victim. Walk tall with your head up. Project an air of confidence as you walk and speak to persons.
2) Trust your instincts. If something, or someone, makes you uncomfortable, avoid the person or leave the area. Listening to “your gut instinct” can help you avoid becoming a victim of a violent crime.
3) Avoid parking in isolated areas. Be especially alert in lots and underground parking garages. Always park in a well lighted, heavily traveled area.
4) Don’t do things alone. Take a friend with you. It’s true there is safety in numbers and you’ll have more fun with a friend.
5) Don’t put yourself in a situation or location that is known to be less than safe.
(Information courtesy of Safety Officer Paul G. Corcoran, Lowell Police Department)
Officials: Fresno crime rates rising amid jail releases | abc30.com.
News Story Originally Aired on ABC30 KFSN-TV Fresno, CA
Please Read-Your Help Is Needed!
Together Against Violence is a public service campaign, our goal is to promote a pro-active approach to stopping violence in our communities.
This campaign is committed to raising awareness about the impact violence has on young people as well as their families. We are striving to promote peaceful and safe communities as well as forming relationships with other public service entities aimed at stopping violent crime and assisting victims of violent crime.
- Marcus and His Mom
Inspired by a profound tragedy, our organization was founded in memory of Marcus Lynn Ochoa Snowden, affectionately known as “D-bo”.
Marcus Lynn Snowden was taken from us on October 22nd, 2011 in a horrific act of violence. In his 18 years on this earth Marcus touched many people with his craziness, kindness and willingness to protect others. We want to remember him and the positive things he did in his life and for the tremendous amount of love he gave to his family and friends.
As of today there have been two individuals arrested for this crime, even so there are still others who need to be brought to justice. We hope and pray that additional arrests will be made and that people in the community of Kerman, CA who may know information about this case will step forward and communicate with law enforcement.
How can you as concerned members of the community help our cause? By sharing our story, we need others to help get the word out by reminding people that this investigation is still ongoing and leads are needed to be able to put everyone involved in this crime behind bars.
Key pieces of information about the events that happened the early morning hours of October 22nd, 2011 are vital; information consisting of phone messages, text messages and especially clear and concise eyewitness accounts are crucial pieces of evidence necessary for making additional arrests. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 488-3111.
By not cooperating with law enforcement you are doing Marcus as well as your entire community, a terrible injustice.
Our Story by Together Against Violence is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
pReVeNtiNg KiDs fRoM GaNg-jOiNiNg: cOLLaBoRaTiOn mATTeRs
Together Against Violence gratefully acknowledges the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, for allowing us to reproduce, in part or in whole, the video Preventing Kids From Gang-Joining: Collaboration Matters. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video are those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tom Simon, Centers for Disease Control
NIJ Conference 2011
June 20-22
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
Together Against Violence 