U.N. TO LAUD VALLEY PEACEMAKER.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer When the bullets fly in the barrios Barrios is a name of Hispanic origin. The name may refer to: Persons
Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and the rest of the world shuts its blinds, you'll find William ``Blinky'' Rodriguez talking one-on-one with the gang members who prowl the streets. It was his persistence that resulted in the 1993 Valley Unity Peace treaty that brought calm to the Valley and might have saved dozens of lives. On Friday, it was announced that Rodriguez's peace-keeping efforts will be honored with a medal of excellence from the United Nations. ``I was just totally blown away; I was, like, geez geez interj. Used to express mild surprise, delight, dissatisfaction, or annoyance. [Shortening and alteration of Jesus1.] ,'' Rodriguez said after learning he won the award. ``I have to admit my blood's kind of boiling - just the anticipation.'' Rodriguez, a Sylmar resident, is one of 14 people worldwide who will be awarded the Fete d' Excellence for 1998, the medal of excellence laureate issued by the World Wins Corporation - a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. based in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. - in conjunction with the United Nations. On Monday, the former kick-boxing champion will fly to Geneva Geneva, canton and city, Switzerland Geneva (jənē`və), Fr. Genève, canton (1990 pop. 373,019), 109 sq mi (282 sq km), SW Switzerland, surrounding the southwest tip of the Lake of Geneva. , Switzerland, with his wife, Lilly, to accept the award and speak before a United Nations round table. ``I'm going to go there and tell them there's hope - that it's not over till it's over,'' said Rodriguez, 44. ``The reality is, it's been five years and there are still individuals interested in sustaining the effort.'' Wednesday, the Swiss dignitaries will welcome Rodriguez and the other laureates at a ceremonial gala concert in Geneva's Victoria Hall. The next day Rodriguez will be presented with his medal at a luncheon. Wilda Spalding, heir to the Spalding athletic gear corporation and president of World Wins Corp., became aware of Rodriguez's work in the northeast San Fernando Valley to establish the peace treaty and nominated him for the award. The award sends a message to the Northeast Valley that people who do positive things will be recognized, said City Councilman Richard Alarcon, whose 7th Council District encompasses many of the gang-plagued neighborhoods where Rodriguez works. ``The fact is they did such a good job that in the first year of the peace treaty, there were 48 homicides total, and 24 were gang-related,'' said Alarcon. ``The second year it dropped to four gang-related homicides, and it's still way down from when the peace treaty started.'' Continuing his work Even a heart attack Rodriguez suffered a few months ago has not stopped him from continuing his work in the community, said Alarcon. ``Blinky doesn't do this for the award,'' said Alarcon. ``I know he has a deep, deep passion for trying to improve our community.'' As executive director of Communities in Schools, a nonprofit group that works with at-risk youths, Rodriguez has been instrumental in keeping the level of gang violence down, said City Attorney James Hahn's spokesman Ted Goldstein. ``The City Attorney's Office and the LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. are quite proud of Mr. Rodriguez in regards to this honor,'' said Goldstein. Rodriguez spearheaded efforts to organize the unprecedented peace treaty in the fall of 1993 among 75 Latino street gangs in the San Fernando Valley. He took to the streets with peace treaty volunteers - most of them affiliated with the Victory Outreach Church - organizing weekly meetings of gang leaders and cruising the barrios by night looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. potential hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. . Keeping tabs By day, he kept tabs on the gang members by phone. When shootings occurred, he went into action to prevent retaliation. Five months after the truce was brokered, city officials credited the peace treaty for a 70 percent drop in gang-related homicides in the San Fernando Valley. In the years prior to the treaty, Rodriguez and his wife had worked with at-risk youths and gang members who they trained in their Van Nuys kick-boxing and martial arts gym. But as fate would have it "As Fate Would Have It" is an episode of the science fiction television series The 4400. Synopsis NTAC offers Jordan Collier protection when Maia has a morbid premonition. , in 1990 their son, Sonny Rodriguez, was killed by the very element they were trying to help, said Rodriguez. Sonny, a teen-ager at the time, was killed in a gang-related drive-by shooting drive-by shooting Public health A phenomenon in which one or more persons–commonly members of street gangs, open fire à la Al Capone from moving vehicles, often in retaliation for an alleged wrong-doing by a rival gang . Rodriguez used the experience as the foundation for his work with the peace treaty. ``When my kid got killed, it just ignited the passion and compassion to do the work,'' said Rodriguez. ``It was either that or become a time bomb. We chose this route, and it's not been easy.'' Despite criticism that the treaty was disintegrating when gang violence erupted, Rodriguez said he persisted. ``There's always going to be the naysayer nay·say tr.v. nay·said , nay·say·ing, nay·says To oppose, deny, or take a pessimistic or negative view of: They will naysay any policy that raises taxes. , and if you look at that, you're going to stumble,'' said Rodriguez. ``You have to move forward and breathe vision and hope into the people.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) RODRIGUEZ |
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