Shooting death of 17-year-old Santa Maria resident sparks community action

Santa Maria residents mourned the loss of 17-year-old Alexis Mendoza Raymundo on Feb. 10 by holding candles and signs and crying for “justicia,” Rebekah Spicuglia—executive director for nonprofit One Community Action—recalled. 

Mendoza Raymundo was shot and killed on Feb. 5 at the Santa Maria Mall Town Center parking lot, leaving behind his mother, a monolingual Spanish speaker, and three siblings ages 6, 7, and 13. Once Spicuglia heard of the tragedy, she said she looked for more information online and found the family’s GoFundMe page, reached out and shared the information with other organizations, and then coordinated the vigil to honor Mendoza Raymundo. 

“It’s really important that we as a community come together to grieve the loss of life, to grieve the loss of a child, and to grieve injustice. We have a lot of work to do not just ensuring that our children make it to 18, but to ensure that they receive every opportunity,” Spicuglia said.

click to enlarge Shooting death of 17-year-old Santa Maria resident sparks community action
COURTESY PHOTO BY REBEKAH SPICUGLIA
VIGIL : Santa Maria Residents gathered at the Town Center Parking Structure where One Community Action’s Board President Pati Cantú spoke to the community about the incident.

One Community Action confronts systemic inequities and violence to create a safer, more inclusive community, according to its mission statement. After the shooting, Spicuglia contacted more than 30 different nonprofit and philanthropic organizations as well as government agencies to discuss youth safety issues in North County, she said. 

“To have a boy shot and killed at the mall is in particular something that hits close to home for many people. It would be a tragedy anywhere in the city, but we believe that such a public place a block from City Hall with businesses around—and a regular gathering spot for young people—we expect safety to be a priority,” Spicuglia said. 

Santa Maria Police Department Lt. Russ Mengel told the Sun that the shooting is still under investigation, and the department can’t comment at this time. Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino also issued a statement about the incident. 

“I express my condolences to the family and friends of 17-year-old Alexis Mendoza Raymundo. I ask the entire community to respect the family as they mourn their loss, and I ask the community to cooperate in the investigation with our Santa Maria Police Department,” Patino said. 

Spicuglia said she was disappointed in the response, and wants to see more culturally competent solutions from the city and Police Department moving forward.

“There’s a heavy feeling of despair each time we lose another young person to violence, and it’s because we don’t see any progress. It doesn’t appear that there’s any plan, certainly not one that has engaged the community in what solutions we think would help the situation,” she said. 

Showing Up for Racial Justice Santa Maria Vice President Leslie McGorman echoed these concerns. 

“It’s not something for SURJ [Standing Up for Racial Justice] to notice, it’s something our community partners tell us,” McGorman said. “With the most recent death that happened, the family feels there won’t be adequate attention paid to the investigation of the crime because he’s Latino and the police assume there’s gang involvement. What we’ve heard from our community partners is that there isn’t equitable police attention paid to communities and also violent crimes.” 

She said she can’t speak to whether that’s true or not, but said that residents’ negative view of the Police Department and the Santa Maria City Council demands attention. 

“It’s a perception for a reason, and that means it’s a community issue. It isn’t something that the police can dismiss, and similarly with government issues. If part of the community feels unheard, that is something we play a role in mitigating,” McGorman continued. 

The vigil was the first step toward collaborating on calls for justice, and SURJ plans to continue supporting other community organizations—like One Community Action—in future action, McGorman said. 

Spicuglia at One Community Action said she’s meeting with the recently contacted organizations in March to form a coalition for youth safety in response to the violence. 

“We need to engage the community and the youth themselves in discussions on what we can do to make this area safer. Our young people need and deserve places to gather and have fun without fear,” Spicuglia said. “We don’t want to just ensure that our children make it to 18, but that they [also] feel a sense of belonging in our community, and are filled with pride and hope for the future.”

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