From the streets of Little Village to Washington: A Chicago violence-prevention leader tapped to advise Justice Department

CHICAGO — On a summer day eight years ago, Eddie Bocanegra, with his daughter Salome on his shoulders, stood at the head of a wooded hiking trail in a Chicago suburb to lead a group of teens on a walk.

The youths, who navigated dangerous paths every day back home in Little Village, were there as part of Bocanegra’s Urban Warriors program, which brought street-involved young men and military veterans together for mentoring.

“This is my sanctuary,” Bocanegra said as he stepped into the sunlit forest.

Urban Warriors was the first of two violence prevention programs Bocanegra has launched in Chicago during the past eight years, a time period in which the city’s long history of neighborhood-based violence prevention experienced a major revitalization.

Now, with the country grappling with a surge in homicides and shootings, Bocanegra has