Mural paints positive image of community

Rodney Lai paints with PC Ryan Ladurantaye

A Toronto Police-led rugby team helped create a positive community space in the downtown east end recently.

Members of the Jarvis Collegiate Institute rugby team, which is coached by Toronto police officers, joined 51 Division officers and the community in creating a mural on a wall of the Calgie lane wall of the Central Neighbourhood House that was plagued by graffiti.

Const. Marty McLaughlin, one of the team’s coaches, said the kids were eager to make a difference in their neighbourhood.

“The kids were all for it,” said McLaughlin, of the team members who showed up early Saturday morning to take on the defaced 30-metre long wall.

The team, however, had the help of artists in their fold including Jarvis student Rodney Lai and Const. Ryan Ladurantaye in creating the mural, which features Spiderman.

Sony Pictures donated the supplies for the mural. The students were also joined by 51 Division officers and Jarvis teachers as well as Sony Pictures volunteers.

“A lot of people walk by this wall every day and the mural gives a better sense of safety than graffiti,” McLaughlin said.
“We feel that most taggers will respect the work that was done rather than just painting over the wall.”

McLaughlin said the dedicated group of painters and artists took a lot from the experience.

“They saw it as a positive way to help out their community,” he said, noting one of the players had been to daycare there as a child.

“He really took something directly from it because he was giving back to people who had helped raise him.”

Source:  http://goo.gl/DbD4E