Local News

A Community Unites With Goal Of Healing The Hood

Organizers Fight Gang Violence With Massive Party In Little Village

CHICAGO (CBS) ― It's one of the largest efforts to promote peace and community in Chicago. This weekend, ex-gang members, concerned residents, and community leaders are coming together to help "Heal the Hood."

CBS 2 was a proud sponsor. CBS 2's Mai Martinez emceed the Little Village event.

This is the third annual "Healing the Hood" event, and organizers say it's grown every year, not only with the sponsorships, but activities and attendance.

This year organizers say they believe about 2,000 people showed up all in the name of peace for their community.

They marched in Little Village Saturday, not for a parade or to protest, but instead to encourage their neighbors and others to live in peace. Coordinators from the Little Village Community Development Corporation and CeaseFire chose the area because they believe promoting peace will convey their message of peace to those who most need to receive it. 

The neighborhood, while a focal point for Mexican-American culture in Chicago, is also a community that is feeling loss and frustration after losing two students in the past year to violence.

Organizers say they picked Ridgeway Avenue for the "Healing the Hood" event because it's the dividing line between two major rival gangs in the area. Organizers say as many as 1,500 young people are associated with the gangs.

"They don't necessarily feel good about what they're doing," said Jesus Garcia, president of the Little Village Community Development Corporation. "They don't know where to turn. They're brought up not to turn anywhere."

But community leaders are hoping to change that by offering young people in the area and throughout Chicago, alternatives to gang life.

"We found that they don't like the violence, but they're caught up in a cycle of violence," Garcia said. "We're trying to break the cycle and provide them opportunities to school, opportunities to jobs, and opportunities to services."

Among those trying to help young people say 'no' to violence were former gang members Devoy Boyd and Joel Irizarry. Both men were shot and paralyzed when they were 17 and members of gangs. They hope their stories might convince young people that gangs are not the way to go.

"Most of our youth think that that's the only way, just to let them know, that they have options in their life and that they don't need to be a part of this reoccurring cycle," Boyd said.

"I never knew that ending up with a permanent disability was not an option and I had to learn the hard way," Irizarry said.

Another speaker was Efrain Gonzalez, a former gang member who was convicted of felony drug dealing, and nearly died when he was shot by members of the rival gang.

He is now an anti-gang counselor, who uses his art as an outlet.

"One time I even went into the washroom of my house and I looked at myself," Gonzalez said, "and that was the first time I ever scared myself, because I saw my eyes. It was very dark."

Gonzalez now paints colorful murals that depict positive facets of Latino culture. It is one way to spread his message against violence, and get beyond shadows in his past.

"You start having nightmares about the opposite gang coming after you, so you're living in a dark way," Gonzalez said.

His and the other speakers' goal was bringing people from different backgrounds together to learn about their similarities and foster a sense of respect.

Organizers hope by encouraging young people to devote their time and energy to things like dancing, art, writing and sports, they'll learn to express themselves in ways which don't involve violence.

Some young people say it's the right approach.

"We do what we see, so maybe if they give us a positive impact on our life, maybe we'll do the same thing for someone else," said high school freshman Brittaney Collins.

Organizers of Saturday's "Healing the Hood" event say they hope communities throughout Chicago will learn from their example and host similar events throughout the summer to give kids an alternative to what they might be doing in the streets. They say ultimately, they'd like to see a city-wide "Healing the Hood" type event where everyone can come together and celebrate peace and community living.

The event also featured music, dance, a poetry slam and spoken-word contest, a three-on-three basketball tournament, and a two-story high water slide. Kids ate for free at the festival.

"We're healing the hood," said Mike Rodriguez of the Violence Prevention Collaborative. "Typically, folks think it's the police's job to prevent violence. We say no. It's the community's to get involved in preventing violence."

CBS 2's Mai Martinez and Pamela Jones contributed to this report.

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