VISTA —— When city and San Diego County Sheriff's Department officials open the doors tonight for a community forum on the recent string of deadly, deputy-involved shootings in Vista, they aren't quite sure who will walk through them.

Though the shootings have generated intense media coverage —— and attracted the attention of outside groups such as the county's Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board —— there has been little organized reaction on the streets or from the Latino community, city officials have said.

The three suspects killed by deputies over a five-day stretch that began July 28 were all Latinos, and two of the shootings took place in the city's Townsite area, a predominately Latino neighborhood. There have been five fatal shootings by deputies in Vista this year, out of six such shootings countywide, authorities have said.

City officials said Tuesday that while they have heard little response from residents, they hoped tonight's meeting would be well-attended.

"On some issues, like a dog park, we can have a room full of people; and some years, our whole city budget passes without a word —— you just never know," said Councilman Bob Campbell.

"I would expect a lot of questions," he continued, "and am hoping for a good turnout, but we'll see. … The goal is just an honest dialogue between the Sheriff's Department, city staff and the citizens."

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Middle School gymnasium. The campus is at the southwest corner of Escondido Avenue and Vista Village Drive.

No organized Latino response

Officials said that, just as in the general population, there has been little outward reaction to the shootings in the city's Latino community, which makes up at least 39 percent of Vista's 95,000 residents, according to the San Diego Association of Governments, the region's planning agency.

"We really haven't seen or heard any organized response (to the shootings)," said Catherine Manis, executive director of the Vista Townsite Community Partnership, the city's most visible group with strong ties to the Latino community.

The partnership was established in 1996 by Townsite residents, Sheriff's Department and City Hall officials, and other social service agencies, with the goal being to revitalize the Townsite community and to cut down on crime. It is primarily service-oriented, focusing on improving the lives of Latino residents in Vista through job and language training.

Manis said that following a deputy-involved shooting on Aug. 1, the partnership sent an outreach worker into the community to promote the National Night Out against crime on Aug. 2. Manis said the worker "reported back that some people were unaware of what happened."

"Others were somewhat concerned, but the level of interest hasn't been overwhelming," she said.

Former council candidate John Herrera said that Vista's Latino community has changed dramatically in the last two decades, but —— like the rest of the city —— has never experienced an incident such as the recent string of shootings.

Finding a voice

Despite its large Latino population, Vista has few —— if any —— politically active Latino groups.

Developing a grass-roots group in any community is difficult unless there are people who have experience in leadership and who are willing to reach out to the local population, said national representatives from the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"Certainly, community organizations are a sign that local residents are willing to put in the time to help better their standing or condition," said the league's executive director, Brent Wilkes. "The problem is that the segments of the community that need organizations the most are typically the ones that have the least of them, and the fewest resources to pull them together."

Lt. Hernando Torres of the Vista Sheriff's Station said that barriers to grass-roots participation and organization could be rooted in apathy or fear of deportation.

"Sometimes, people don't want to get involved because they are afraid of exposing their immigration status, and they try to draw as little attention as possible," Torres said. "Even if people don't care about the community or are unconcerned about themselves, if they have children here, that should be their stake in the community —— their kids should make them care."

The need to support their families —— and the time it takes —— also play a role, he said.

"So many people in the local Latino community are preoccupied with their own economics, going to work to make the rent, that they are not proactive in the community," said Torres. "People have to want to get involved, to speak out. You can't look to others to make these things happen."

City 'responsive' to residents

Assistant City Manager Rick Dudley said that while he was unaware of any local advocacy groups, city efforts on behalf of the local Latino community may pre-empt the need for grass-roots Latino organizations in the city.

"Hopefully, the reason for the lack of community-level groups is that we as a city are responsive enough that we don't need an advocacy group," he said. "I hope that the community feels we as a city, and the City Council, have been addressing their concerns."

In 2003, the city formed the Community Outreach Committee, a city commission dedicated to Latino voter outreach, after a U.S. Justice Department probe into Vista investigating whether the city was diluting Latino voter strength.

The department ultimately found no such violation, concluding that about half of the city's Latinos were not eligible to vote because they did not meet age or citizenship requirements.

Herrera sits on the outreach committee, which has been studying ways to increase voter registration and participation in Vista, including youth outreach, registration drives, speeches at businesses, and direct-mail campaigns.

A year after the group formed, city voters elected Vista's first Latino councilman, Frank Lopez, in November 2004.

City officials said the group has helped affirm the city's commitment to its Latino residents.

"I hope the Community Outreach Committee has been enough of a success that the Latino community realizes we have been paying attention to their needs and engaging them," Dudley said.

Herrera echoed Dudley's sentiments last week.

"I think that we have never really had a need for such an advocacy group in the past," Herrera said. "There has always been a very cordial and amiable relationship between city and the Latino community."

Even so, Wilkes said that the lack of an organized "voice" for the Latino community may hurt local residents, since advocacy groups serve more than a reactionary function.

"If everything is hunky-dory in the city, fine, then they still need us," Wilkes said. "Groups like ours are there primarily for proactive matters —— to support the community members, for outreach and youth education and to support a cultural dynamic, which is very important."

Contact staff writer Anne Riley-Katz at 631-6622 or ariley-katz@nctimes.com.

Tonight's community forum

Time: 7 to 9 p.m.

Place: Lincoln Middle School gymnasium, 151 Escondido Ave., Vista.

Subject matter: Recent deputy-involved fatal shootings in Vista.

Officials expected to attend: Sheriff Bill Kolendar; members of the Vista City Council; representatives of the Vista Sheriff's Station; John Parker, executive director of the county Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board.