Residents and neighborhood groups on the West Side will continue to march against police violence, feed their neighbors and rebuild their communities this weekend.
A few of the events happening this weekend out west:
Always Love Grocery Giveaway, Austin
Root2fruit Youth Foundation will host a grocery giveaway in collaboration with other local organizations, including HoJo Family Assistance. Music will be provided at the giveaway by DJ B Rocking.
The groceries will be distributed 4-6 p.m. Saturday at Father Augustus Tolton Peace Center, 5645 W. Corcoran Place.
House of Hope Noodle Drive, West Humdoldt Park
House of Hope will give away 200 cases of ramen noodles to families in need of food.
The giveaway begins 1 p.m. Saturday at Harding Park, 3917 W. Division St.
West Side Community Cleanup, Garfield Park
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin will host a community cleanup for the West Side with the Garfield Park Community Council. Cleanup materials will be provided, but residents are encouraged to bring rakes and shovels.
The cleanup is 10 a.m.-1 p.m.Saturday and will start at Tilton Park Field House, 230 N. Kolmar Ave.
Walk the Walk March, Austin
Oak Park residents will walk in solidarity with people on the West Side in the Walk the Walk march Saturday. The march was organized to bridge the disconnect between residents of affluent suburbs and Black neighborhoods just blocks away that have been plagued by police violence.
The march will include a moment of silence to honor those who have been killed by police. Protesters will move through Austin and Garfield Park, pausing to rally around speakers.
The march begins noon Saturday at U.S Bank, 11 Madison St. in Oak Park.
Dog Peace Walk, North Lawndale
A group of dog trainers organized a peace march in the name of justice for George Floyd. Protesters are encouraged to bring their dogs for the peaceful march through North Lawndale along Roosevelt Road.
“We thought it’d be cool to do something that’s showing love because dogs bring people together,” said Lawndale native Toriano Sanzone, who helped organize the march.
The march is geared at getting people registered to vote so they can push for change in the next election.
The march begins 8 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue.
The location was chosen because it is the Silver Shovel site, a historic lot that has been vacant since the 1968 riots after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. The lot became an illegal dumping ground and a symbol of the political disenfranchisement of Black people on the West Side.
Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
