Grass Roots Organization Sponsors “Stop the Hate” Mural at Heritage Skate Park, Bakersfield

Community Interventions, a local non-profit organization, is partnering with Mural Artist Deidre Hathor and Kern County General Services Parks and Recreation Department to lead artists and the community in creating street art for Heritage Skate Park. This project is funded by the California Department of Justice and the Sierra Health Foundation.

Community Interventions, a local non-profit organization, is partnering with Mural Artist Deidre Hathor and Kern County General Services Parks and Recreation Department to lead artists and the community in creating street art for Heritage Skate Park. This project is funded by the California Department of Justice and the Sierra Health Foundation. 

Community Interventions was funded to create a Stop the Hate Awareness Campaign for young people. The goal is to raise awareness of hate crimes and offer resources for reporting and healing from the impact of hate crimes in Kern County. 

Heritage Skate Park is designed around Community Interventions’ theme. When a skater enters the skate park, they will see a brightly colored street art mural where the words read, “Sk8 Not Hate!”, a common phrase used by skaters,” says Deidre Hathor, Lead Muralist. In conversation with youth, Narria Roberson, said, “I experience hate crimes all the time, and I never knew what to do about it until I learned about the Stop the Hate campaign. It is important to have safe spaces like the skate park to enjoy as a youth.” 

“This will be my third community project with Deidre. I am so excited about working on this project. I am a skateboarder, and I have skated at Heritage Skate Park. Being able to help paint this park is very special to me,” said Lucia Guzman, CSUB Graduate and Bakersfield Museum of Art Instructor. 

“It is our goal to transform and impact the areas of hate crimes and/or hate incidents in our community. It is our goal at Community Interventions to help create safe spaces for our youth and community. We are serving communities that are historically vulnerable to hate incidents and hate crimes. We are using art to talk about stopping the hate. This is how we broach the subject of hate in this community park. We are a proud diverse community, and we have to learn to get along, regardless of race, color, or creed. This skate park mural project will not only bring the community together, it will also work towards strengthening our understanding of each other, which helps to combat hate,” says Ucedrah Osby, Founder and Executive Director of Community Interventions. 

Heritage Skate Park mural will be painted from September 28th through October 6th, 2024. 

The anticipated completion date is October 9, 2024. If anyone wants to volunteer, call 661-404-2356. You can also see updates on Community Interventions’ Instagram and Facebook pages.