STOCKTON, Calif. — Candles, boxing gloves and a skateboard are some of the mementos left at Stockton's Unity Park in memory of 17-year old Thai Khin, who was shot and killed last Wednesday afternoon.
The shooting happened in Stockton City Councilman Dan Wright's district. Wright says he came up with the idea for the town hall to give the community a chance to say what's on their minds.
"Maybe something will come up at that meeting that will help the police, and understand this issue a little bit better. I don't think you can ever talk too much about an issue when you're going through a problem like this," said Wright.
Community leaders, like Pastor Leon Scoggins, hope to have not just a conversation but solutions on how to keep children safe.
"It makes no sense that a child was killed right across the street from his school at a park while elementary schools were outside playing,' said Scoggins, lead pastor at Stockton's Life City Church.
Some community activists say they hope the youth can have their own town hall.
"I'm working with a group of organizations that work directly with youth in order to have a series of listening sessions. I believe we need to start listening to our youth," said Toni McNeil, community activist with Faith in the Valley.
"To see the hurt and the pain from our young people, this is not OK. We don't need to make this normal. Your voices matter," added Scoggins.
Stockton Police have the park where the shooting happened under surveillance. But so far, two wanted suspects in the deadly shooting death of Thai Khin remain on the loose.
Monday's community town hall meeting is from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Arnold Rue Community Center at 5758 Lorraine Avenue in Stockton. It will be hosted in partnership with the Stockton Unified School District and the Stockton Unified Department of Public Safety.
In a statement, interim Stockton Unified School District Superintendent Traci Miller said:
"Tonight is an opportunity to come together to solve a community issue. This takes everyone working together. Our children deserve an education free from worry of violence going to and from school. This tragedy happened off campus but it still affects us all, as he was part of our SUSD family. Any violent incident that involves children impacts us. We must continue to work together to end senseless crimes against children."
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