October 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 60

SOCIAL EQUITY

Restorative Healing at Youth Visions Reflection Park
By Samantha Bartram

n a bright fall morning in October 2005, members of " America's Nazi
Party " gathered on the lawn of Woodward High School in Toledo, Ohio.
They planned to march through the predominantly black, mid-western
neighborhood, shouting hateful slogans and flaunting the Nazi salute.
When residents learned of the demonstration, dozens gathered in protest. The white
supremacists managed to travel less than half a mile, to nearby Woodrow Wilson Park,
before interactions between the neo-Nazis and counter-demonstrators began to escalate and police demanded an end to the march.
Still, the damage had been done,
the instigating Nazis had fled, and the
crowd had grown to more than 600 people. Many people clashed with police,
buildings were looted and burned and
then-Toledo Mayor, Jack Ford, declared
a citywide state of emergency that lasted
through the weekend.
When the dust settled, more than 100
people were arrested and 12 police officers were injured. Perhaps more alarming, a deep wound had been opened in the
community whose mostly black residents
despaired that authorities would allow
such a group to march in the first place,
that neo-Nazis would deliberately seek
to sow unrest in their neighborhood, and
that local police would end up deploying
tear gas canisters and flash-bang grenades
against the very citizens they swore to
serve and protect.
Particularly impacted by this horrible
three-day demonstration of hate, violence
and fear were the north-Toledo neighborhood's children. Many witnessed the
march and clashes with police and perhaps a dozen were among those arrested.

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Dr. Lorna Gonsalves, a long-time educator, counselor, organizer and founder of
Creative Peaceful Resistance (CPR), met
one such youth through her work as part
of a restorative justice program. " Subsequently, I worked with many different
groups of neighborhood youth who were
upset by the neo-Nazi intrusion, " Gonsalves explains. " Using art as a conduit,
youth spoke about their feelings and visions for change. "
Creative Peaceful Resistance
CPR is a grassroots organizing initiative
conceived in 1999 by Gonsalves and a
group of ethnic studies students at Bowling Green State University. CPR allows
marginalized youth the space to perform
a critical examination of social injustices
within their communities, express their
frustrations, hopes and lived realities
through art, and engage civic leaders in
productive discussion through the public
display and discussion of their art.
Gonsalves knew CPR's model would
benefit young north Toledo residents -
channeling their visions of change into

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art, participants created a three-part
mural titled, " Rising Above Bigotry. "
The artwork now hangs on a street near
Woodward High School and serves as a
beacon of hope and growth for a community wounded by racist hate.
Expanding the Mission
So impacted were the youth who worked
with Gonsalves on the north Toledo
mural that they endeavored to create
an entire " reflections park " that would
feature more impactful artwork. " [They
wanted to convert] a public park into a
youth-centered outdoor gallery and recreational area, " Gonsalves says. " This
was a way of restoring and reclaiming
their neighborhood and creating a safe
space for gathering and organizing.
" Seniors recalled Wilson Park not
being a welcoming space for people of
color as the neighborhood was integrating decades ago. And so, the park holds
a history of racism. Community youth
voiced the desire to replace a history of
hate with visions of hope in the park. "
Woodrow Wilson Park already included
one mural by artist Nate Masternak titled
" Rescue Youth, " that envisions the park
as a sanctuary for local youth. It seemed
the perfect site for Youth Visions Reflection Park. " I have been struck, though not
surprised, by the energy and creativity of
young people in the community throughout the process of creating Youth Visions
Reflection Park, " Gonsalves adds.

October 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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