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Uploaded: Monday, September 7, 2009, 3:54 PM

Fatal shooting in East Palo Alto Sunday night
Resident Israel Polvo, 21, killed; shooter unknown, police say

Posted by Narider, a member of the JLS Middle School community, on Sep 7, 2009 at 9:54 pm

Heyy RIP Dezz...

Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Sep 7, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Please, someone help the police find the shooter or shooters. An anonymous tip with a good lead would be wonderful. What better way is there to show respect for this man than to help bring his killers to justice? Please, if you know something that could help, and if you cared about this man, help stop the people who do this kind of thing. It has to stop, we cannot let this continue. If you want it to stop, be the change, help make it stop.

Posted by Just Me, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Sep 8, 2009 at 12:20 pm

Oh Please, I hope I never get killed in EPA, the police department nor the detectives can't find the killer of anything or anyone here. They use the excuse that people don't tell or witness, but crimes are solved all over the country when people are too scared to tell. What is wrong with this picture? When are the residents going to stand up and say enough...get real with the statistics you love to send out Chief Davis! Crime is up all over the city and much of it is not reported in the news any more to make people think EPA is doing so great. The truth is crime happen and none of them are solved in EPA so people think they can get away with anything in EPA even if they don't live here.

Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Sep 8, 2009 at 2:22 pm

No police force anywhere has ever been able to operate effectively without the support of the public. It is not reasonable to expect the EPA police to be able to solve these crimes without help.

If YOU want these crimes solved, YOU have to step up and help them get solved. Be the change. If you are fearful, use the anonymous tip lines. But don't expect the police to work a miracle on every crime that is committed, they need help. Until they get the help, they will not be effective and this will contine happening, and there will be little they can do.

If you want your families, your children, your friends, your neighbors to be safe, MAKE THEM SAFE!

Posted by Steve C., a resident of Menlo Park, on Sep 8, 2009 at 7:05 pm

The best way to solve this problem is prevention. If you know someone engaged in criminal activity, call in an anonymous tip to the police. Give as many facts as possible, times, locations, types of activity. Without this happening, the beat goes on.

Steve C.

Posted by Rosa, a resident of another community, on Sep 8, 2009 at 11:35 pm

Now police is to blame for not solving the crimes??? You had tied their arms up with pc nonsense and now expect the results?

Posted by Cynthia, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Sep 9, 2009 at 12:27 am

I saw a young man murdered right in front of my house a while back, I would not speak to the police in front of the whole neighborhood, especially after they grabbed one of my children while sitting on his porch. But I would have definitely told the family what I saw if they would have asked. I felt more comfortable talking to them. I think the police should think about sending family members to talk to witnesses, it's less threatening and more trusting. They would probably get lot's more information. The young man was a teen, I think only 16 years old. The police don't know or care how to talk to people in this neighborhood, they talk to everyone young/old as if they are a criminal. It isn't smart or effective.

Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Sep 9, 2009 at 9:45 am

Sorry Cynthia, but you have defined yourself as part of the problem. The police feel hostile to you because they are trying to get information out of people who don't want to give it. That sets up an adversarial thing right off the bat. Why would you NOT want to talk to the police and tell them what you know about the poor young man who was murdered? You kid may be next, or you may, or someone else you know and love. Why would you not want to protect them? The police are trying to protect you, why on Earth would you want to make that task hard for them? Why play the "you didn't ask nice so I ain't gonna tell" game when a man has been killed in cold blood just outside your home?

Get on the phone, NOW, and help find justice for that poor man.

Posted by Someone, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Sep 9, 2009 at 1:16 pm

I'm 25 yrs. old. I've been an East Palo Alto resident all my life. People think its easy to just help the police out. You try living in East Palo Alto, or any neighborhood like it. Being labelled as a "Snitch" can get you and your family killed. Truth is, if people know their families and their life is on the line, they won't say anything. I seen alot of stuff go down. And no, I'm not going to say anything. Yeah its sad, but thats the truth.

Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Sep 9, 2009 at 4:04 pm

I have discovered that in order to get people to act, especially to take a chance by acting, there needs to be an impetus of some kind. What does it take to get you to act? How many of your family and friends need to be killed, injured, robbed, or whatever to get you to say "enough".

The "bad guys" like your silence, the depend on it. That's why they hang around there, because if they tried hanging around people who dialed 911 at the drop of a gum wrapper they would not last long. So, with your (collective) silence, you are doing more than permitting thier behavior, you are actually attracting more.

You know what? I don't really think I want to hear any more talk about the EPA police not doing enough to stop crime. I think we have identified the problem here, and it is NOT the police.

All it takes for evil to thrive is for the good to do nothing. Your inactivity condems not only you to this life, it condems your children and future generations too. For their sake, someone over there needs to gather a little courage and figure out how to deliver information to the police. The more people that do that, the better off you will all be.

Posted by Oh hey, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Sep 9, 2009 at 4:36 pm

JustMe, why don't you go try and tell and watch your family be in danger. Then you'll see why a lots of the residence don't say. You say it's so easy, go try it then.

Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Sep 9, 2009 at 5:05 pm

Your silence puts them in danger. The danger would not exist if you didn't permit it. The danger will increase as long as your silence persists, and your silence will end when someone you love if hurt. Then you will be partly to blame for having been silent for so long and allowing the evil to grow.

Remember the old Peppertree apartments? that were removes to make way for the Home Depot? I've lived there, I tried while I was there. When my friends and neighbors depended on my courage, I was there.

Posted by Alex, a resident of another community, on Sep 9, 2009 at 11:32 pm

Just me, it is very easy to talk when you don't know about the fear people have in their community. People want to feel safe. There is too much crime going on in EPA that even police officers can't handle. They are doing the best to their ability but who do we turn to when there is no one capable of helping us? U say that we should talk but when a civilian gets murdered it takes time for the cops to do anything about it but even when people try to help and give out information nothing gets solved. What the community wants is protection. When the officer got murdered a while back streets got shut down and the entire force got on the case. I understand that it was a person who gets paid to protect you but the community wantsto make sure everyone gets the same treatment. We are tired of getting put aside. We want to feel protected now!!!!

Posted by Sol, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Sep 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm

As long as you believe that you have to allow this nonsense to happen around you than you are contributing to the problem. I have lived in EPA for 40 years and do not believe for a minute that it has to be this way. We can not be tolerant of such senseless acts, no one deserves to have their life taken away.

It is not ok to live in terror just because it is EPA,STOP BELIEVING THIS NONSENSE!

Posted by east palo alto, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2009 at 10:08 pm

its sad that we lost israel and a tragedy. especially for his mother she just buried her little girl in november and now her oldest son. while her other son is in jail. people should open there mouths and be honest about what happened. what happened to israel is very sad because all he was doing was defending his friend! and i agree that the police dosnt care! i have called to give them information about the killer and they still havent called me back!!!!!!!! what are they doing? why are they even officers if they don't care!

Posted by Cynthia Davis, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Nov 8, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Just Me, you obviously live in a safe neighborhood where you don't have to worry about the police harassing you or your family. They grabbed one of my kids as a spectator, making him sit on the ground and be interrogated! If the family would come to me, I would tell them anything they want to know. But the police will not use me to make themselves look good, YOU cannot judge me from your nice safe comfy home, where you are not followed whenever you walk into ANY establishment. My taxes pay for the same things as yours do, and I will not be treated like a convict-of course YOU wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

Posted by Cynthia Davis, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Nov 8, 2009 at 7:26 pm

You people in your safe neighborhoods sound like fools! There are so many people in EPA walking around with paperwork of people who were witnesses to their crimes. After the police get what they want, they don't care what happens to the witnesses. Unless of course they are pink!

Posted by young chiwis frum RICH-CITY, a resident of Menlo Park, on Dec 10, 2009 at 7:49 pm

R.I.P BIG COUSIN I LOVE YOU BRO FUK WHO EVER KILLED HIM!!!!!