When Stockton city leaders held a town hall meeting this past week about public safety as police continue to investigate at least seven homicides believed to be linked to each other, several Spanish speakers voiced their frustrations and disappointment that they were left out of the conversation because of language barriers.

While the audience of the Oct. 5 meeting, hosted at Victory in Praise Church by the group Faith in the Valley and the city of Stockton, was able to hear statistics from law enforcement about the city having 43 homicides and 110 non-fatal shootings this year and 40 of the 43 homicide victims being people of color, Spanish speakers were not able to follow along due to a lack of translation services.

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Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.