Hyde Park Township, United States of America
Kids Off the Block (KOB) was a memorial of stones of young people killed by gun violence. The memorial was located in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood, with the mission "to provide at-risk low income youth positive alternatives to gangs, drugs, truancy, violence and the juvenile justice system."
KOB was founded in 2003 by Diane Latiker, a mother of eight, who opened her home to youth in her community to help steer them away from the negative influences of the streets. KOB works with youth, teens, and young adults ages 12–24 years old. Latiker developed KOB's programming after talking with Roseland youth about their issues and concerns. "I found out that the kids don't even dream about tomorrow anymore", Latiker said in a 2006 Chicago Tribune article. "You ask, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' They say, 'What?' " As a result, KOB offers homework help, mentoring, music, drama, sports, community service and a "safe place" to hang out. Starting out with ten children from the neighborhood, more than a decade later, KOB has serviced more than 2,000 participants since its inception. To shock people into action, Latiker set up a stone memorial at 11627 South Michigan Avenue in...
Listen to the audio guide for Kids Off The Block Gun Violence Memorial Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off