A Logan Square barbershop owner raised $10,000 for a Mexican folk dance studio whose young students and families were harassed and battered in a viral video. Ricardo Sepeda, the owner of Calaveras Barbershop & SMP, raised the funds via raffles and GoFundMe contributions from more than 100 local donors for Ballet Folklorico de Chicago.

Support for the Dance Studio

Ofelia Guerra, founder and executive director of Ballet Folklorico, said the donation funded college scholarships for six of the studio’s dancers, who plan to attend schools such as DePaul University and University of Illinois Chicago this fall. Sepeda and Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) presented Guerra with a jumbo novelty check at Sepeda’s annual block party, where Ballet Folklorico students performed dances from various regions of Mexico.

Sepeda said he was inspired to help after seeing a video of the harassment, which showed a woman yelling at the families to leave and a man pouring a container of clear liquid on them from a balcony. The incident occurred on March 6, and Robert Villanueva, 50, was arrested and charged with five misdemeanor counts of battery.

A Community Comes Together

Sepeda’s block party highlighted local cultural artists, including Aztec dancers, salsa classes, and graffiti writers. He hoped the event would generate revenue for other local businesses that took part, such as Babe’s Sports Bar and Yaba’s Food & Middle Eastern Grill. Guerra said the block party was a “feel-good event overall” with a diverse display of art, and that dozens of attendees came up to her to introduce themselves and offer to lend a hand in any future fundraising for Ballet Folklorico.

Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.