Petties was out of football and working as a supervisor in the city’s parks and recreation department when he took the park under his wing, making it a welcoming place for kids to go, recalled Hayes. Petties is still alive. but suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“He was like a life coach for all the kids around here,” said Hayes. “Mr. Petties was respected by everyone and would stand in for working mothers in the neighborhood, helping kids who had no fathers in the house.”
“He showed us kids how to be kids and have fun because at that time it was a real struggle around here for the Black community,” said Hayes.
Petties would bring in bands to play at the park to provide the entire community with a place to go and meet up with others.
Photo, right: Jeffrey Hayes cleans the base of the “Black Family” statue.
“Mr. Neal Petties is a big legend in this community and should be honored” somewhere in the park, said Hayes. But for now, Hayes is focused on another project in the community.
Martha Zapata, a representative for San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, said the city is working with Hayes to fund the replacement of a statue that once stood at 40th Street and Oceanview Boulevard.
Dedicated in 1974 and named “Black Family,” the artwork featured four figures standing six feet tall at the highest, representing a husband, wife and two children. It was created by artist Rossie Wade in the style of a traditional African wood carving.
The brick and mortar base remains but the entire wooden statue is gone. Zapata said her office is helping Hayes by looking for funding and notes that “he is really motivated, trying hard. I wish we could help him more.”
But Hayes’ wish list for the park doesn’t end with replacing “Black Family.” He’s trying to have Mountain View Park designated as a “regional park” to receive the additional funding he believes it deserves as a centerpiece for the community.
“I’m a native, from right here,” he said. “And I’ve seen things in the park which have inspired me.” The park must continue in its important role, he said, because “the only way we can make it better is by having unity and strength.”
J.W. August is an award-winning journalist and freelance producer who has served as investigative producer for NBC 7 San Diego and as managing editor and senior investigative producer at ABC 10 San Diego. His in-depth investigations have included a wide range of topics such as rising seas, hate groups, nuclear fuel storage, stem cell clinic claims, dolphin deaths, and massage parlors as fronts for organized crime.
His 40-year career includes many honors, notably 35 Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Press Club award for consumer reporting, the Freedom Foundation award for coverage of hate groups along the border, the National Society of Professional Journalists’ Sunshine Award for fostering open government in San Diego, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors award for outstanding investigative reporting on illegal waste dumping.
August is past president of the Society of Professional Journalist’ San Diego Chapter , as well as past president of Californians Aware, a public interest group devoted to helping the press and public hold public officials accountable for their actions. He is also an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, teaching investigative skills and long-form storytelling to aspiring future journalists.
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