Riverside, California Aug 21, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - Media Advisory
Thursday August 20, 2020
Contact: Dr. Alfonso Gonzales (951) 934-8894
Coalition to Save Jurupa Valley Boxing Returns for 2nd Protest and Rally at the City of Jurupa Valley.
Latino leaders demand that the City of Jurupa Valley keep its promise to work with them to keep boxing gyms open
Jurupa Valley, CA - On Thursday August 20, Latino leaders and community advocates will return to protest and rally outside of the Jurupa Valley City Hall to demand that the City keep open two boxing gyms, the Jurupa Valley Boxing Club in Rubidoux and Capital Punishment Gym in Mira Loma.
The group calling itself the Coalition to Save Jurupa Valley Boxing is returning after its initial protest, which was attended by nearly 100 people on July 2, 2020, after city council members, discussed the possibility of turning the longtime home of the Jurupa Valley Boxing Club; a County owned building on Mission Boulevard, into a homeless shelter. The Rubidoux neighborhood is home to proud working-class Mexican Americans and their small businesses.
During the protest on July 2, the Mayor of the City of Jurupa Valley, Mr. Anthony Kelly, interrupted protesters and promised to work with them to stay open. He told the group of the Protesters that he supported their efforts and claimed that he would go to Capital Punishment Gym to meet with the owner Mr. Charlie Perez the very next day on July 3, 2020. Despite several efforts by Mr. Perez and members of the coalition to reach out to him, Mayor Kelly has not meet with them, returned their calls, nor has he visited the gym, despite his videotaped promises to support both gyms in Rubidoux and in Mira Loma on July 2. Capital Punishment Gym continues to be fined and harassed by the City’s code enforcement officials, a dire, financially draining and stressful situation for gym owner, Charlie Perez, that Mayor Kelly is well aware of.
The Coalition stands behind Perez in his to keep the gym open and demands that City officials refund fines collected by Mr. Perez and that they waive current and future fines and make an earnest effort to work with Capital Punishment Gym to resolve the code enforcement issues and to keep the gym open. The Coalition also calls on city officials to affirm their promise to keep the Jurupa Valley Boxing Club open and continue to fund it, as has been the case for its 15 + years under the oversight of the County of Riverside Parks and Recreation, at their upcoming City Council meeting.
Background
With nearly 70% of Jurupa Valley residents being Latino, a large portion of working-class youth reap the benefits from two boxing programs in the communities of Rubidoux and Mira Loma. The sport of boxing has served as a positive outlet and provided role models for young people and it has become a source of pride for many Jurupa Valley residents. The Jurupa Valley Boxing Club, for instance, focuses on training hundreds of children, including rising 9-year-old boxing star Nadia “La Panterita” Diaz and a team of girl boxers that have made an impact on the boxing world.
World class fighters and trainers including boxing hall of fame member Armando Muñiz, Henry Ramirez, and Willy Silva and champions such as Chris Areolla, Mauricio Herrera, Sindy Amador, Josecito Lopez, Carlos Bojorquez and many more have trained in Jurupa Valley at one point in their careers. World famous fighters, including current heavy weight campion Tyson Fury, Mikey Garcia, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and others have trained and sparred in Jurupa Valley gyms in preparation for major fights.
The Inland Empire has become a global leader in professional boxing. Boxing's rising stars such as Ryan Garcia and 7 – time national champion, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. are but the latest to call the region home. The City of Jurupa Valley should embrace the regions status in the world of boxing and invest in the sport for its local youth.
Boxing programs disproportionately impact Mexican and Latino youth, as well as other working-class communities of Jurupa Valley. For many in these communities, boxing has been an avenue to find purpose, discipline and community amid a city known for its warehouse developments, smog, a toxic dump, and environmental degradation. Community members call on the city to keep both gyms open.
Jurupa Valley Boxing Club Website:
WHAT: Rally & Protest Highlighting the importance of boxing in the Latino and working-class communities of Jurupa Valley CA
WHEN: Thursday August 20, 2020 @ 6:30 pm
WHERE: Jurupa Valley City Hall, 8920 Limonite Ave, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
WHO: Follow us on FB and IG, @CoalitiontoSaveJurupaValleyBoxing
Media Contact
Coalition to Save the Jurupa Valley Boxing Club alfonsog@ucr.edu (951) 934-8894 http://SevillaLocalMedia.com
