Posted on 10/23/2006 3:39:59 PM PDT by John Jorsett
A 20-year-old Richmond man was sprayed with gunfire early Friday as he sat in a car across the street from a "tent city" occupied by people campaigning to end gun violence. But residents of the encampment said the killing had only strengthened their resolve.
Travante James was shot multiple times shortly after 4 a.m. across the street from John F. Kennedy Park, home of one of four tent cities that have sprung up recently around Richmond's Iron Triangle and other crime-plagued areas.
The victim was taken by paramedics to Kaiser Medical Center in Richmond and pronounced dead, making him the city's 35th homicide of the year.
Police said Friday they had made no arrests and had no motive in the slaying, which happened nearly two weeks after eight peace tents were pitched on a field at the park. James lived in the area but had not been a visitor to the campsite.
The crime scene -- near the intersection of South 41st Street and Cutting Boulevard in south Richmond -- also is next to John F. Kennedy High School, where students arrived Friday morning to see police, crime-scene tape and blood on the sidewalk outside their school, said Ken Nelson, past president of the Richmond chapter of the NAACP.
"We got calls this morning at 4:28 a.m., and officers were immediately sent," said Richmond Police Lt. Enos Johnson. "The victim was found inside an older model Mazda, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds."
Despite the killing, organizers of the tent-city movement said their campaign was making an impact and pledged to continue.
"We won't be deterred," said the Rev. Andre Shumake, a movement leader. "Our young people, they're crying out for this."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Is this like "More people die in the hospital than anywhere else?"
If he'd had a gun, he could have protected himself. :-\
Sounds like they need to be armed.
Have some irony. It's good for your blood.
"Peace Tent Crime Scene" -- would make a great name for a punk band.
Wow, I was a Police Explorer in Richmond from '86-'90, back then the homicide rate was way higher than that. Just 35 in late October is incredible!
Between getting shot across the street from a camp dedicated to ending gun violence, which is located in John F. Kennedy park, this article is just full of irony.
We used to say that a conservative was a liberal who'd been mugged, but it looks like these peaceniks are taking tolerance to the extreme!
The freeways go right around Richmond. No need for a tourist to worry. ;)
That is good news to hear, because I would not like being sprayed with bullets when visiting the John Kennedy park at 4:30 in the morning.
Quick, send the human shields.
Democrat on Democrat crime?
I suspect that people who have time to camp in "peace tents" in a park for 2 weeks do not have regular jobs. Maybe Cindy Sheehan's bunch?
The army sent me to school for a year on the Presidio of San Francisco. Talk about culture shock! LOL.
Hmmm....
JFK park?
There's a sick punchline in there somewhere....
LOL! Just avoid certain parts of the City, and you can still have a great visit. Or better yet - go to Monterey/Carmel instead of S.F. It's still pretty much unblemished by the agents of the counterculture. ;)
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