The Twitter hashtag #PeaceInTheStreets now lives in Bedford Park, thanks to a new mural painted on 202nd Street and Briggs Avenue, across from PS 8.

After receiving a grant in May for $1,250 from Citizens Committee for New York to paint the graffiti-tatted wall, Samelys Lopez gathered a team of artists to follow through with a mural. Teammates included Lady K Fever and Laura James from Bronx 200, and a group showcasing selections of artwork by 200 artists around the Bronx. Other artists with colorful names can be seen on the wall. Those include: TKid, CES, King Bee, Andre Trenier, Lizzy Alejandro, Trike, Aida Garcia, Liu Kaufman, and Hevu 2EVU.

Lopez reached out to James and Fever, both artists, after receiving the grant to create the vision. “I am not an artist, but I have an appreciation for the arts and its positive impact on communities,” said Lopez, the visionary and grant writer for the project. “Seeing the way Lady K Fever, Laura, and the rest of the renowned artists worked on the mural was wonderful.”

What also makes this mural special to the area were students from PS 8 once the theme of peace was decided on. Students drew ideas in art class expressing what peace looked like to them and they were submitted to the team. After the drawings were collected, James and Fever used them for the overall design along the wall. The students’ participation is also where the slogan “Peace in the Streets” came from. “One student wrote ‘Peace in the Streets’ on a sketch so that became the title,” said Fever, one of the curators who brought the project to life.

For Lopez, this project wasn’t just about painting a beautiful mural, but also uniting the community and making it meaningful for everyone.

“Each artist that was invited to paint has a connection to this neighborhood and their artwork reflects the different ideas that originally come from the students,” said Fever.

Even for those in the community who didn’t paint the wall, their support in other ways made a big difference during the process. James, also a curator, and executive director of Bronx200.com, admits support was critical while painting in broiling, summer temperatures. “It was sometimes unpleasant being out in 90 degrees plus weather but the constant ‘thank yous’ from passersby and lots of ice cups and water made it bearable,” she said. “We had people bring us water and food. One older gentleman brought us each a stick of gum every day we were out here and exclaimed, ‘Thank you! Thank you! Cultura! Cultura!’”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.