The Latest: Survivor: 'The guilt of being alive is heavy' WIAA state baseball tournament: Burlington beats defending champs after rocky first inning It's really important to show some balance, to show kids that they can be strong and resilient." "There's so much negative stuff out there. "This is terrific," said 34-year-old Rain Truth, who drove up from Waukegan, Ill., for the event. "We can't talk about healing the 'hood without talking about building healthy bodies," Butler told the crowd before introducing Robert and Jolie Brox, who cajoled them to join in a mini workout session in the rain.Īnd a few dozen partyers gave it a go, huffing and laughing as they lunged and squatted on the street below. Healthy living was a recurring theme for the day. "Before coming out here, I prayed and said, 'Lord, let this be a good day.'" "They can't even go out and ride their bikes," she said, pointing to her grandchildren as they watched a performance of the Ina Onilu African drummers and dancers. Still, she's fearful of the gunfire that erupts regularly around the city. The garden initiative, spearheaded by theater company founder Andre Lee Ellis, has significantly improved life in the area around 9th and Ring, resident Sheila Thompson said. ![]() "It's nice," 14-year-old Jalen Walls said, "to be able to be outside and relax without hearing all the nonsense." "It means 'We got this - we're taking our neighborhood back,' " said 13-year-old Carnell Taylor. Many of the young gardeners were sporting their "We Got This" T-shirts. Ring St., lined with tents selling jewelry, botanical oils and T-shirts - "Stop the Violence/Read More Books" was a popular one - and offering health and educational information. "We just want to help save some of these black boys." "We want to see these boys have a higher quality of life," said Jafar Banda, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who did time for a drug conviction in 2008 and now volunteers at the garden. But this open lot, dotted with raised garden beds, is also a place of hope, where African-American men are mentoring boys in an effort to keep them safe and on the straight and narrow. 9th and Ring streets, is less than two miles from a Saturday night shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead. This year's site, around the community gardens at N. Already, the number of homicides this year in the city has spiked to at least 60, and most of the dead have been African-American men between ages 17 and 29. ![]() ![]() "People still need to eat."īutler's message is as relevant as ever this year, as the city braces for what could be a violent summer. "Starvation, poverty, homelessness still happen in the rain," he said. "Violence happens in the rain," said Butler, who launched the first Heal the Hood in 2012 to promote peace and unity in the African-American community. But a little rain can't put a damper on this party. Pharrell Williams' "Happy" blares from the towering speakers, and folks are dancing or catching up with friends and neighbors. Ring streets and looks out on the throngs of people gathered for Sunday's fourth annual Heal the Hood block party.Ī man who calls himself Cheddar is flipping burgers in a cloud of smoke that hovers over an open grill. Ajamou Butler stands by the barricades at N.
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