Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) and community members will unveil new murals Friday that were created by youth through an anti-violence program in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.
"The murals were created as part of Ald. Lopez's initiative to provide healthy alternatives to gang violence in the 15th Ward, and funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the Department of Family and Social Services' One Summer Chicago program," reads a statement from the alderman's office. "Young people from the community conceptualized and created the murals on the former railroad property located along 49th Street."
The murals will be unveiled this morning at 1900 W. 49th St.
The mural unveiling comes after a violent week in Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, 99 people were shot between last Friday and Thursday morning. So far this year, there have been more than 2,500 people shot in the city.