New Life Centers & Enlace Co-Host Little Village, Pilsen and Brighton Park Community Violence Advocacy Event

Residents, elected officials and community violence intervention (CVI) leaders gathered in Little Village Thursday, August 24 for a discussion on local street outreach efforts to reduce gun violence in Little Village, Pilsen and Brighton Park. The event, co-hosted by local community-based organizations New Life Centers and Enlace Chicago, drew more than 50 participants, including Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, County Commissioner Alma Anaya (7th District), and Alderpersons Julia Ramirez (12th Ward), Jeylu Gutierrez (14th), Mike Rodriguez (22nd Ward), and Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward).

Enlace Co-Executive Director Cesar Nunez and New Life Executive Director Matt DeMateo shared with participants the importance of both organizations’ work as part of Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), a coalition of 13 non-profits focused on gun violence prevention across 27 Chicago neighborhoods.

“When you’re dealing in this work and you see both sides of the gun — I think we’re over 160 young people buried in the last 30 years — that’s why we do this work. This work is vital. This work is important. We need all of us — plus more,” said DeMateo.

“We appreciate everybody being here today,” said Nunez. “In CVI work, we need everybody in this room. There’s no way that New Life can do this work by themselves, that Enlace can do this work by themselves, we need everybody at the table. Collectively – is how we’re going to have a shot at bringing gun violence down in our community.”

Speakers included frontline accounts from Guillermo Gutierrez, Street Outreach Supervisor for Enlace, and New Life’s Benny Estrada, Associate Senior Director of Street Outreach.

“I just want to give a snapshot of why we do this work and how complex this work is, because it’s very complex, especially in Little Village,” said Gutierrez. “We have one of the most beautiful communities ever. But we also have social ills that created disinvestment, lack of opportunity for certain individuals, and birthed three of the largest organized groups that has spread throughout the Midwest, the world and Latin America.”

“We’re already on our second — going on our third — generation,” he continued. “That means we have grandparents, cousins and family members where this has become the norm. It’s normal for them to see violence and to be around violence. Violence is the way they communicate, it’s the way they love. So, it’s very, very complex. It’s a community effort.”

“You know you’re guaranteed to see three things in the streets: the hospital, jail or the cemetery,” said Estrada, who shared that New Life was responsive to 93 percent of critical incidents in the three neighborhoods last year. “If we continue to change the trajectory of young people’s lives by walking with them without judgement, we can continue to do a lot of good work. We thank all of you for your support, because without you there’s no way we could have gotten this far.”

Enlace, through its Little Village Youth Safety Network (LVYSN) programming, has engaged over 7,000 individuals.

Program Manager Felicia Ortiz from H.O.P.E. (Hope, Opportunity, Purpose and Empowerment) Culture, another CVI organization doing work in the Little Village area, also shared with attendees information on their program.

The event was followed by a Light in the Night outing at La Villita Park where dozens gathered for summer softball, coordinated by the Little Village Summer Softball League, a more than 15-year-old league created by street outreach workers to get kids off the streets.