Approximately 35 San Diego pastors of different races and denominations gathered Friday in El Cajon to pray for peace, unity and "truth" in the community following three days of protests in response to the police shooting of an unarmed black man.
The group began their prayer service at 10 a.m. at the El Cajon Police Department (ECPD) headquarters at 100 Civic Way. The pastors who led the prayer service were Pastor David Hoffman of Foothills Christian Church in El Cajon; Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church; David Joseph of Last Harvest Arabic Church; and Pastor Rolland Slade of Meridian Baptist Church.
Slade said the pastors are seeking "truth, transparency and transformation" for the community on the heels of the divisive case that has heightened racial tensions in San Diego’s East County.
“Transparency must be how we deal with each other; there can be no hidden agendas,” said Slade.
He prayed for both the family of the man who was killed and for the El Cajon Police Department, saying the events of this week have forever changed everyone who has lived them.
“The events of Tuesday, Sept. 27 were tragic and they must be acknowledged. We, Lord – the region, the community, the neighborhood and the family of Alfred Olango – have been dramatically changed,” Slade prayed.
In Hoffman's prayer, he also asked for truth and for those who seek to protest in a violent manner.
"You have called us to pursue peace; pursue peace for all men," Hoffman said.
"We pray that you would thwart those who would bring unrest, damage and chaos to our city and our county."
Hoffman prayed for the family of the man who was killed, for the El Cajon mayor, the El Cajon Police Department and the San Diego County District Attorney.
During Garlow's prayer, he asked for peace for "downtrodden law enforcement" and for "an avalanche of love in our community.”
David Joseph said we're in a time of "spiritual warfare." He said his prayer in both English and Arabic.
On Tuesday, Alfred Olango, 38, was shot and killed by two El Cajon police officers in the parking lot of a shopping center, near a taco shop, in the 800 block of Broadway.
The police shooting sparked uproar in the community as Olango became the latest unarmed black man to be shot by officers in a series of similar shootings across the nation.
Protesters have marched the streets of El Cajon since the shooting, carrying signs condemning the officers’ use of lethal force on Olango, many chanting slogans like “Black Lives Matter” and “no justice, no peace.”
As demonstrations press on, El Cajon police, Mayor Bill Wells and Olango’s mother, Pamela Benge, have all begged protesters to assemble peacefully and non-violently.
On Thursday night, those protests got heated as a group of 50 to 75 protesters gathered at the intersection of Broadway and Mollison Avenue, near the area when Olango was fatally shot.
Some demonstrators blocked intersections and stopped cars, smashing in windows. At one point, the ECPD said some protesters knocked a man off his motorcycle. Police said 911 calls flooded the department throughout the night, reporting the disturbance stemming from the protest.
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Outfitted in riot gear, law enforcement officials with the police department and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) moved in on the protest.
At around 8 p.m., authorities ordered the crowd to disperse due to unlawful assembly. Authorities said protesters began throwing water bottles and beers cans at officers and refused to leave.
At that point, law enforcement officials deployed pepper-spray balls and bean bags into the crowd. Two protesters were arrested for unlawful assembly, the ECPD said.
Several protests are planned for Saturday, including a 10 a.m. demonstration at the Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon and a 3 p.m. rally at the San Diego Convention Center in downtown San Diego.
