Sunnyvale unites in the face of April attack

On May 29, the City of Sunnyvale held a community gathering to address the aftermath of the automobile attack that occurred in late April. The meeting consisted of community speakers and a diverse panel.

The event was put together in partnership with the Islamic Networks Group, faith leaders, nonprofits and community members. California assemblymember Marc Berman and Congressman Ro Khanna were represented at the event, while the Sunnyvale City Council also attended.

Mayor Larry Klein spoke about community healing and the city’s next steps. “Hatred, violence and extremism, in all its forms, is not welcome in Sunnyvale,” he said.

The attack, which occurred on April 23, left eight pedestrians injured. The car was driven into a tree after swerving to hit pedestrians on the intersection of El Camino Real and Sunnyvale Avenue.

Three children were injured during the attack. An unnamed thirteen-year-old who attends Sunnyvale Middle School was left in serious condition. She has been in a coma since the accident.

The driver was identified as Isaiah Joel Peoples, 34, a government defense auditor. He had previously served in Iraq, where he was an Army gunner. Peoples was arrested at the scene and sent to Santa Clara County Jail where he is being held on account of eight attempted murders. His trial was scheduled for May 30.

"We feel confident that a substantial motivating factor was the perceived religion," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen according to ABC 7 News following People’s trial. Peoples is set to return to court in mid-July. If he is convicted, he will face a life in prison. “We’re dealing with a crisis here and anti-Muslim bigotry and that needs to be addressed,” Maha Elgenaidi of the Islamic Networks Group said.

A panel of diverse community representatives were asked several questions during the event in hopes of bringing everyone together. “Talk to each other,” Nirvair Singh said when asked what everyone should know. Many of the representatives agreed with this statement.

“We must trace this back to the source,” Venerable JianHu said as a closing remark. He sees the gathering as the first step in a community understanding.

FEATURED IMAGE (at the top of this post): Sunnyvale community members come together at for a unity gathering. PHOTO CREDIT: Ellen Hu