The message was optimistic and spiritual, typified by one Southeast San Diego pastor.
“We went from gangs to God, from the streets to salvation and from dope to hope,” said Pastor Jesus Sandoval of Remnant Church San Diego.
The center of their celebration was one statistic, taken from San Diego police reports, showing nonfatal shootings in the Southeast Police Division dropped by 54% between 2023 and 2024.
At their press conference, activist Shane Harris and Bishop Cornelius Bowser signed a proclamation that Southeast San Diego is one of the safest areas in San Diego.
It had a reputation for gang violence that residents wanted to dispel.
Police captain Joanna Makwana serves in the Southeast Division. She said cooperation with community nonprofits is the basis of violence prevention.
“These collaborations foster trust. They open up lines of communication and enable us to respond to violence as a united front,” Makwana said.
Crime statistics from the San Diego Police Department show many other crimes followed the same downward trend after the crime increase during the pandemic. Between 2023 and 2024, the murder rate declined and nonfatal shootings dropped city-wide.
Bowser is a former Crips gang member from San Diego who became a minister. He said drops in crime rates are a reason to celebrate.
“But this is just the beginning. As we look to the future, I believe the next vital step is to build upon this foundation of peace by fostering economic opportunity that can sustain and deepen our progress,” he said.
Bowser said there is over-policing in black communities like Southeast, but under-policing is not the right answer to crime. He said people in Southeast San Diego do believe they need the police, even when they don’t trust the police.
