EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 58, NO. 48
N ovember 1 8, 2021
City honor s veterans during special event
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PHOTOS RICARDO TOMBOC Clockwise from above: Pastor Reginal Young of SBPU opens the event with an invocation; Army Veteran Phillip Miller from San Bernardino was deployed to both Korea and Europe serving from 1958 to 1964; Robert Porter, founder of I Love San Bernardino Facebook page and radio commentator; Wiliam Randy Bellamy, U.S. Navy, was recognized with a placard.
Law enforcement par ticipate in torch r un Pg. 5
San Ber nardino Police pr oduces another homeg rown her o - Sgt. J. Echevar ria By Terry Elliott
C
olton Councilman and San Bernardino Police Department Sergeant John Echevarria is a bilingual homegrown officer who originates from humble beginnings right here in San Bernardino. He was raised by a single mother in a housing project on the west-side of the city, they were a simple and struggling family who depended largely on public assistance and food stamps. Unlike so many, John is not ashamed of his struggling early life, instead proudly wears it as a badge of honor. He insists that it was the foundation that helped develop him into the family man he is today.
Group aims to co llect over 5,000 toys this season
Pg. 12
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COURTESY PHOTO
SBPD Sergeant and Colton Councilman John Echevarria triumphed over challenging circumstances growing up to become a successful family man and member of the community today.
For financial reasons, his maternal family was forced to move around, bouncing back and forth from Colton to San Bernardino.
But John, ever proud of his industrious mother who made life as good as she could to provide for him and his 3 siblings, knew he had to step up to help her. Little did John know he would have to help bury his sister when he was just 16 years old, a brother at 23, his beloved mother at 33, and his last remaining sister when he was only 39. Suddenly John was the only survivor of his family. Nonetheless, he decided early on that he was not going to fail, and he was resolute about succeeding. John attended local schools and because of their constant moving he attended both Colton High and ultimately graduated from Cajon High School in 1996. Determined to succeed, John was the first in his family to go to college. He graduated from San Bernardino Echevarria, cont. on next pg.