OXNARD : Mural Warns Latinos Against Drunk Driving

A brightly colored mural depicting the consequences of drinking and driving was unveiled Thursday in Oxnard, with community activists lauding it as a beneficial step in curbing Latino alcohol usage.

The centerpiece of the mural is a red stop sign with the words, Si Toma, No Maneje. In English, the words translate to “If you drink, don’t drive.”

Four panels depict aspects of drinking and driving, said artist Ray Valadez.

One shows a car accident with paramedics on the scene; a second shows a man behind jail bars; a third depicts a family snapshot with two young teen-agers torn away, dramatizing the trauma on families of alcohol-related tragedies; and the fourth shows the hand of one person turning over car keys to a sober driver.

Oxnard community leaders decided to put up the mural after learning that Latinos account for 81% of all drunk-driving arrests in Oxnard, yet represent just 54% of the city’s population.

Besides passing out pamphlets warning about drinking and driving and holding occasional seminars on its possible consequences, community leaders decided a mural would be a good way to reach their intended audience and pound home their message.

“Murals are part of the Mexican heritage,” said Jesus Rocha, a co-director of El Centrito de la Colonia, a nonprofit group serving La Colonia residents. “And they tend to stick in people’s minds. The more that people drive by this mural, the more it will stick in their mind.”

The 40-foot-high mural stands on an auto-repair shop’s wall at 161 N. Harrison Avenue in La Colonia, one of Oxnard’s poorest neighborhoods. Leaders of El Centrito were instrumental in getting the painting made.

Attorney Jorge Alvarado said the painting is a good example of Latinos working together to solve community problems.

“We want to work as best we can to heighten awareness of this problem,” Alvarado said. “Something obviously needs to be done about this issue.”

One of the most dramatic moments of the 90-minute unveiling ceremony came when Ricardo Melendez reached into a black tote back and pulled out a prosthetic leg.

Melendez, 40, was hit by a drunk driver in 1988. One leg was amputated and another severely injured, Melendez said. The crowd of about 40 grew silent as Melendez openly displayed the remaining physical scars of his injuries.

“Whatever it takes, people need to know that drunk driving causes of lot of heartache and pain,” Melendez said. “I hope somebody hears this message.”