West Humboldt Park is a working-class community with a rich Puerto Rican heritage — although demographics are shifting as gentrification sweeps westward. Take a walk through the neighborhood and you will find a thriving arts community, residents who are engaged in anti-violence efforts and longtime business owners who hope things don’t change too much.
Photo by William Camargo
West Humboldt Park is full of architectural treasures like this building on West North Avenue.
Photo by William Camargo
Artist Bernard Williams worked with the Black/Brown Working Group of West Humboldt Park to create this untitled mural on West North Avenue.
Photo by William Camargo
Murals like this one, by John Pitman Weber and Bernard Williams, have become a staple in the neighborhood.
Photo by William Camargo
They often incorporate elements of race, identity, immigration and housing — issues that are important to those living in the community.
Photo by William Camargo
Brian Herrera, 18, a West Humboldt Park artist and activist, admires this mural by Damon Lamar. He says he often walks the neighborhood looking for inspiration.
Photo by William Camargo
Herrera gets ready to spray paint a new work. He says he has noticed many new works popping up around the neighborhood.
Photo by William Camargo
And many old ones, too. This one was sponsored by the Youth Service Group.
Photo by William Camargo
Members of Bomba Con Buya practice traditional Afro-Puerto Rican music in their rehearsal space on West Division Avenue.
Photo by William Camargo
They strive to create music that is close to their roots and quite forgotten to Puerto Ricans in the United States.
Photo by William Camargo
Buya means ‘good spirit’ in Taino, the language spoken among Puerto Rico’s indigenous population.
Photo by William Camargo
Elizabeth Ramirez, front right, attends a vigil for victims of violence in the West Humbold Park neighborhood on March 26.
Photo by William Camargo
Ramirez's son Harry David Rodriguez Jr. was shot and killed at his own surprise birthday party in 2011.
Photo by William Camargo
The Rev. Ruben Escobar Pepin talks about his affiliation with gangs at an early age. Next to him is Rev. Johnny Dodd.
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Parents from Humboldt Park and West Humboldt park joined the rally to address both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and mayoral candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia about the violence in Chicago neighborhoods.
Photo by William Camargo
G.I Perry, left, has been a West Humboldt Park resident for decades. He has been coming to Franklin Williams' barber shop for years.
Photo by William Camargo
As Williams cuts Perry's hair on March 31, he talks about gentrification in the neighborhood. He says he's afraid of how it might change the neighborhood.
Photo by William Camargo
Mary Washington, another longtime West Humboldt Park resident, works in a boutique on West Chicago Avenue. She says the neighborhood has been plagued with violence, but she has seen improvements in recent years.