Compton fashion show focuses on victims of violence

As two young boys walked to the end of a runway in a Compton banquet hall, the crowd went nearly silent. Their black and blue T-shirts bore a photo of a man and read “In loving memory." Their uncle had been shot in 2001 at the age of 26. 

At this unconventional fashion show, teen girls strutted the runway in high heels and clothes lent by local designers. But a message of loss was carried not just by the two boys. In all, 15 mothers and children joined the models on Sunday to honor loved ones lost to violence.

Nearly 150 people gathered to raise awareness about violence in a show called Runway 4 Peace. In previous years, DeNika Stephens, who grew up in Compton, organized the show with the intent of helping young women develop self-confidence through walking a runway. But this year, she said she wanted to address an important issue. 

“The city has a disease and it’s called violence,” Stephens told the audience. “Too many people are getting killed or killing others. Tonight I want you all to see what it’s doing to us.”

Lela Jones-Avant kept her eyes forward as she carried a picture of her son, Torrey Jones.  Twelve years ago, someone knocked on her door in Canoga Park to tell her that her 23-year-old son was lying dead outside her apartment complex.

Since then, Jones-Avant has taken in teens who have been kicked out of their homes. Her hope is her kindness will keep them from making bad decisions. 

“Most of these kids just want to be loved. My son’s killers did not have love in their hearts, but what if they did? Maybe my son would be here,” she said. “I hope the kids at the show see that there is love in this community. Maybe it will make them think twice.”

In the last 12 months, 25 people have been killed in Compton, according to coroner's data collected by the Homicide Report.

In this city of about 100,000 residents, violence is familiar. Several people at the event could name at least one person they knew who had been killed. 

“There were the two guys I knew from school and then my friend’s sister, Candice. She was in her early twenties, I think,” said Mykaila Allen. “There’s too many people getting killed. You sometimes lose track of who’s who.” 

CoCo Cubbage, 46, tried to muster the courage to walk the runway, but a vivid memory held her back. On August 27, 2013, her son Antonio Riley, 18, and his friend were killed on a sidewalk in Hyde Park. She had just seen him the week before for a family photo.

Cubbage said she didn't want to call attention to herself as long as her son’s killers have not been caught. But she still wanted to back the message of the night.

“I hope the event shines a light on the issue and people stop this senseless violence,”  Cubbage said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to live here. There is a lot of good in this area.”

-- Jerome Campbell

Photo: Daniel, 8, and Johnny Thompson,7, remembered their lost uncle at the Runway 4 Peace fashion show. Credit: Jerome Campbell/Los Angeles Times