North Valley JCC shooting: 25 years later, the enduring fight against hate continues

GRANADA HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A hate-fueled mass shooting attack on a Jewish community center in the San Fernando Valley is marking a somber milestone.

It's been 25 years since a gunman shot six people, killing one, at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills. Families scarred by this shooting continue to reflect on the events of that day and the decades since.

"There are so many people who don't know about what happened at the North Valley JCC," said Rabbi Becky Hoffman with Temple Ahavat Shalom in the San Fernando Valley.

A painful memory

On Aug. 10, 1999, a deadly act of hate spurred the nation into action. The image of children being led out of the building, holding hands, is seared into people's collective memory.

"We need to keep reminding ourselves, as painful as it is," said Hoffman.

Self-avowed white supremacist Buford Furrow volleyed a hail of gunfire into the community center.

His bullets critically injured Benjamin Kadish, who was only 5 years old at the time. Three other children and an adult were also shot.

Furrow's shooting spree ended when he encountered Filipino-American U.S. Postal carrier Joseph Ileto along his route in Chatsworth.

"Joseph was the only person killed that day by a white supremacist," said Stewart Kwoh, President Emeritus of Asian Americans Advancing Justice SoCal and Co-Executive Director of the Asian American Education Project.

Furrow confessed he targeted Ileto because he was a federal worker who looked Asian or Latino. Until her death this year, Joseph's mother, Lilian Ileto, spoke out tirelessly against hate crimes.

"She was such a champion and such an anchor for the community after Joseph's passing." said Connie Chung Joe, the CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice SoCal.

Despite the family's strength, the emotional fallout of Ileto's tragic killing became too much for his sister Raquel Ileto.

"The loss of our brother really took a toll and, and she took her life. She couldn't handle it anymore," said Joseph's sister-in-law Deena Ileto.

Racist hate mail forced Joseph's brother Ishmael and his wife Deena to move homes. But fear didn't silence them.

"They would go to rallies of LGBTQ people, Blacks and Latinx, Muslims and Jews. They spoke out against hate crimes against anybody," said Kwoh.

The horrifying scenes of the Jewish community center shooting spurred activists to organize the historic "Million Mom March" the following year.

"The families of children who were present at the North Valley JCC, they traveled to Washington, D.C. They met the president," said Hoffman.

The grassroots movement led to heightened hate crime awareness, new laws and a period of optimism. But in the years since, hate crimes due to race, religion and sexuality have reached record levels.

"Every time there's gun violence or mass shooting, it always brings us back to that afternoon on August 10th," said Ishmael Ileto.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice SoCal is the nation's largest legal service and human rights organization for AAPI and other underserved communities. With the annual Joseph Ileto Courage Award, the organization honors ordinary community members who embody civil rights and social justice.

"It is our way of celebrating real life heroes. We use it to remember what devastation that mass shootings and hate crimes have," said Joe.

"We do see young people getting involved so that inspires us," Deena Ileto said.

Used as an acronym, Joseph Ileto's name stands for "Join Our Struggle, Educate and Prevent Hate. Instill love, Equality and Tolerance for Others." But the family wants his legacy to continue to remind others that together we can fight for safe communities and that divisive rhetoric has no place in our country.

"We need to really focus on who is going to help our community and who is going to bring us together," said Ishmael Ileto.