Brandishing homemade signs they asked passers-by to honk their horns in support. Photo by Richard Lieberman
by Richard Lieberman
Relatives of unsolved murder cases in Ventura held a demonstration and vigil on the lawn of Ventura Government Center. Among the demonstrators unsolved cases one dates to 1974. Brandishing homemade signs asking passers-by to honk their horns in support. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children of murder victims tried to raise public awareness of the plight of their loved ones.
Sheila Kamara the spokesperson for the group said “We are protesting to get unsolved murders solved. We are trying to get the city to hire more detectives who can focus on unsolved murders.” Her son Arnold Kamara was murdered March 16, 2016 by unknown assailants, Arnold was at home on that fateful Sunday evening and there was an argument and he was shot, they shot him in the leg and the bullet hit an artery and killed him , there has been little progress in the case. Kamara also added “They know who it did, but they need more information, so they need to get those resources out here to work on these cases.”
Asked about the support of other organizations on the plight of parents of murdered children, she said “Parents of Murdered Children group, I attend those meetings and I guess that is what gives me support and they support us and that is what gives me hope.”
She sees the hiring of additional detectives as imperative to the solving of these yet unsolved cases. She thinks new detectives will bring more light to the cases, “They are going to take information and they are all going to go about in their own way, and I think they could solve all of them if they just worked on them and got out onto the streets and make people kind of talk, “she said. “The police are doing okay, they just don’t have the resources to focus on these cases,” she added.
Kamara does call the police from time to time to get progress reports on her son’s case, but police sources have consistently denied her requests for information. “I don’t call much anymore because they can’t give me the information, so it just kind of brings me down,” Kamara added. “I just feel like I don’t want to bother them right now because of the Corona Virus,” added kamala
Asked about what she thought the police should do to make more progress on the cases, she replied “I think the police are doing a great job, they just need help, and more resources. Maybe they could get retired cops and district attorneys to come in and help with this.”
Kamara did present her son’s case to the city council, but no action has been contemplated or taken. She still writes and emails council members in hopes of getting some response.
“I want them to get out there (the police) and do undercover work, because these murderers are still walking around,” she added. “I also am offering a $25,000 reward for information on the killing,” she said.
Three weeks ago, the group demonstrated in front of Ventura City Hall and intends to do so again, they also intend to demonstrate at government center again.
