Unity march held in Little Village following clash between gangs

CHICAGO - A Black Lives Matter protest was held Wednesday in the heart of Chicago’s Hispanic community.

It comes as Latino and African American gangs clash in the Little Village neighborhood, with reports of looting and shooting.

Now, community leaders are trying to ease the tension.

With traditional dances, a smoke ceremony and song, several hundred and mostly-Hispanic protesters marched down 26th Street through the heart of the Little Village neighborhood, calling for black and brown unity.

The march came in response to a series of violent confrontations between Hispanic and African American gangs, sparked by the looting and rioting over the weekend.

Organizers blame the city and Chicago Police for closing the downtown area, saying it pushed troublemakers into neighborhoods like Little Village.

“Yes, there was violence. Yes, brown people hurt black people. And yes, the police stood there and did nothing,” said protester Fanny Diego.

The protesters say Hispanics and African Americans share a history of oppression and subjugation, and should be working together to force change, not fighting one another.

“We’re here because we don’t want to continue to fight. We love our brothers and sisters in our community, in the black community and we’re here to stand up for black lives,” said Rebecca Martinez of Todo El Pueblo.

“Unity. Unity. We can’t be killing each other man. We all bleed red at the end of the day,” said protester Tony Balderrama.

The peaceful march ended with protesters silently taking a knee in the middle of 26th Street, symbolic of George Floyd’s death.