Reclaiming Public Spaces, Reclaiming Hope: Grassroots Efforts in Community Organizing and Violence Prevention

Elvis Ortega (Lead Street Outreach Liaison for the Community Safety Coordination Center and the Mayor’s Office for Community Safety) speaks with Rob Castaneda (Executive Director of Beyond the Ball and a coordinator with the Little Village Violence Prevention Collaborative) about violence prevention, community organizing, safe space activations, and how progress is being made in Lawndale, Little Village, and other community areas. Beyond the Ball is a grassroots sports/play-based youth & community development organization in Little Village on Chicago’s West Side. The goal of the organization is to reclaim public spaces, unite the community, and develop a culture of opportunity to cultivate hope and change lives. Violence in Chicago is well-documented, but less focused upon are the community organizations that are proactively working to ensure a safe and bright future for the City’s youth and families. Out of recent experience and research, organizers like Castaneda learned that publicly owned spaces can affect nearby crime by up to 60%, based on two factors: how often the space is intentionally used and what the condition is of the built environment. To learn more about CSCC, visit www.chicago.gov/cscc