On Sunday afternoon, June 22nd, the intersection of Ney Street at the corner of Congdon Street in the Excelsior district was cordoned off with yellow police tape, and surrounded by long rows of San Francisco Police patrol cars on both streets. Ambulances were parked on Congdon Street.

Shortly after 3 o'clock, a late model light blue Honda sedan driving south on Congdon St. toward Maynard St. was struck by bullets shot by someone or occupants from another car driving north on Congdon St. The victims' car apparently rolled backward on Congdon St. more than half a block after the shooting and struck another parked car.

The shooting left the driver and his front passenger dead. Another passenger in the back seat was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, and according to San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Wilfred Williams, was in critical condition. Sgt. Williams told reporters that bullet casings from the shooting were found on the street near the corner of Congdon Street and Maynard Street.

A Latina woman who lives with her children in the neighborhood said that she heard three or four gunshots and the loud sound of a car screeching. She called 911. She and one of her older children came out of their house. Her child saw a young Latino man, blood splattered on his clothing, running down Congdon St. crying, "Please help me! This can't be happening."

The woman said she went to the victims' car. She saw the driver slumped in his seat, with three bullet holes, two near his shoulders and one on his chest, his white T-shirt soaked with blood. She said the driver's window was shattered. She also saw the front passenger slumped in his seat, his white T-shirt splattered with blood. She described the victims as Latino or Filipino men, in the early 20's, with shaved heads.

The Latina woman was standing with other neighbors. Some looked shocked. Some looked bewildered. The Latina woman said that a shooting incident occurred on the 200 block of Ney Street only about four weeks ago. She also said another shooting incident occurred several blocks further on Ney Street several months ago.

Another neighbor, a Caucasian MUNI worker who retired six months ago, surveyed the scene stoically. He said that this kind of crime used to not happen in his neighborhood. This afternoon was the first time that he and his Latina neighbor met and introduced themselves to each other. He inquired about where her older child attends high school, and discovered that it is the same high school he graduated from.

Another elderly Caucasian woman walked by and stopped to talk to the Latina woman. They both introduced themselves to each other as neighbors living several doors away from each other on Ney Street.

A young Caucasian woman carrying her multiracial one year old daughter stopped to ask what had happened. She said that she had heard gunshot noises in the neighborhood at two o'clock in the morning on Mother's Day.

An elderly Chinese woman, her teeth missing and wearing a makeshift headwear on this sunny afternoon, walked around the yellow police tape. She was balancing on her shoulders a long wooden pole, each end weighed down by a bag containing recyclable cans and bottles. Smiling peacefully, she seemed almost oblivious to the stark and grim street scene surrounding her.

An elderly and trim African American man looked at the scene, and called someone on his cell phone to report on the activities.

Contingents of San Francisco police officers continued to arrive at the scene. One of the policemen wore a San Francisco Giants uniform shirt, a necklace with his police badge, and sunglasses. A Chinese officer wearing a jacket that read, "Investigations," was taking measurements with a tiny wheel he was pushing near the street intersection. A police camerawoman was shooting photos of the victims' car. A couple police officers were seen asking some people if they had seen or heard anything. Some officers were later seen going to people's homes and knocking on their front doors.

Most of the police officers looked serious. Some of the investigators who arrived later carried clipboards. Some arrived wearing their sportscoats and jeans. While most of the officers at the scene maintained a serious look, a few laughed, as if appearing to interject a lighthearted and whimsical element to a heartening and yet nonsensical, tragic, and sickening situation.

A medical examiner's van arrived. Two men dressed in black emerged, and joined the police officers at the investigation site. The men stayed a while, then left. They did not return until after 7 o'clock.

Sgt. Williams spoke to the reporters. His manner of delivery was efficient, straightforward, and professional. When asked by one of the reporters whether there was any information about the shooter's car, Sgt. Williams did not offer much information. He did acknowledge that the preliminary finding that the shooting occurred at the corner of Maynard St. and Ney St. was based on "a quick analysis" done by the police thus far.

Shortly after dinner time, a stocky Latino man came to the corner of Congdon St. and Ney St. and started telling people that he saw the suspect's car whizz away after the shooting. He said he saw a dark colored large sedan, with a "fancy looking rim to it." He said it looked like a late model Chrysler, greenish or silver colored. He said that he heard that the victims were a Latino father and his sons from Fairfield who had just left a family celebration party.

When the medical examiner's van returned after 7 o'cock, most of the police officers had left. The neighbors who had stood at the street corner to watch had dispersed back to their homes. Now emerged other residents of the neighborhood, standing at the corner, watching. They included several Filipino men, a German scientist who works at Genentech, an elderly African American man, and several young Chinese and Latina women. Some spoke to each other. Most stood silent and looked stunned.

The men from the medical examiner's office talked further with the police officers. After some time had passed, they opened the back door to their van and pulled out the first stretcher. They brought it to the victims' car. They performed some further checks inside the victims' car. They carefully pulled out some blue colored sheets of plastic and folded them.

Another police photographer who arrived moments earlier peered his head deeply into the victims' car and began to shoot many photos.

The attendants from the medical examiner's office took out several white sheets and carefully laid them on the stretcher bed. They opened the front passenger's door wider, and the victim's long arm could be seen, limp and lifeless. They then closed the door a bit. Then several police officers took a white sheet and held it up, shielding the view to the front passenger's side. The men from the medical examiner's office took their time in removing the front passenger from the car. When they wheeled his stretcher to the van, most of the first half of the stretcher formed a big mound. They then inserted his stretcher to the bottom right half compartment of the van.

The men returned to the victims' car, with a second stretcher. They did some further checks inside the car, this side on the driver's side. The men, both large sized, now took off their black jackets. Several police officers took a large white sheet and held it up, to cover the view of the driver's side. The men from the medical examiner's office opened both the driver's door and the rear left door wide. The larger sized man now peered his head and frame far into the rear left door. He could be seen, from a far distance, using all his sheer physical strength to pull the driver from the front seat through the left rear door. After a few more moments, the police officers stopped holding up the white sheet cover. A very large white mound now appeared on the stretcher - - much larger than the mound on the first stretcher moments earlier. The man who had pulled the driver from the car could now be seen tying some knots on the white sheets on the stretcher. The men wheeled the stretcher to the van, and opened the van door. The stretcher appeared quite heavy as the men lifted it and pushed it in the bottom left compartment of the van. The two victims now lay next to each other in the van. The men from the medical examiner's office closed the van door.

One of the men returned to the victims' car, and opened both right doors. He took a large brown bag, and collected some items from the car and put them in the bag. The front right passenger seat was inclined backward, and a large swath of blood could be seen on the head rest area.

A group of young Chinese men and women suddenly arrived at the street corner. One young man excitely said, "Oh my God, what happened?! That's my black Honda over there!" He was referring to the car that the victims' car plowed into at the end of its downward roll on Congdon Street. An African American police officer calmly told him that he would need to get a case number to retrieve his car later. A moment later, a Caucasian police officer gave the Chinese man a slip of paper with a case number, and talked with him. The Chinese man and his friends went to a nearby home, and they returned to the street corner with an elderly Chinese woman - - perhaps a relative. The man talked excitedly. In fluent English, he said he now was going to sell his car, as he could no longer wanted to drive that car.

Two tow trucks arrived. A couple of police officers started to remove the yellow police tape. The victims' car, and the Chinese man's car, were towed away. It was now almost 8 o'clock. Halfway down the 200 block of Ney Street, a young Asian man and his two sons were playing basketball in their driveway. There was still daylight on this quiet street in the Excelsior district of San Francisco. The neighborhood was its quiet self, albeit shattered by the sounds of gunshots only less than 5 hours earlier.

This afternoon, two Latino men's lives were cut short by gunfire on a quiet residential street of San Francisco. A third Latino man was fighting for his life at San Francisco General Hospital. The fourth Latino man, seen earlier running from the victims' car and crying for help, escaped the bullets but was scarred forever. In the early quiet of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and evening, the victims' family members, friends, and neighbors now began to mourn for them. The mourning could also be visible and acutely felt as one looked at the faces of the residents in the neighborhood of Ney Street and Congdon Street. It was also visible on the faces of the San Francisco police officers.

In the midst of the aftermath of this Sunday's tragedy, one witnessed many acts of human caring, kindness, compassion, and goodness. It was moving to see neighbors introduce
themselves to each other for the first time - - even neighbors who may live a door or two from each other. Being raised in the Midwest where neighborliness was the norm and where it is all right to check in on one's neighbor and say hello, one was reminded of the power and strength of the real meaning of community and humanity.

One witnessed the hard work of the San Francisco Police Department officers who were at the tragic scene, the investigators, the two men from the Medical Examiner's office, the S.F.F.D. paramedics, and others. One was reminded that high salaries for those who are dedicated, caring, and professional police officers would never be too high.

One was soberly reminded once again of the increase in homicides in San Francisco - - the City of St. Francis. One was also reminded that the occurence of crimes - - including these killings on Congdon Street - - can happen anywhere in San Francisco.

We are reminded that we - - individually and collectively - - need to hold ourselves and our elected and government officials accountable regarding issues such as the increasing homicide rate in San Francisco. How are we in San Francisco and the state of California addressing this problem?

At the city and county level, we need to ask questions and demand accountability of Mayor Gavin Newsom, each member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Chief Heather Fong and the San Francisco Police Department, District Attorney Kamala Harris and her office, Public Defender Jeff Adachi and his office, and other government agencies.

We need to ask questions and demand accountability of our legislators and the Governor.

We need to ask questions and demand accountability of the ministers and clergypersons in our communities, and find out whether they are doing anything at all to help address the serious social problems in our communities and our City.

We need to ask questions and demand accountability of the police department, the district attorney, as well as the court system, regarding those who perpetrate acts of shootings, killings, and murders such as what occurred on Congdon Street.

We need to ask questions and demand accountability of our elected officials, law enforcement, and others who work in our communities, regarding what they are actually doing to prevent further acts of bloodshed and killings.

And yes, we need to examine closely how the way we raise our children - - as well as the other children in our communities - - influences the paths they eventually choose and walk on. We must heed the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child."