New bench in Pan American Park honors murder victim Frederick Taft; family continues call for justice

Residents, activists and family members of the late Frederick Taft gathered in Pan American Park on Saturday, July 22 to honor his life and continue calling for justice in his murder. A new bench was unveiled in the park, bearing a portrait of Frederick Taft by artist Noah Frazier.

Frederick Taft was a local grandfather who was fatally shot from behind in the bathroom of Pan American Park during a family reunion in July 2018. The suspect, described as a white man in his 50s, was never found.

“Hold the person accountable, whoever did this,” said Corie Taft, Frederick’s daughter. “I really feel like, to be honest, that my dad’s case got swept under the rug to be honest with you. It’s been five years, no justice. It’s kind of hard to believe.”

Frederick Taft’s niece Allison Flanigan said, during a 2020 protest, that the killer was hiding in a bathroom stall when Frederick entered, then emerged from the stall in the men’s room and shot Frederick nine times from behind, including once in the back of the head, killing him while he was still exposed.

Flanigan said in 2020 that the Long Beach Police Department left his body in plain view for hours and did not make any efforts to place a sheet over Taft or obstruct the public’s view. People began to gather and take photos of the scene on their phones, Flanigan said. 

Since the murder, the Taft family has been asking the City to install cameras in the park. According to Corie and Black Lives Matter Long Beach chapter co-founder Audrena Redmond, the City has declined to do so, citing funding issues.

“The pandemic should have taught all of us that when the City and governments need to find resources for things, they have no problem finding the resources for what they need,” Redmond said.  “And the City of Long Beach has a huge police budget.”

The family, activists and City staff are also in the process of reinstating the reward for any information that may lead to the arrest of Frederick’s killer.

“We’re living in a recession, where times are hard,” Corie said. “Maybe before people felt they didn’t want to talk because they were scared. But I feel like since it’s five years now, you’d be surprised what people might say now.”

Members of Frederick Taft’s family, including his young grandchildren, gathered around the park bench as the plastic covering was removed, revealing a painted portrait by Frazier of Frederick’s face on a multicolored background.

“It’s important to have the face there so people can walk by and say, ‘What happened?’ and then turn around and read ‘Frederick Taft,’ and maybe hop on their phone and Google it, and then get the explanation,” Frazier said. “So it’s not just, ‘Oh, this is beautiful’ and ‘Frederick Taft, beloved father,’ and they keep passing and don’t really understand why the bench is here.”