HEADLINER STORY

Written by Arnoldo Hurtado

In 2015 an online neighborhood forum called the Northside Community was born It was initially designed to be a small Facebook group that discussed local issues that negatively affected this Fort Worth district such as game rooms home invasions, and drug houses At one point, neighbors went from online discussions to in-person meetings One group of neighbors, Comunidad 27, began to host potlucks in their homes and invited the Fort Worth Police Department

Many people appreciated this simple, yet effective method of crime prevention The explosive response of community members, businesses, and patrons sparked the creation of something much more significant Today, Northside Community has grown into a multi-faceted collective, which includes a crime prevention group, 40 small businesses, and a portfolio of impressive neighborhood interventions

Now, Northside Community hosts an online, small business directory where local businesses can offer their services This allows community members the ability to easily find and contact resources, whether they are brick-and-mortar shops, freelancers, or virtual services, prompting people to shop locally and utilize their neighbors over large corporations

One of North Side Community's primary goals is to create an inclusive community and showcase positive stories in North Texas With the help of hands-on movers and shakers such as Comunidad 27, this Northside Community has already accomplished so much

Exhibit A is the 110-foot-long mural, titled "Convivio: Murals of Community and Inclusion " This larger-than-life mural graces the exterior walls of the neighborhood-famous (now former) Franko's Market in Fort Worth and depicts North Side High School's award-winning Mariachi, Espuelas de Plata The Convivio, mural, often referred to as the Mariachi mural is one of the largest publicly accessible works of art in Fort Worth Under the direction of artist and default project manager, Arnoldo Hurtado (me), hundreds of volunteers showed up to help beautify the blighted walls of this community landmark We were able to leverage our life-long relationships with local business owners and convince them to donate their walls for art Northside Community's Facebook group of roughly 14,000 members was instrumental in mobilizing people

Art has long been a medium through which the Latino community has expressed messages of hope, history, and calls to action In the tradition of Mexican muralists, this community in Fort Worth is making its voice heard, or in this case, seen. To help add context to the feat accomplished by the Northside Community it is important to understand some local history This corner of Fort Worth has been in a chronic state of deterioration for the last half of a century. Franko's Market (in the photo) was at one point the shining example of a successful family-owned business, providing utility payment services, as well as selling fresh produce, meats, and household items to North Side locals Many factors have contributed to the decline but it is known that 'white flight' along with its sociopolitical effects had a devastating economic impact in the area, for it is essentially a mass divestment phenomenon Later the invasion of corporate juggernauts such as Wal-Mart sealed the fate of a whole generation of small businesses As a North Side native myself, I've seen this decline, which contrasts sharply with the aggressive gentrification efforts happening in many parts of North Texas

The North Side is home to the Stockyards, which is seeing a boom in development We love that our district is getting some 'flashy' love However it is important to highlight the stories of people, businesses, and