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Four murders in five days
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New Hayward library on the rise
By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A string of homicides this past week in Hayward have brought the grand total to seven so far this year. Ten total homicide cases occurred in Hayward in 2015. According to the FBI crime statistics, nine crimes classified as murder or manslaughter occurred in Hayward in 2014, seven in 2013, six in 2012 and seven in 2011. The following are brief accounts four local murders that took place in the span of five days. Aug. 2 Sibling rivalry took a turn for the worse on Aug. 2 in Hayward. According to the Hayward Police Department, 63-year-old Anthony Maurice Williams shot and killed his brother, 59-year-old Albert Williams, around 8 a.m. HPD Sgt. Ryan Cantrell confirmed that the older brother has been charged with murder as well as other charges that and he will have a plea hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the Hayward Hall of Justice. The shooting happened at a home the brothers lived at with their parents, on the 27000 block of Eucalyptus Court off of Whitman Avenue, near Tennyson High School. According to the HPD, the suspect stayed at the scene, where he was arrested by detectives. The gun used in the shooting was found and no motives have been identified. This was the fourth homicide in Hayward this year. Anybody with information should contact Detective Rob Purnell at 510-293-7034. Aug. 5 A domestic dispute turned deadly on Aug. 5 when HPD officers responded to the 28000 block of Thorup Lane, and found a male shot dead in the garage at the residence. According to the HPD, witnesses advised officers there was a female in the house. After police contacted the female by phone, several hours of negotiation took place with the HPD Special Response Unit and Crisis Negotiation Team; however, she eventually surrendered.The names of the victim and the female were not released. Aug. 5 The HPD confirmed that calls began coming in around 10:53 p.m. that reported shots fired near Jackson Street and Cypress Avenue on Friday. When officers arrived they found a car on the 26000 block of Gading Road near Harder Road, with 18-year-old Rogelio Torres Jr. inside suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police attempted life-saving measures but he was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. This was the sixth homicide of the year. Aug. 6 A 17-year-old Hispanic male was shot and killed in front of a residence on the 25000 block of Muir Street on Aug. 6. When officers arrived, they found the victim bleeding from several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hayward Fire Department. The 17-year-old was not identified because he is a minor. Another 18-year-old Hispanic male was also shot but survived with non-life threatening wounds, according to the HPD. A different 17-year-old male later showed up at a hospital, and police determined that he was also a victim of the shooting on Muir Street. The names of the victims were not released and police have no suspects. This was the seventh homicide of the year.
¡EDICION EN ESPAÑOL! PAGINAS SEIS Y SIETE
THURSDAY AUGUST 11, 2016 Summer 2016 Issue 8
East Bay hosts all-girls STEM camp By Kali Persall
MANAGING EDITOR
PHOTO BY BY LOUIS LAVENTURE/THE PIONEER
Construction crews work on the new Hayward Library in downtown on Wednesday.
Hayward animal shelter under quarantine By Kali Persall
School isn’t out for summer at Cal State East Bay. Last month, around 100 middle school girls from across the Bay Area learned about science, technology, engineering and math education through a four-week camp called Eureka! held at East Bay’s Hayward campus. Through the month of July, Monday through Friday, girls attended workshops for STEM education, sports, health and sexuality and sisterhood, according to Shayna Whitley, a coordinator for the camp. The program was put on by Girls Inc. of Alameda County, a national nonprofit that offers fiveyear summer programs to teen girls across the country. This is the third year East Bay has hosted the camp. “It’s just so important for our girls to be on a college campus so they feel comfortable and know they can obtain that and they belong there,” said Judy Glenn, chief operating officer at Girls Inc. The camp focuses their curriculum on STEM education and environmental engineering. Middle school girls at the camp learned how to design sneakers based on different physical activities, build websites and learn HTML, according to Glenn. They also designed
SEE STEM PAGE 2
MANAGING EDITOR Last month, a two and half month old, healthy-looking kitten was brought to the Hayward Police Department Animal Shelter. It was active, feisty, appeared healthy upon arrival and even received a routine deworming. The next morning, however, it was discovered lying in its kennel, lethargic and severely ill. A fecal exam revealed that the kitten tested positive for feline panleukopenia, a highly contagious virus that affects the blood cells of felines, according to Animal Services Administrator Jennie Comstock. Eleven cats who tested positive or had been directly exposed to the virus, were euthanized on July 27 to prevent further spreading of the virus, according to Sgt. Ryan Cantrell of the HPD. “We don’t often get these situations,” Comstock, who has worked at the shelter for 16 years, told the Pioneer. “In my time here I haven’t seen this number of cases come through. It’s the worst we’ve ever seen it.” Feline panleukopenia — commonly known as “feline distemper” — is a life-threatening virus that affects a cat’s blood cells, specifically the intestinal tract and bone marrow, according to PetMD. The illness is unique to felines but comparable to the parvovirus for dogs, Comstock explained, and can often go undetected, causing sudden death. Symptoms include diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, lack of appetite and dehydration. The virus is contagious to other felines through fecal to oral contamination, clothing contamination and nasal discharge and can be spread two to three days prior to the appearance of any symptoms. However it is not harmful to humans or other animals. The HPD animal shelter vaccinated every animal brought in, but if a feline is already carrying the virus or has been exposed to it, a vaccine won’t reverse it, Comstock said. Treatment for panleukopenia is costly and extensive: It involves IV’s and hospitalization, continuous care and emergency room clinic visits,
Alameda rent control: Big vote in a small town By Samuel Salisbury CONTRIBUTOR
PHOTO BY BY LOUIS LAVENTURE/THE PIONEER
The outside of the Hayward Animal Shelter on Wednesday, where the quarantine took place. with no guarantee of recovery. The shelter isn’t accepting any new cats — domestic or feral — for 21 days. “We don’t want to risk exposing other cats, which is why we stopped taking in friendly or feral cats at this time,” Comstock said. The remaining cats in the shelter have been quarantined and are under observation for any symptoms, which could appear within 14 days after the initial exposure. “It’s very frustrating for everyone because we come in to provide care for all these animals…everybody here is very compassionate and it’s very hard,” Comstock said. “All we can do is educate and provide the best care to the animals still in the shelter and try to beat this.” Cats are currently being checked twice a day and the entire ward thoroughly cleaned with Accel disinfectant, a hydrogen peroxide recommended by the UC Davis Shelter Medicine program. Litter boxes are changed daily and debris, food and feces in the cage are removed. So far, there have been no more cases of the outbreak, according to Comstock. The shelter is suggesting that people attempt to track down the homes of friendly, healthy cats found on the streets during the quarantine period. Feral cats should be released back where
they were found or taken to a spay/neuter clinic. Comstock said most cats are exposed to panleukopenia at some point in their lives, but not all cats get sick. While the shelter sees cases of panleukopenia from time to time, upper respiratory infections such as “kennel cough” are more common and easier to treat. Kittens between the ages two to six months are at the highest risk for the virus, reports PetMD. Comstock said the virus is most common in the spring and summer months during kitten season, due to the increase in unvaccinated cats and kittens. The virus is preventable with the FVRCP vaccination, a routine immunization administered to kittens between six to eight weeks old. Kittens receive a series of shots every three to four weeks until they are 16 weeks old, and after that receive an annual booster, reports PetMD. The HPD shelter has no veterinarian on staff, but maintains a contract with Eden Pet Hospital in Castro Valley, from which a vet visits twice a week and does rounds. The HPD Animal Shelter takes in approximately 3,400 animals per year from within the Hayward city limits — including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, roosters and even reptiles, according to Comstock. During the summer months, the population reaches as high as 215 and in winter around 80.
At a fireman’s union hall at 2027 Clement Avenue in Alameda last month, long time residents and newcomers to the island stood outside waiting for the Alameda Renter’s Coalition meeting to start, sharing stories of rent hikes and evictions. At least 20 people attended the July 23 meeting to discuss a new Alameda City Ordinance that aims to limit rent increases and evictions. The Alameda Renter’s Coalition, a group dedicated to protecting the rights of renters, spearheaded this initiative and have been fighting to get it on the ballot since 2015. The ordinance will be placed on the ballot for the November election. Property owners also had proposed an anti-rent control initiative that would allow them to set their own price on rentals, trades or purchases of real estate. According to an Aug. 3 East Bay Times article, petition signatures could not be verified, so it will not be placed on the November ballot. The ARC was created by Angela Hockabout in 2013 to provide information and counsel for renters, according to the Alameda Sun. Among the eviction stories shared at the meeting, a certain housing complex that many re-
SEE RENT PAGE 2