Music Festival Aids Anti-Gang Program

It was getting crowded at the Sin Fronteras music festival Sunday, and Ricardo Lopez, having just signed up for the LAPD’s Jeopardy anti-gang program, found himself pressed into service.

So the Pacoima 14-year-old, performing his first act of volunteerism for the police-sponsored program, became a blue, white and gold blob.

“It’s hot,” Ricardo said in a muffled voice through a plastic costume that when inflated would become Cap’n Crunch. “I feel like I need a shower.”

Ricardo was among about 150 teens and parents who volunteered their time at the concert, the proceeds of which will benefit the Jeopardy program. Police estimated that about 50,000 people attended the event, held at the Hansen Dam Sports Complex.

The daylong event featured six bands, including La Mafia from Texas, Los Tiranos del Norte from Mexico and L.A. singer Graciela Beltran. It was sponsored by Heftel broadcasting, which owns three Spanish-language radio stations.

About $1 of each $5 ticket is used for concert expenses, the rest benefits Jeopardy’s Balancing the Odds program, said LAPD Foothill Division Officer Richard Stocks, the festival’s founder and coordinator.

LAPD Jeopardy programs offer after-school activities such as hockey, boxing, martial arts, drama and dance.

All four of Yolanda Chavez’s children are involved in the program. On Sunday, her three adult sons were working handing out sodas at the concert, while her 14-year-old daughter, Rebecca, was helping direct cars in the parking lot, and later handed out samples of cereal.

Throughout the day, Chavez, who lives in Pacoima, walked through the grounds to make sure volunteers’ efforts were going smoothly. While most of the crowd gathered near the stage and booths for games, food or giveaways, some families merely staked out spots with umbrellas on the hills overlooking the field.

“It’s like a family thing, where everyone in the family gets to enjoy themselves,” Chavez said.