In San Bernardino, long hit by hard times, determination for a better future
| San Bernardino, Calif.
They came from all over southern California鈥檚 Inland Empire Thursday night, filling the baseball stadium in San Bernardino: mothers and sons, professors and professionals, construction workers and even video-game teammates 鈥� all of them here to show that while the city may be down after Wednesday鈥檚 shootings, it is not out.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been having hard times here,鈥� said Lisa Mosqueda, a mother of seven who has lived in this city of some 210,000 her entire life. 鈥淏ut I think this is our time to turn a corner, to show the world we can do something better, that we don鈥檛 have to have violence and crime like this anymore.鈥�
Hardship is not new in this city some 65 miles east of Los Angeles, still in the throes of a 3-year-old bankruptcy filing. It is the second-largest California city to go bankrupt, and between 2009 and 2013, 32 percent of its residents lived in poverty, according to US Census data.
A June profile in the Los Angeles Times noted that this city, once a solid middle-class community, is now the poorest of its size in the nation and a symbol of America鈥檚 worst urban woes.
And yet, hope in the face of despair, resilience in the presence of hard knocks 鈥� these are persistent themes in San Bernardino, which, immediately after the rampage, a local columnist dubbed 鈥渁 scrappy city.鈥�
鈥淒efinitely a scrappy place,鈥� said Adam Murvine, who owns a small construction company. 鈥淭his whole area has been hard hit by economic times, but it is bouncing back better than could be expected.鈥�
Mr. Murvine came to the vigil along with a slew of fellow video-game enthusiasts to honor Daniel Kaufman, one of the 14 victims of Wednesday鈥檚 massacre, which the FBI is investigating as terrorism. Mr. Kaufman was part of an online multi-player video game called Ingress.
鈥淎ll of us in the Inland Empire, we鈥檙e family and when one of us is hurt, we all hurt,鈥� said Murvine, as fellow players at his side nodded agreement. 鈥淏ut this will bring us together鈥� 鈥� moments like this that 鈥渟how the world what we are made of, who we are as human beings,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 will never forget the hug Daniel gave me the first time we met [off-line],鈥� said Murvine. 鈥淲e played a silly video game together, but I am a better person for knowing him.鈥�
Some who have been working hard to help San Bernardino turn a corner hope the national spotlight will help.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need any more speeches,鈥� said Oskar Zambrano, a community organizer for the region. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been fighting the issue of violence and crime for years in San Bernardino,鈥� he said, standing outside the stadium. 鈥淣ow we are coming together to say these are issues we live with every day and it鈥檚 time to take action to get some resources into the city.鈥�
Inside the stadium, the walls brimmed with rebuffs to despair. 鈥淪B Strong鈥� shone from digital displays alongside the city seal, which reminded the crowd that this city has roots, having been founded in 1810. Those roots have power, says local daughter Monica Lagos, who left a 鈥済ood job鈥� in Los Angeles four years ago to 鈥渃ome home.鈥�
Ms. Lagos, who now works at City Hall, says San Bernardino is finally on the upswing and residents will not let this moment change that. She pointed to the imminent arrival of JCPenney as the anchor store to a local mall next year as evidence of a turnaround, adding, 鈥淭he lease has been signed.鈥�
A crowd of more than 3,000, three fourths holding lit candles, sat quietly wearing beak caps, snowball hats, hoodies, and bomber jackets. The loudspeakers carried songs ranging from "Stand by Me" to "In the Arms of an Angel." Then five local youths sang "The Prayer" and other songs befitting the occasion 鈥� with soaring a cappella harmonies.
Pastors eulogized and inspired while politicians spoke of determination to fight back. But it was the heart and community spirit of the people that shone through for Juan Carlos Belliard, a professor of public health.
鈥淚 work here,鈥� he said, pointing to a flag fluttering atop a nearby building. 鈥淪an Bernardino has been dealt a lot of hard blows recently,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd a lot of the publicity this city has received has been negative. But I see that despite all the barriers ... they are fighting to make a change and build a better life for their children.鈥�
His wife, Stacey, added, 鈥淭his gathering means people here have already shown such resiliency but also determination to overcome hardships. And this awful event is an opportunity for them to show the nation how to come together instead of letting something like this divide them.鈥�
