When gunshots ring out around the parks where Oakland Soccer Club practices, the teenage athletes keep their focus on the ball. They are unphased, says coach Sergio Ramos, a former East Palo Alto police officer who worked there when the city had a reputation as the murder capital of the U.S. back in the 1990s.
But trauma catches up to its victims. A former player committed suicide as an adult. Another witnessed a man shot on the street as a child; his negative comments in advance of games — announcing, “We’re going to lose” and “They’re too good” — was anxiety manifest. In college, he was put on medication and someone watched him to prevent self-harm. And then there is Jonathan Bandabaila, who disappeared five years ago, at age 19; he was last seen in his warm-up gear, according to police.
