Activists from multiple Chicago communities call for 48 hours of peace this weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Activists based in Pilsen on the city's West Side and Greater Grand Crossing on the city's South Side stood together Friday – issuing a plea to put down the guns this Cinco de Mayo.
Community leaders in Pilsen issued a call to action ahead of the celebratory weekend. They called for a 48-hour unity challenge – a message they're spreading not only through a video on social media, but also to neighborhoods outside of their own.
One of them is the Parkway Gardens housing development – known locally as O-Block – at 64th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Greater Grand Crossing.
"This is a neighborhood that's known for being called the number one dangerous hood in America," said Damarius Langston, known as rapper Shoebox Baby. "I want to show the spotlight of the positive, not the negative."
Shoebox Baby grew up in O-Block. He is a popular rapper with a huge social media following, and he is now using his influence to spread the anti-violence campaign.
"As far as I've been an artist, I feel like the kids around me, like look up to me. I want to tell others – like have fun this weekend, but just like keep in mind that after this weekend, there's other times. Every action has a reaction," Langston said.
"I'm just trying to plant the seed," added Pilsen activist Ricky Medina.
The 48-hour peace challenge is not new. Ricky Medina has been organizing the events for four years.
"I was a problem in the city back in the day, you know what I mean. So now, it's like I want to be the solution," said Medina. "If somebody like me is doing this, how come they can't do it?"
But this is the first time Medina is partnering with neighborhoods outside of his own – an idea brought to him by fellow Pilsen activist Delilah Martinez.
"We don't have to continue this negative narrative in Chicago all the time. It's like every year, it's the same story," said Martinez. "But I feel like when we put these community leaders together, it's going to help change that narrative."
For the activists, it's a small step toward creating bigger change.
"It is 48 hours. The next time, we'll do it longer, then longer, then we'll see how long we can go without a murder in this city," said Medina.
