Little Village's The Mural Project raising money for community boxing gym
CHICAGO (CBS) -- From structure to discipline, any pro-fighter could list all the benefits of boxing.
It's why a group of Chicago moms and community leaders want to open a boxing gym in their neighborhood, giving teenagers a reason to stay off the streets.
CBS 2's Andrew Ramos has the story from Little Village.
It's a pain that Irma Morales has carried with her for more than a decade. Her daughter's boyfriend was murdered in cold blood, right in front of her, on a city block.
"I don't want another family to suffer like that, and I've seen several mothers lose their children because of the violence on the street," said community advocate Irma Morales.
The grandmother of two is among those lives forever altered by gun violence. And now she and others are joining forces for change.
There are gunshots almost every day. It's not fair," Morales said.
The solution, according to the group, lies inside a 20-thousand-square-foot warehouse in Little Village. It's the site of a future community center where a boxing ring will serve as the centerpiece.
"A lot of these kids fix their problems with guns because they can't fight, you know what I mean?"
Relying primarily on donations, community advocates Ricky "El Jefe," Delilah Martinez, and local mothers like Morales want to put a dent in gang violence in their neighborhood.
They said the space at South Kilbourn Avenue, where they already have secured a lease, will provide an outlet that will enlighten and empower.
Whether they are doing boxing or they are doing art or they are getting some type of therapy or they are learning some type of trade we want to be able to have a safe space for them," said Delilah Martinez of The Mural Movement.
The long term goal: To break the cycle of violence that has plagued their community for generations.
"Basically give them hope. There's other ways to live then the gang life, there are other ways to make it out of the hood than sell drugs. Maybe we get a champion out of there and then we motivate the other kids," said community advocated Ricky "El Jefe."
The team at the helm of this community center hopes to launch at the beginning of July. They are currently raising funds to help furnish the inside. The organization also has a GoFundMe site collecting money for the site.