Activists want Mesa to stand against teen violence

Feb. 12—Community organizers are asking Mesa's leaders to take a more active and public role in the growing anti-violence movement galvanized by the beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord outside a Halloween party in Queen Creek last year.

In public comments during last week's city council meeting and an impromptu discussion with the Mesa city manager after the meeting, anti-violence crusaders asked them to join their movement in raising awareness and accountability.

One of the specific asks from the organizers was for Mesa to participate in Gilbert's Teen Violence Subcommittee, which was formed in January by the Gilbert Town Council in response to concerns about a rash of violent incidents, some involving a group of teens calling themselves the "Gilbert Goons."

If they couldn't participate in the committee, they wanted the city to consider holding meetings on the issue in Mesa, or place the topic on Mesa's council agenda so officials could have a dialogue with the public.

Under Gilbert's rules, membership on the subcommittee is restricted to three Town Council members.

Since the outcry began last fall over the Queen Creek teen's death and slow pace of arrests in the case, Mesa officials have generally been quiet on the issue in public as frustration roiled the neighboring Gilbert.

However, Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost has appeared in radio interviews and posted video warnings on social media to any suspects involved in beatings in the city that "we're coming to get you."

On the other hand, there haven't been any discussions of the topic in city council.

But the movement that began in Gilbert and Queen Creek appears to be spreading roots into Mesa, as supporters of Preston Lord have started networking with survivors of teen violence in the city in recent weeks.

That is putting pressure on city officials to adopt a more public-facing stance on the issue.

Mesa's Director of Communications Ana Pereira told the Tribune last week that the city is planning to hold a public meeting with Mesa Public Schools officials to discuss teen violence at the end of February.

She said the city and school district are still working on scheduling so that top officials can attend.

In the last two council meetings, anti-violence activists wearing orange — Lord's favorite color — have stood with parents of teens killed in Mesa seeking greater action from the city on their individual cases and to prevent future tragedies.

Several activists expressed a sense that municipal borders in the East Valley are arbitrary for teens and parents, who often cross city limits to go to school, work or hang out with friends.

This is one reason why they want Mesa to take a bigger seat at the table.

"Please remember that children are watching and your silence is deafening," community organizer and parent Bridget Vega told council last week.

"I would like to partner and help connect you (with) leaders and police departments and the school districts and nonprofits."

Vega said, "Children go to school feeling unsafe. I've seen and heard they cannot even be children."

"They live in survival mode and use coping mechanisms because the children ... cross paths with the teens who continually get away with assaults and murder," she added.

Olga Lopez, whose son died last year from a gunshot inside a Mesa home, also spoke during public comments. Her son, Jeremiah Aviles, played football at Red Mountain and died at a teammate's house.

Police later arrested the teammate, Peter Clabron III, on one count of manslaughter and two counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Lopez said her son "was a stellar, stellar academic scholar-baller, character of gold, and he came to your city and never returned home. So I'm asking that you do better, Mesa."

Because of open meeting laws, the council couldn't respond to the comments.

But after the meeting adjourned, several staff and council members engaged with Lopez and the community organizers for informal discussions in the council chamber.

Brady was joined by council members Julie Spilsbury and Mark Freeman. The discussion didn't break open meeting law because there was never a quorum of council members.

One of the city manager's main messages to organizers was that Mesa PD has been working with neighboring police departments on teen violence, and he said the city has made all its law enforcement resources available to the other East Valley communities.

But while acting the good neighbor, Brady also remarked at one point, "I can't solve everybody else's problems."

He also suggested teen violence such as that related to the so-called Gilbert Goons might be less of an issue in Mesa because of Mesa PD's strong enforcement.

On the issue of participating in Gilbert's subcommittee, Brady said, "I'm not saying no, but we would hesitate stepping into Gilbert without them asking us to come."

Spilsbury, who said she has many friends in Gilbert and lives a mile from the gang beating in Mesa, said she would be all for joining an East Valley coalition.

Brady's remarks focused on how important it was for members of the public to come forward with information so Mesa PD could act on teen violence.

He pointed to Mesa PD's January arrests of Christopher Fantastic, 18, for two suspected assaults that occurred in Mesa in May 2023.

Police were unable to develop a case at the time of the assaults, but a victim's father came forward in early January to report his son was beaten by a gang of teens, including some suspected of belonging to the "Gilbert Goons."

"As soon as we found out about the case, we solved it in a week," Brady said.

Following the arrests, Cost issued a video statement denouncing teen violence and urging community members to come forward with information.

The community organizers were persistent in asking the city to collaborate regionally and put a more public face on its teen violence efforts.

One benefit, Vega said, is it would make people more comfortable with coming forward — because many currently fear retaliation from perpetrators.

"Look how many people have come forward in three months," Vega said.

She attributed this to the orange-ribbon movement and renewed attention on teen violence since Lord's killing.

"People understand that they've got people in their corners — a whole entire freakin' army — and so we've got people that are willing to come forward. Now we need all of (the cities) to do their job," she said.