Community Resilience In 1984, the community exhibited unity in response to the nation’s largest mass murder by a lone shooter on June 18, 1984, at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro near the U.S.–Mexico border. Twenty-one people were killed and another 19 were wounded. After hearing from the community, two months later the restaurant was razed, and the land was donated to the City of San Diego. The land was then sold to Southwestern College, which built an educational facility, Southwestern College Higher Education Center at San Ysidro, in the heavily populated Latino community. A permanent memorial was built in 1990. The San Ysidro Family Survivor’s Fund was established and dispersed by local non-profit Casa Familiar. One of the survivors was 17-year-old Alberto Leos. He was one of the restaurant’s cooks who was shot and saw three of his coworkers killed.
In 1987 Leos became a police officer with the National City Police Department. In an August 28, 2016 San Diego Union Tribune article, he credits Casa Familiar, led by Director Andrea Skorepa, with helping his family get through a very tough time. Leos stated “That’s when I learned about community service and how much it’s needed.” Moving Forward: There’s still work to be done to better the quality of life for all. Latino voices need to be heard, as well as having a seat at the table.
Rally Immigrants Right Downtown San Diego – April 9, 2006 (Photo by Earl Cryer/Zuma Press © Copyright 2006 by Earl Cryer)
HR Bill 4437 On April 9, 2006, Latino community activists protested Congressional Bill HR 4437 (the Sensenbrenner bill), an anti-immigrant effort that would criminalize any assistance to undocumented immigrants. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Tens of thousands marched through downtown San Diego in support of immigrant rights, waving flags and chanting slogans in what appears to be the largest public demonstration in city history.”
San Ysidro Memorial located at Southwestern College Higher Education Center, San Ysidro, CA (Photo courtesy ©Latino Legacy Foundation)
The bill was defeated, underscoring local and nationwide support for immigrants and the need for progressive federal immigration reforms.
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 6 – Perseverance
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