by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

It was fitting that Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, with its trauma center that has seen so many victims of gun violence over the years, served as the starting point for the October 9 Pomona Peace Walk.

The march, hosted by House of Ruth, the City of Pomona, Project Hope California, and others, drew dozens for the 1.1-mile route from the hospital to House of Ruth’s outreach office at 599 N. Main St., Pomona.

Among them was Sonja Gonzales from Parents Anonymous, who carried a poster with photos of Jeannette Pacheco, a victim of gun violence.

(L-R) Sonja Gonzales of Parents Anonymous and Melissa Pitts, House of Ruth chief program officer, at the October 9 Pomona Peace Walk. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

“Her life was taken by her partner,” Gonzales said. “He shot and killed her in the streets of Pomona on Mission, by the car wash.” The date on Gonzales’s poster was May 23, 2024. “She was my sober living sister. I was in recovery with her. And unfortunately, she went back to a disease, and she lost her life.”

Gonzales said she keeps Pacheco’s memory alive with the work she does at Parents Anonymous, a Claremont nonprofit that offers family strengthening programs.

“I get to help people every day that are in the same shoes that her and I were in,” Gonzales said. “I just get to strive and push forward, to know that her life isn’t in vain. She didn’t die in vain because I get to keep her memory alive with every person that I help not end up like her.”

Megan Anderson, a volunteer with God’s Pantry, held a sign that read, “Words can hurt as much as hands.” “Words can cause a lot of damage, especially emotionally and people don’t always see that,” Anderson said. “As someone who’s experienced emotional abuse, the words people use can dig really deep and cause a lot of trauma.”

House of Ruth CEO Pat Bell was also on hand at the march.

“It is a very uncertain setting right now,” Bell said. “And I think for us, we do what we can do on the ground in the streets of Pomona, is for us to raise our voice and hear all of the drivers passing by, honking and providing support to us. I mean, that’s really what it’s about. You know, everybody wants peace, and we’re here to lift that up with the Pomona Peace Walk. And the community support has been just tremendous.”

Another participant, Gabriel, a volunteer with Behavior Health Services Inc., said he walked because, “There’s a lot of injustice in situations that are never heard. I feel like some effort is better than no effort. A lot of innocent people get killed. It’s sad, you know?”