Nov 7, 2009 9:42 am US/Pacific
SJ Halloween Attack Means Youth Center Open Longer
SAN JOSE (BCN) ―
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Eduardo Cristobal was arrested in connection with the shooting of a 12-year-old and the stabbing of a 13-year-old on Halloween night in San Jose.
San Jose Police
City officials are keeping two San Jose community centers open until 11 p.m. Saturday night, hoping to give local teens a safe place to socialize in a city still reeling from a gang-related attack on two young trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
Alum Rock Youth Center at 137 N. White Road, and Mayfair Community Center at 2039 Kammerer Ave. will offer soccer, basketball and a chance for youth to simply hang out and socialize in a safe environment, according to Rolando Bonilla, spokesman for City Council member Nora Campos.
The extended youth center hours is one of many responses within San Jose this week to an attack Halloween night on two middle school students who police say were trick-or-treating along Story Road.
A 13-year-old eighth grade student was stabbed several times and is now recovering at home. His 12-year-old companion was shot and remained in grave condition, police spokesman Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said Friday.
Police have arrested four teenagers suspected in the attack, including three juveniles who will be tried as adults, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. The four appeared in court on Thursday. Chief of Police Rob Davis, Mayor Chuck Reed, Campos and other officials spoke out against the crime at a news conference and vigil the same day.
"Those two young people who were assaulted, for many people that was the tipping point," Bonilla said. "When you're 12 and 13 and you can't even go trick-or-treating because you're afraid someone will shoot you or stab you, clearly there's a problem."
The centers also stayed open late Friday night. Bonilla said both facilities hosted large numbers of kids and teens.
"The overwhelming response from the kids is that we need to do this more," he said.
The Halloween attack occurred less than a mile from the Mayfair Community Center. On Tuesday, a 20-year-old San Jose man was fatally shot near North White Road and Warm Springs Drive, near the Alum Rock Youth Center.
Bonilla said keeping the centers open late is a way to address the needs of youth who get caught in the proximity of gang crime.
"There are a lot of innocent bystanders who just want to hang out and socialize with their friends," he said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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