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Violent crime in Kern County -- how a community can move forward

The Bakersfield Californian - 2/6/2022

Feb. 6—The father and son did everything together.

They both enrolled in flying lessons, loved the same late-'80s and early-'90s movies and staunchly championed each other's passions.

Unsurprisingly, both men had the same name: Cesar Malta. The father, 46, said the family called the 19-year-old by his middle name, Joseph.

"He was my best friend," said the father, Cesar. "I was with him every day."

On Aug. 12, Cesar said goodbye to Joseph and headed to a pre-birthday dinner with his friends. The father returned to his home around 11 p.m., couldn't find his son and assumed he was with friends.

Midnight rolled around, but Joseph still wasn't home. The 46-year-old began to worry, but "Cesar wasn't a troublemaker," the father said.

The next day, the elder Cesar dialed the number of a missed call he received around 5:30 a.m.

"It was the coroner's office, telling me he was dead," the father said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "On my birthday."

Rising numbers, concern

Cesar Joseph Malta was one of 111 homicides within Kern County in 2021, according to data from the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff's Office collected by The Californian.

This number broke records set previously in 2020, which totaled 109 homicides, according to data from the BPD and KCSO. In 2019, the same agencies reported 73 murders.

Kern County's homicide numbers are garnering notoriety outside the Central Valley. Gov. Gavin Newsom labeled Kern as as the "murder capital" of California. Prominent news organizations have attempted to pinpoint the causes behind the area's high crime rate.

There also were 205 aggravated assaults with a firearm in 2021; 222 in 2020; and 153 in 2019, according to the BPD.

"We are all struggling to understand (the increases in homicides and shootings)," BPD Chief Greg Terry said. "The devastation that ripples from that reaches every family, our neighborhoods, our schools, our health care system (and) policing. There are significant impacts to that level of violence in our community. And so, it is very concerning."

What's causing these crimes and what should the community do?

Theories

Across the nation, violent crime increased since the start of the pandemic, a trend mirrored by Kern County.

The area's homicide rate has continually risen for years prior to the pandemic, according to data from the California Department of Justice.

However, sociologists have a term for the impact the pandemic has had on communities' crime rates.

Chris Ballard, a lecturer in the criminal justice department at Cal State Bakersfield, used the sociological term "strain theory" to help explain the impact.

When extraordinary stressors pile upon areas traditionally facing poverty with few resources, little hope can exist. People may commit more crime as a last-ditch effort to survive, Ballard said.

The theory was created by influential sociologist Robert Merton, according to Simply Psychology, an education site. Society demands a person collect wealth to be considered a success; if a person cannot achieve this goal, one might fall into crime to attain the items needed to live a proper life, the theory states.

"Before you know it, this is a wildfire ... that is burning out of control," Ballard added, using the metaphor to explain how multiple stressors affect individuals.

Terry agreed the pandemic had an impact, but questions the extent of the damage the disease inflicted. KCSO Sheriff Donny Youngblood believes the pandemic is a "small portion of the problem," because those committing the offenses were not following social distancing and other public health protocol implemented because of the virus.

Youngblood blames Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 as the culprit behind these soaring rates.

"There's no one thing that we can change that's going to stop violent crime," the sheriff said. "The bottom line is, we're not holding people accountable for their actions."

It starts young

BPD spokesman Sgt. Robert Pair confirmed a 17-year-old suspect is in custody in connection with their investigation into the murder of Cesar "Joseph" Malta.

Malta said his son was shot point blank by someone who walked up to the car he was in in east Bakersfield. He added that he moved from East Los Angeles to Kern County for a better quality of life, but his child still died here.

"My question is, 'Who is (the shooter's) family? Who was his mother? Who was his father? Where (are) they at?'" the father said. "How is a 16-year-old running around with a ... loaded gun? It just mind-boggles me."

Wesley Davis, the founder of the Wendale Davis Foundation, which leads community-based juvenile-intervention efforts for at-risk youth, said incidents like this one prove the need for intervention at an early age. Properly trained specialists must be deployed across school sites to identify youth engaging in gang behavior, he said.

Too many missed days and using inappropriate terminology for their age are all red flags that need to be taken seriously. School districts need to spend money in this direction and understand their role in removing children from these influences, Davis said.

"That needs to be ramped up in a major way," Davis said. He added, "By the time these kids (are) 11, 12, 13 years old, junior high-level, it's almost too late.

"This is a unique work, and it's going to take a unique person to do it," he said. "Somebody, No. 1, with a passion and with compassion."

BPD Lt. Daniel McAfee agrees. He meets with principals and administrators to teach them "about the stuff that's going on in their schools," McAfee said at a Bakersfield Street Safe Partnership meeting in February. BSSP is a collaboration between the BPD and other community-based organizations attempting to decrease gun and gang violence.

"To be frank with you, (school administrators) probably don't understand what's going on," McAfee said.

Aftereffects

Veronica Vasquez, Delano's mayor pro tem, noticed the number of vigils in her community and observed the limited resources dedicated to helping those cope with the aftereffects of violent crimes.

In October 2021, the city of Delano started a healing support group to aid victims of a violent crime and family members grieving a loss.

As a licensed social worker herself, Vasquez proposed the idea to her colleagues, and the city allocated $19,000 for the program.

"People grieve at their different pace," Vasquez said. "They need to hear that. ... And to have a professional and their peers as a support group."

Victims can walk into Rio Counseling, skip the lines and confide in people with similar experiences every Tuesday for free.

The program aids the family members of victims, like the Malta family, whose grief persists months later.

Cesar Malta remembers how his son motivated him to excel in a career building 3D pool designs for contractors. Cynthia "Destiny" Malta, recalls her brother's humor, wisdom and caring nature. The 19-year-old had just fallen in love with first girlfriend and was studying to become a real estate agent.

"My whole life has changed," Cesar said. "I won't be (the) same without him."

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.

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