Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence - Remembering David Cartagena

Providence Journal: Hundreds attend funeral of nonviolence advocate David J. Cartagena

Friday, June 5, 2009
By W. Zachary Malinowski

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — David J. Cartagena, a legendary streetworker and tireless advocate of nonviolence, was remembered Thursday morning as a bridge builder among warring youth across the city.

About 300 family members, friends, admirers and dignitaries poured into St. Michael the Archangel Church to say their final goodbyes to Cartagena, a former gang member and criminal, who turned his life around and became one of the city’s best-known advocates for peace.

Cartagena, 38, was a senior streetworker for the Institute for the Study of Peace and Nonviolence, on the city’s South Side. He was killed early Sunday morning in a multi-car crash on Route 95, near the Providence Place mall that remains under investigation by the state police.

The Rev. Raymond Malm, who celebrated the funeral Mass, told the gathering that Cartagena had devoted his life to helping others.

“The souls of the just are in the hands of God,” Malm said. “David dedicated his life to peace. Remember, this is a movement. This will change the world.”

ProJo.com slide show on David's funeral

Providence Police Chief Daniel Esserman escorts the mother of the late David J. Cartagena into St. Michael's Church.

photo by The Providence Journal/Bob Thayer

See the rest of the slideshow here

WRNI: A Peacemaker Remembered

 "Almost half of the children in Providence grow up in poverty. David Cartagena grew up poor in Rhode Island's capital, and became a criminal and gang member. But that's not how he'll be remembered. WRNI's Ian Donnis reports on how Cartagena changed not just his own life, but many of those with whom he came into contact."

Download / hear their report here (MP3, 2 MB)

WPRI - "Remembering a Providence Street Worker"

NBC 10 & ABC 6: "Office on the Streets" & more

NBC 10: Crash victim was community activist

ABC 6: HOPING ITS A DREAM: Family of Nonviolence Worker Killed Speaking Out

ABC 6: OFFICE ON THE STREETS: Nonviolence Worker Lived to Change Young Lives

ABC 6: Coworkers Speak About Man Killed in Early Morning Crash

Statement of Mayor David N. Cicilline

"Today we lost a great hero in our community with the tragic death of David J. Cartagena. David was a dedicated Streetworker with the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence who focused relentlessly on improving the lives of young people in Providence. His leadership skills, dedication and profound commitment to the youth of our city served as an inspiration for all of us. On behalf of the residents of Providence, I am extremely grateful for his service to our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family during this difficult time."

WPRI coverage

Providence Journal on David's passing

Providence gang member turned nonviolence activist killed in Route 95 crash
June 1, 2009
By W. Zachary Malinowski
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — David J. Cartagena, a senior street worker for the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, had put his troubled past behind him. The former member of the Almighty Latin King Nation youth gang had spent plenty of time in the Adult Correctional Institutions and, in his teens, in the state Training School.

His life changed in 2005 when he joined the staff of the nonprofit agency and became one of its most effective leaders in combating gang violence and youth crime.

Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, Cartagena, 38, was killed in a chain-reaction collision involving his vehicle and three others on Route 95 near the Providence Place mall. Two of the other drivers face alcohol-related charges.

Providence Journal on our future home

See the article on ProJo's website here, including a video.

A decrepit South Providence convent will be transformed into The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence

07:41 AM EST on Monday, March 2, 2009
By Philip Marcelo
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- A temporary chain-link fence, now weatherbeaten and rusting in places, surrounds the red-brick building to keep out vandals, who have still managed to tag a few windows with bright orange paintball pellets and shatter at least one pane.

Nearly 70 years ago, the South Providence building was erected as a convent, a home for the teaching nuns of St. Michael the Archangel Church. For the last eight years it has sat vacant and decaying.

Harvard Magazine on David & Teny: "Taking It to the Streets"

Harvard Magazine profiled alumnus Teny Gross and Senior Streetworker David Cartagena in their January-February 2009 issue. Click here to view/download the PDF.

Taking It to the Streets
Teny Gross teaches kids nonviolence.

by Nell Porter Brown

David C. grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. With no father around and a drug-addicted mother, he  moved through foster homes, gathering a fragile sense of worth from a gang of friends. “All I aspired to was being important on the street,” he says. “There was nothing about a future.” He spent five years in juvenile detention and a few in prison, and still has a reputation among local cops for living up to his nickname, “Devious,” for once escaping through the police-station roof.

At 37, he is still hanging out with the kids—in the schools, at their homes, the hospital, or the mall. But as a street worker with the city’s Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, he now prevents the very violence he once provoked. 

Providence Journal: He walks the streets to broker peace

by Edward Fitzpatrick, ProJo columnist
01:00 AM EST on Thursday, December 25, 2008

Peace.

It’s a notion we see on Christmas cards and bumper stickers. It’s something we all hope for. But for Teny O. Gross, it’s more than a Hallmark greeting or a quaint idea. It’s the goal he pursues every day on the streets of Providence.

Gross is a street worker, a peacemaker. In this age of “Bring ’em on!” bravado, peacemakers might seem out of step — soft in a hard-line era.

"A Messenger of Providence and Peace"

The Diocese of Providence's Office of Black Catholic Ministry profiled Institute Streetworker Dimky Edouard in their November 2008 newsletter. View/downlaod the PDF here.

BankRI donations help Nonviolence Institute, other organizations

BANKING
BankRI donations help youth organizations
By William Hamilton
PBN Staff Writer
Sep 16, 2008

PROVIDENCE – Bank Rhode Island recently provided a $30,500 helping hand to 15
youth organizations during summer vacation and assisted youngsters in other ways, too.

Youth organizations and events receiving support from BankRI this summer included: 

• The March of Dimes 2008 Citizen of the Year event to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

"In the inner city, a summer job can be a lifesaver"

In the inner city, a summer job can be a lifesaver

The Providence Journal

Friday, July 11, 2008
By W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE

A part-time summer job may have saved Anthony Ericastilla’s life.

The teenager struggled through his freshman year at Hope High School. He skipped school, hung out with gang members and was disrespectful to his parents, immigrants from Guatemala who had moved to the city’s Silver Lake neighborhood in search of a better life.

Anthony’s mother, Corina Barraza, was at wit’s end. She turned to the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, in South Providence, for help. The institute welcomed Barraza and the staff expressed concern for her plight. They assigned three streetworkers to her son and helped him get a job in the agency’s Beloved Community Summer Jobs Program.

"Peace gang: Two rival gang members return to the streets to play the role of peacemakers"

Two Institute Streetworkers are featured in the Providence Journal, describing the challenges and the hopes they have for their communities.

The story includes interviews with Streetworkers Ray, Tou and Executive Director Teny Gross, as well as previous stories on Streetworkers program manager Ajay Benton ("He gave up crime to save others from gangs") and Senior Streetworker, Sareth Tony Kim ("Once he killed; now he turns to peacemaker").

Check out the Providence Journal's multimedia page on Ray and Tou...

or,

Download the PDF here.

Institute awarded $352,000 in federal appropriations

A warm thank you to US Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin!

A curb on street violence
Providence Journal
By W. Zachary Malinowski
Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

PROVIDENCE — Sal Monteiro Jr., a streetworker at the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, had a simple message yesterday for the bankers, educators, police officers, politicians and social workers who gathered at the South Side Recreation Center.

“Nonviolence is not for cowards,” he said. “It’s for courageous people. We are a small group, but we are committed.”

Monteiro was one of several speakers at yesterday’s announcement that the nonprofit agency had received $352,000 in federal appropriations to continue its battle against gang violence and help troubled youth in some of the city’s worst neighborhoods.

U.S. Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin were both on hand to praise the institute and the streetworkers.

Institute selected as Citizens Bank "Champion in Action"

text from Citizens Bank website:

Get involved in your community by helping those who are already making a difference.

Our Champions in Action* are shining examples of dedication and determination in community outreach. And they look to community members, like you, to come forward and lend a hand.

The Institute’s Streetworkers respond 24/7 to help teenagers and residents prevent and deal with conflict peacefully. The Institute’s Summer Jobs Program provides training and personal mentoring for inner-city teenagers during the most dangerous summer months. To date, more than 35 organizations have provided jobs and training to nearly 200 high school youth. Through the Nonviolence Training Program, The Institute has successfully trained 5,000 children in Cranston, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Providence to use nonviolence practices. 

What you can do to help

• Make a donation -- Citizens Bank customers can make a tax-deductible contribution through Online Bill Payment available with Citizens Bank Online®. You can also send your contribution directly to The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence at the address below.
• Volunteer -- Volunteers are an important part of The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.
• Learn more -- Tune into NBC 10 or contact the The Institute for the Study and Practice.

*Formerly Community Champions

Providence Journal: Taking pride in the neighborhood pays off for Olneyville

Taking pride in the neighborhood pays off for Olneyville
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
By Gregory Smith
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE
When Jessica Vega was a teenager, growing up on Amherst Street in Olneyville, her mother had a strict rule.

Don't walk on Manton Avenue and don't cross over to the area south of Manton.

Vega recalled yesterday that her mother used to say, You can get kidnapped. You can get shot. There's a lot of bad people there.

But her mother's rule no longer applies, police officials and civic leaders rejoiced yesterday. They gathered at the new Riverside Park yesterday morning to celebrate the revitalization of Olneyville in the vicinity of Aleppo, Pelham, Bosworth and Curtis streets and Manton Avenue.
 

Institute, Providence PD win MetLife Community-Police Partnership Award

Read the official announcement here.

below, coverage from Providence Business News:

PROVIDENCE – In a ceremony this morning at Riverside Park in Olneyville, the MetLife Foundation honored three city organizations for their success in reducing crime. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Mayor David N. Cicilline and MetLife Vice President Michael Convery were among those on hand for the 10 a.m. presentation of two MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Awards.

• The Olneyville Housing Corporation and the Providence Police Department shared a $25,000 first-place Neighborhood Revitalization Award, for helping turn around the Olneyville neighborhood by acquiring vacant land and “nuisance” properties and replacing them with attractive, affordable housing. “These efforts have resulted in 51 new affordable homes and a 70-percent reduction in crime around targeted properties,” the MetLife Foundation said.

“There are a lot of people and organizations in Olneyville working toward building a healthy neighborhood that provides everything a family needs to be successful,” Frank Shea, executive director of Olneyville Housing, said in a statement. “Every day, the Providence Police Department is a key partner in this work. We appreciate the MetLife Foundation for recognizing and supporting our efforts.”

• The Institute for Study & Practice of Nonviolence received a $15,000 award in a “Special Strategy” Gang Prevention and Youth Safety category for its “Streetworkers” program, which trains young people to mediate gang conflicts and intervene in neighborhood crises. The streetworkers – who include former gang members – seek to teach nonviolence, by word and example, and reconnect local youths with their schools and families.

Providence Journal: Restorative justice is a tough, elusive hope in Belfast

Restorative justice is a tough, elusive hope in Belfast
Julia Steiny
Sunday, November 4, 2007

On one of the only sunny afternoons during the week I recently spent in Belfast, I accompanied the folks from Providence's Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence as they met with local youth workers from the Upper Shankill Project. We gathered at an elementary school, in a big meeting room with windows all along one wall looking out on a hillside of Irelands ubiquitous green.

The school itself could have been one of our boxy buildings, except that Belfast fire codes allow them to cover the walls with art, notices and a huge display of photographs of kids all dressed up in their finest, standing with a parent or two at a Christmas dance.
 

Providence Journal: In a tough part of Belfast, youths need help, as they do here

In a tough part of Belfast, youths need help, as they do here
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Julia Steiny

I recently went to Belfast, Northern Ireland, with a team from Providence’s Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.

The institute has an ongoing relationship with an organization called Forthspring, a coalition of Protestant and Catholic churches trying to rebuild Belfast’s communities after decades of the civil war they call “The Troubles.”

Forthspring’s building is butt up against the euphemistically named “Peace Wall” that divides two once-warring neighborhoods. The residents still don’t cross to the other side.

This was the institute’s second trip in two years to train Forthspring staff in Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles and methods of nonviolence.
 

El Planeta: Graduados en la practica de la no violencia

Spanish language coverage of our 2007 Beloved Community Summer Jobs Program
Graduation Ceremony.

See page 4 in El Planeta-Providence, 5 Septiembre de 2007 (PDF file)

Providence Phoenix: When the budget gets tight, young people become an easy target

Screwing the youth
When the budget gets tight, young people become an easy target

By: BRIAN C. JONES
8/15/2007 5:25:25 PM

Wole Akinbi was 16 when someone phoned to say his best friend had been shot.

He turned on the TV, and sure enough, there was footage showing rescue workers sliding someone into an ambulance. He could tell who it was. The pictures showed Barry Ferrell’s favorite green sneakers.

Ferrell, 18, had been Akinbi’s mentor in a summer jobs program, and his murder has shaped Akinbi’s life in the two years since.

Akinbi, who lives near the State House, in Providence’s Smith Hill neighborhood, linked up with the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, conducting his high school’s mandatory internship there and working at the institute in the summer.

Now, newly 18 himself and counting down the weeks until he starts college this fall, Akinbi has as a unique vantage point on the debate about how Rhode Island treats teenagers, in particular whether 17-year-olds should be steered into adult or youth prisons.

"If you are ‘brave’ enough to do it — to carry out a murder — you should be tried as an adult,” he says somewhat bitterly. “If you are going to walk around with a knife in your back pocket, because you know that you are ready to stab somebody, by all means, go to the ACI.”

But Akinbi makes a big U-turn when he considers the suspect, 16 at the time, who allegedly killed Ferrell.

Providence Journal: Activists make case for Training School

The Providence Journal - Activists make case for Training School
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Elizabeth Gudrais

Journal State House Bureau
CRANSTON — From the front entrance of the state prison’s high-security center, you can see the Rhode Island Training School.

The first facility is home to 17-year-olds who are accused of crimes. The second facility is where those same youths would have gone, had the General Assembly not lowered the age of majority to 17, from 18, on July 1.

“Young people do not belong here,” Rhode Island Kids Count executive director Elizabeth Burke Bryant said yesterday, during a news conference outside the high-security center. “The most serious criminals in the state are housed here.”

Though this year’s legislative session is over, advocates haven’t given up on the idea of getting lawmakers to change their minds. “We believe there is still time to turn this around,” Burke Bryant said.

General Assembly leaders have not said yet whether they will return before January to override any vetoes by Governor Carcieri. But the list of vetoes includes some major leadership-backed bills, and if lawmakers do come back, advocates are going to be pressing them to take up the 17-year-old issue, too.

“This absolutely stands out as the top bad policy for this legislative session,” Teny O. Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, said yesterday.

Providence Phoenix: Providence: safer than you think?

Violent crime is down, unlike in many us cities. Can the good news last?
By: IAN DONNIS
5/18/2007

The killing season in America is about to begin.

Every year, as summer approaches in US cities, violent crime spikes as predictably as the arrival of Memorial Day cookouts. The bloodshed is well under way in some places, including Boston, which after enjoying remarkable success in reducing violence in the late 1990s, has recorded 20 murders so far this year, after 75 last year, mostly in the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Providence, by contrast, has bucked a trend in which the number of violent crimes is increasing in many American cities. There were 11 murders in the city in 2006 — half the number of the previous year — and the fewest since 1971. And while Providence this week experienced its third homicide of 2007, its number of major crimes dropped 30 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to police figures, and the most serious violent crimes fell by 27 percent over the same period.