When Fortino Leon first arrived in Evanston in 1985, the city looked to him like a scene from television.
“When I first came to live here it was a very peaceful neighborhood,” said Leon, a native of Ojo Seco, Mexico. “It has changed.”
An increase in gang activity and drug dealing in Evanston pushed Leon, 37, to take action. As president of the Latino community group Organizacion Latina de Evanston, Leon has led an effort to bring together residents and Evanston police to fight gang violence and drug use in west Evanston.
“Our greatest accomplishment was that we’ve been able to reduce the crime in the Dodge (Avenue) and Church (Street) area,” said Leon, a computer numerical controller machinist for Hu-Friedy, a company that produces dental instruments.
As Evanston’s Latino population continues to grow, OLE is becoming an even more important resource in Evanston. Evanston had more than 4,500 Hispanic or Latino residents — about 6 percent of the city’s population — according to the 2000 US Census.
The organization, formed in late 2001, offers Latino residents opportunities to learn how the education and police systems work. OLE also works with other community groups to better integrate Latinos in Evanston.
After taking a civic leadership course, Leon and other residents, encouraged by the city’s Health and Human Services Outreach Specialist Aracely Canchola, formed OLE.
“We (Latinos) are always doing our own stuff separately,” Leon said. “In order to move officials you (have) to be a group.”
In late 2002, Leon became president of the grassroots organization.
When Leon and his family were looking to move into a bigger home near Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave., Leon, who has two teenage sons, was concerned with gang violence in the neighborhood.
“After seeing so much bad influence, I decided to do something about it to prevent it from affecting my kids, my family, my neighbors,” Leon said.
With OLE, Leon helped form the Community Alliance Group, made up of residents in the ETHS area. The group met every month with Evanston police to discuss crime concerns and increase communication between residents and officers.
One problem for the area was residents did not call the police if they saw or knew of crimes in the area.
“For some reason they feared retaliation from the wrongdoers,” Leon said. “Others believed the police were with the bad guys. We showed the residents the police can be a real partner against crime.”
Evanston Chief of Police Frank Kaminski recognized Leon at the Annual Police Awards Ceremony, held March 28 at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave., and others with whom he works also recognize the value of his efforts.
“I think he is a dedicated person … in terms of getting his area cleaned up in the Fifth Ward,” Canchola said.
OLE has also been working to help Latino parents better understand local education.
In April, Leon helped organize a public forum for Latino parents to hear from candidates running for the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and District 202 school boards.
Margarita Matlis, who edits OLE’s newsletter, said many Latino parents only need to be pointed in the right direction.
“Once they know the system they’ll be able to navigate it themselves,” Matlis said.
Matlis said that OLE is working to create a publication to help parents understand how to help students register for high school and distinguish the differences between courses.
OLE will elect a new president in the next few months. Leon said he will use his new free time to improve his job skills, but will continue to support the organization.
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