Response to the Stockton Church Burning is Just the Beginning

Presentation Catholic Church in Stockton was the scene of arson accompanied by swastikas and other hate vandalism on Sunday, November, 7th, 1999.  The Stockton Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime because of the evidence obtained, however a suspect has not yet been apprehended.  The arson occurred just prior to a regularly scheduled mass for Spanish speaking congregationalists.

Stockton is one of the cities where CAHRO worked with local community organizations, law enforcement, schools, and private residents to begin building a network to prevent and respond to hate violence and hate crime.  The professional response to this incident was gratifying, but it also highlighted the need for a stronger commitment from the City and San Joaquin County to ensure that responses to similar incidents are treated just as professionally. The response to the church arson followed recommendations that CAHRO makes to all communities that have suffered similar incidents;  law enforcement responded appropriately, a reward was posted for information about the arson, the newspapers reported not only the incident but the outpouring of support from all segments of the community to the church burning, and Clergy pulled together to support the victimized congregation with offers of space for services to continue and financial support to help repair the damage.

CAHRO distributed a new publication, "Tips for Clergy - A Common Sense Approach to Hate Crime", at what was billed as a hate crime summit on November 19th organized by CAHRO volunteer Lydia Vidaurre and attended by clergy, public officials, and held in an auditorium provided by the local newspaper, The Stockton Record.

The church burning was not the first hate crime in Stockton this year, nor will it be the last.  We hope that the intense response to this incident will serve as a wake-up call to city and county officials to the need to create a structure that can coordinate ongoing efforts among all sectors of the community to reduce intergroup tensions, prevent hate violence, and ensure appropriate responses.  CAHRO has been disappointed to date, however, by the absence of a county or city human relations commission to coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to hate violence and hate crime.  No jurisdiction can rely solely on the volunteer work of concerned people in the community to provide the wide range of support and coordination needed to prevent hate crimes and coordinate responses to them. As in most communities in California demographic shifts and economic disparities are creating a situation in San Joaquin County that requires a public body such as a human relations commission to bring residents together to navigate the community safely through these stormy waters.