COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

twenty other residents in May to march in solidarity among the neighborhood. Marchers
walked along the neighborhood holding signs that said “Stop the Violence in Oak Park.”
They marched around areas where youth violence occurred in the past months. Residents
were joined by a City Councilwoman who was enthusiastic about the continued
community activism in the neighborhood. The City Councilwoman proclaimed, “we
have a group of new neighbors, with some of the neighbors who have grown up here;
there is a new energy and together they are making a difference” (Carreon 2006).
In addition, Leila is quoted as stating that “residents were taking back their
community, street by street” and a sixteen year-old resident stated that “residents have
hope—even though it’s crazy here, everybody just lives life as it is—like it could be your
last day” (Carreon 2006). Neighbors in this march hoped to capitalize on the city’s
revitalization efforts and gain further momentum to push Sacramento’s first suburb
beyond what appears on the daily crime log. In Oak Park, anti-violence efforts led by
residents were becoming a more normal activity and residents were more readily
participating in those kinds of efforts. Politicians were also joining the efforts and hoping
that revitalization of the neighborhood would help solve community problems.
Residents, such as Leila, were active in multiple efforts to help improve the
quality of the neighborhood. Leila participated in the Women’s Group, anti-violence
efforts, and other community events. As a participant in many community activities, she
often had to juggle conflicting agendas for social change. Leila was a mother and activist
and although she advocated for increased social services for women and children in the
neighborhood, she also protested against youth violence. “Participation in projects
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