(ROSEVILLE, Calif.) – A heavy cloud hung over Roseville as the council convened on Wed., Oct. 21. Cherie Dodge, a 57-year-old city resident, was tragically stabbed to death earlier this month, an event which shocked the local community to its core.
Dodge had been sleeping overnight on a bench in downtown Roseville, close to City Hall. The Placer County District Attorney’s office has currently taken over the handling of Dodge's murder. The office released a statement last Wednesday explaining that limited details on the crime shall be publicly accessible given the perpetrator is under 16 years of age.
City Mayor Krista Bernasconi kicked off Roseville’s Oct. 21 city council meeting by sharing the city’s dismay and how leaders have been providing support thus far.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy [...] especially knowing that it happened just across the street,” Bernasconi said. “Members of this council joined the vigils and have been in contact with her family to honor Cherie and show support for those who loved her.”
Photo Credit: City of Roseville / Mayor Bernasconi offering her condolences on behalf of the city
Bernasconi continued her address by thanking the Roseville Police Department, who she watched working around the clock to find the minor responsible for the attack.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community,” Bernasconi declared. “Please join me in a moment of silence.”
Carlos Brandt, Dodge’s son, was the first to mount the podium on the evening of Oct. 21. Reading a statement written by him and his loved ones, Brandt highlighted the significant role his mother played in the lives around her.
“On the 14th my mother Cherie was killed,” Brandt stated. “She was a mother of 5, a grandmother of 13, and a great grandmother of 1. She lived in this community for nearly 40 years [...] Being homeless does not make anybody disposable, does not make their life worth any less, violence against them must not be something that we accept.”
Brandt continued by sharing his desire for strengthened protective measures to support Roseville’s homeless population. To ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again, Brandt called for a timely, comprehensive initiative forwarded by both the local government and its community.
“I cannot sit here and say that one program would’ve prevented my mother’s death but I am asking you to examine what more can be done and to include families, people experiencing homelessness in that work,” Brandt pleaded.
Concluding his statement, Brandt requested that his mother’s memory be preserved at the site of the horrific attack by installing a new bench in her honor.
“A plaque carrying Cherie’s name would be a meaningful gesture of compassion, a place to remember her, and a lasting reminder that every person deserves dignity and safety,” Brandt said. “Remember her, protect the people who are still here, and help us turn grief into action.”
Photo Credit: Piper Aweeka / A city flyer sharing details for a vigil in remembrance of Dodge
The palpable sadness articulated by both the city council and by Brandt was accompanied by the words of others who shared during the Oct. 21 meeting.
Paul Comiskey, a Roseville resident, was another attendee who shared his own sympathies for the recent tragedy. For Comiskey, justice would be best achieved through compassion as well as community advocacy.
Photo Credit: City of Roseville / Comiskey directing his comment towards the city council
“Justice would look like more [...] compassion for homeless people. More protection for them, [and] more recognition of them as unique and precious human beings,” Comiskey stated. “So we will hear a lot, and we will see banners and we will hear cries [...] I hope that this will be the vision that will come into place as a result of our seeking justice for Cherie Dodge.”
Calls for increased protective measures for the unhoused came in tandem with ongoing meeting discourse about the city’s LPR camera technology. Given the emphasis on Dodge’s murder, the topic of justice felt particularly relevant within the impassioned arguments shared by community members in support and opposition to local law enforcement’s use of Flock safeguards. While proponents of the city’s contracts continued to assert its aid in solving Roseville crime, opponents sustained their ongoing mass surveillance concerns.
Roseville city council has yet to announce new protective programs for the city’s homeless population.
The council has also provided no comment addressing ongoing Town Hall requests from anti-Flock constituents.
OpGov.News reached out for comment from the Roseville City Council and is awaiting a reply.
If you’d like to add or correct anything in this report, feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below. Submit Roseville tips and story ideas to Piper Aweeka at piper.a@lead4earth.org.
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