A group of teenagers is seeking to make a statement against gun violence in Peoria with art.
Volunteers from the Dream Center’s Mission Peoria worked on painting a mural at the North End Urban Garden on Glendale Avenue.
Nineteen-year-old Levi Patacsil is one of the volunteers.
“Obviously every area of Peoria needs a lot of love. But there are some areas that you can see a more obvious need in. And the North Valley area — which is where the butterfly garden is — is one of those," Patacsil said.
Molly Rice owns the home and gardens where the mural is going up. She chose a quote she felt would help heal the North Valley neighborhood.
“‘Love is quieter than gunshots, but there’s more of it.’ And that’s exactly how I feel about our neighborhood. We do hear gunshots periodically, and sometimes we later find out that shot that we heard hit somebody that we know and love," Rice said.
There have been 14 homicides in Peoria this year. That's more than this point last year.
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