By Macy Meinhardt, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
“Once a panther, always a panther,” Porter Elementary School Principal Vincent Anthony said on the sunny afternoon memorial.
Classmates, teachers, and family at Porter Elementary School gathered Tuesday to honor the life of 8-year-old Malikai Orozco-Romero, whom, along with his 4-year old brother, Mason, died in a fatal police pursuit in Mountain View last December.
The ceremony consisted of a garden and fruit tree planting inauguration put on by Ms. Gomez’s second-grade class in honor of Malikai. The atmosphere felt bittersweet, Malikai’s mom, Victoria, described.
The case of the two boys has struck a chord within the community, not only by their loss, but by what it represents. More than one person is killed every day from police pursuit crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Like Malikai and Mason, 21% of those fatalities are innocent victims, creating a debate on whether or not current San Diego Police Pursuit Policies are in the best interest of public safety.
Many people in the community, and the family have since been engaged in a journey to search for accountability and justice for the two young boys by calling for an investigation by the San Diego Police Practice Commission. Today, however, the focus was more on the life of Malikai himself, and the part he played– and will continue to play—in the lives of his classmates at Porter Elementary.
“I sat beside him, we talked and laughed a lot. Since his passing his name comes up in class often during our discussions about who we are thankful for. We are saddened by his passing but we know he’s still with us in our hearts. We will never forget him, once a scholar, always a scholar,” his second grade classmate, Aileen, shared.
Porter Elementary students along with faculty unveiled a legacy bench of Malikai, nestled right in the community garden, surrounded by flowers, vegetables, and fruits that Malikai and his classmates helped contribute to during the school year.
The garden is in collaboration with community partners like SDGE, Urban League, and Maria’s Pantry.
“One of the things that we were talking about was sustainability and supporting our community and so all the vegetables and fruits that are going to be here will go towards our school community. When the tragedy unfortunately happened, we felt that it’d be a really beautiful way for us to memorialize and to always remember Malikai’s spirit by putting the bench in the garden,” Principal Anthony explained.
Furthermore, Mr. Anthony talked to students about how the bench can be a special place where Porter Panthers can go, “to have some peace, and time to think about your feelings, or even if you miss Malikai, this is going to be a special spot.”
Hand-painted rocks with special messages to Malikai and flowers surround the bench. It was apparent at the ceremony just how much Malikai loved his school and how many friends he had there. His guidance counselor, Keashonna Christopher, spoke about how they remember the spirit of Malikai as a boy who loved his family, math, football, Jordan shoe collections, and drawing.
“While we may not understand why tragedies take place, we are left with clues on what life meant to our scholar Malikai, a beautiful, and wonderful human being that we will never forget,” said Ms.Christopher.
Students from Ms. Gomez’s class sang a song to the family called “Dancing in the sky”.
‘I hope you’re dancing in the sky
And I hope you’re singing in the angels’ choir
And I hope the angels know what they have
I’ll bet it’s so nice up in heaven s
ince you’ve arrived
Since you’ve arrived’
“It feels so good knowing that my child was loved by so many people,” Victoria said.
Naturally the grief still feels insurmountable five months later, she explains. With summer coming up, Victoria often thinks about what activities her boys would be doing, how tall they would be, their school accomplishments, and what she would be cooking for them.
The translation of Malikai, is “My angel,” his mom shares.
“I don’t want to let go. I know him and his brother are still here with me, but the feeling I have is indescribable. What I feel is that I’m happy for my sons. For this continuous love that people show. Month after month, day after day.”
In the meantime, the family is actively searching for justice. Voice and Viewpoint will continue to provide periodic coverage of their case and any updates to SDPD pursuit policies that may come from it.
If you are experiencing the loss of a loved one, feel free to visit the county’s list of resources for grief and loss.
