By Megan Burks
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Residents Line Route to Slain Officer’s Memorial
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel met this morning at Qualcomm Stadium for a procession to the Rock Church in Point Loma, where they honored San Diego Police Officer Jeremy Henwood.
Henwood, a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve and officer in the Mid-City Division, was shot and killed over the weekend after stopping on University Avenue to help alleged assailant Dejon Marquee White. White was later killed in a standoff with police.
This morning, residents along Friars Road and Rosecrans Street greeted the motorcade with flags. Many snapped photos with their cell phones, taking us along for the ride via Twitter (left).
City Heights Honors Henwood Family, Mid-City Police with Candlelight Vigil
This morning’s memorial followed a candlelight vigil organized by community leader Dana Brown and members of Youth Voice, a group of teens who meet with officers at the Mid-City Police Substation twice a week. The group also encouraged residents to bring food and letters of support to the station throughout the week.
About 1,000 residents gathered at the City Heights Performance Annex to hear poems, letters and music prepared by area youth. Police Chief William Landsdowne, Capt. Todd Jarvis and Officer Riter Flores offered memories of the fallen officer, who they said loved serving City Heights and would choose it again if given the chance. They expressed thanks for the “unique bond” between the department and its community.
Henwood’s mother, who traveled from Texas to be there, said the outpouring of community support “made my son’s life more meaningful.” Cheers erupted from immigrants and refugees in the crowd as she recounted her family’s recent path to U.S. citizenship—they emigrated from Canada. She said the show of support made her proud to be an American.
All major local news networks showed up for the event. The San Diego Union-Tribune posted video and photos of the evening. Find photos of the vigil and funeral from our Speak City Heights partners here.
Return to www.SpeakCityHeights.org in the coming days for more clips and video of the entire vigil, including Spanish translation.
Speak City Heights partner, KPBS, has video of this morning’s memorial on its website.
Hoover Graduate Helps Department Heal as Head of Wellness Unit
Henwood’s death is one of three suffered by the department in recent weeks. Det. Donna Williams was laid to rest July 28 after being killed, allegedly by her son. David Hall, an officer awaiting a DUI trial, took his own life last week.
These losses and a slew of misconduct allegations within the force are exactly why the department assembled a new wellness unit. On Monday, I shared a link to a San Diego Union-Tribune profile on Capt. Sarah Creighton, the Hoover High School graduate in charge of the unit.
“This job … takes a real toll. We respond to everyone else’s worse case scenarios, several times a day,” she told the Union-Tribune. “It has an accumulative effect on people.”
The unit aims to give officers a neutral place to talk about trouble on the job and at home.
Multicultural Storefront, Community Organizers Collaborate for Safe Streets
Brown said she hopes last night’s vigil was a step forward in healing the men and women who patrol City Heights, and in strengthening collaboration among officers and residents.
You can see more of the collaborative effort to keep City Heights streets safe in our video on the National Night Out celebration in Colina Del Sol Park, featuring one of the department’s Multicultural Storefront officers.
The City Council voted in July to save funding for the storefront, which gives officers and community members a place to find common ground. It employs residents from many cultures to don police uniforms and act as liaisons between residents and law enforcement officers.
For more of the things I tweeted this week, follow me @spkcityheights
Related Coverage
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Photo Feature: Mid-City Remembers a Fallen Hero
Mid-City Officer Jeremy Henwood was remembered at a candlelight vigil organized by City Heights community members. Thousands mourned his death at a funeral in Point Loma.
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Police Seek to Engage City Heights
Community outreach in response to the death of Mid-City Officer Jeremy Henwood shows a strong bond between the Mid-City Division and the City Heights community.