Eastside Mural Dedicated to ‘Dreams’ of Slain Latino Youth

Young Latinos have cemented about 300 hand-painted tiles to create a colorful mural on an Eastside wall. Tile by tile, they pieced together what might have been the hopes and dreams of Rogelio Flores, 17, a victim of gang violence.

The mural, entitled “Dreams of Past, Present and Beyond,” was unveiled this week on a wall of the East Los Angeles County Library.

The art piece is a collage of images, including Latino heroes of the past and present, city hall, schoolbooks, flowers and animals.

“The mural shows positive directions that might have been [Rogelio’s],” said Martin Flores, Rogelio’s brother. “For youths today it shows different ways they can channel their energies to help the community.”

Rogelio Flores, a Roosevelt High School student and church youth member, was shot to death trying to escape a shower of bullets during a drive-by attack in April 1994. He was talking with friends in the bed of a pickup truck when a passenger in a car opened fire and shot him.

Flores, who established a foundation in his brother’s name, spearheaded the mural project, which began last summer.

Sixteen Eastside youths, ages 15 to 17, and three professional artists from Self-Help Graphics were paid to create the mural as part of an educational program. The project was funded primarily with a $25,000 county grant through Supervisor Gloria Molina’s office.