RIP Diego Bravo, former Hammond Student Gunned Down in front of school

Diego Bravo

They say a million is a statistic, but one is a tragedy.

This is exactly what I thought about when I wrote an article about my favorite student Williams Diaz who was gunned down in a back alley in Little Village where I teach in 2010.

Today another tragedy struck the Hammond Elementary School Community when Diego Bravo, a 15-year-old high school student, was gunned down in front of Cocula’s Mexican Restaurant right across the street from his former elementary school.

He was shot in a drive-by according to media reports, and his brother said it was mistaken identity. He was shot at the corner of Cermak and California where the Hammond staff who taught Diego last year just celebrated our end of the school year.

“We are devastated,” said one of his former teachers. “Beyond heartbroken.”

I remember Diego and his older brother Brian, both of whom I taught in the 4th grade at Hammond. They were as opposite as night v. day, but together they made the entire 24 hours memorable. One was loud and the other quiet. One was challenging and the other accepting. One shined in the spotlight, the other was more than gracious to cede attention and flashiness.

Both were smart as hell and made my teaching at Hammond so memorable.

But the tragedy of losing Diego cannot be put into words. It cannot be shrugged off with a sigh, or flicked away like straw in the wind. Because this is Chicago where the kids die young? Because this is a city where teenagers are driving around shooting people from their cars?

What civilized society accepts this?

I got the news that our beloved Diego was murdered while vacationing in a small city in Greece where my mother came from. Where little children are running around in the streets outside our home near midnight. Where the roar of motor bikes in the wee hours denote the thrill of dirt and speed, not death and fear.

Last year almost 10 children younger than 17 were killed on a weekday after school in the afternoon in Chicago. Diego was killed at 4 in the afternoon, a few weeks after school was out for the summer. More than 54 Chicago Public Schools students were shot to death last year in 2022.

The late great George Schmidt of Substance News said you know how long you’ve been teaching in CPS by the number of student funerals you have attended.

This senseless student murdered reminded me of the story I wrote about my favorite pupil Williams Diaz who was gunned down in 2010, left to die in a pile of blood in the middle of the night. They say his murder may have been gang related, and one person had commented that they believed he was an informer to the police. When we had discussed gangs in a book called My Bloody Life, Williams who asked lots of probing questions was not interested so much because the main character was Puerto Rican. He was Mexican.

I remember teaching Williams and his sidekick Alphonso when they first immigrated here from Mexico more than 15 years ago. Alphonso was sweet and innocent, until the gang life swept him in and his demeanor changed for the worse. But Williams said don’t be fooled by Alphonso’s outward appearance of exuding fear and tough bravado, he would be the first one to run when sirens sounded. Fortunately for Alphonso, his mother was smart enough to leave Chicago and return to a little village in Mexico. His friend Williams who was wise for his years, and quiet and respectful with his elders, is dead in Chicago.

Williams Diaz when he played soccer for the Hammond Elementary School team in Chicago, with teacher and soccer coach Jim Vail. Substance photo by Dan Bartel.

Diego was not that. He never talked about gang life or had any indication the way of the streets were to his liking.

“Diego was a kind and loving soul,” wrote his older brother Juan on a Gofundme page to pay for Diego’s funeral and memorial. “He had the most contagious smile and always loved to laugh and have a good time. He loved listening to music, playing video games, and shopping. He was also very outgoing and loved spending time with his family and friends. Growing up, he had many aspirations and goals that he wanted to achieve. He wanted to work harder to buy our parents a house and pursue a career as a graphic designer, as he had a keen interest in graphic design. He was also looking forward to graduating from high school three years from now. Sadly, however, his life was taken from him, and he will no longer be able to achieve his aspirations and goals.”

His brother further wrote that Diego was on summer break and they had many family activities planned before his tragic ending. He said Diego was not involved in gangs, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“My family and I are currently heartbroken and still trying to process what happened,” he wrote. “It pains us deeply to know that Diego was taken from us at the age of 15, just as he was beginning to live his life.”

I listened incredulously to a former student on a field trip tell me how many of his friends were killed over mistaken identity in this southwestern part of the city. Little Village.

How can we accept this? How can we live in this city as our children get gunned down for no other reason than simply walking to the store or playing catch or riding their bike.

“Diego, you had your whole life ahead of you,” his former Hammond teacher wrote on FB. “Your smile and laugh were infectious to anyone who knew you.”

RIP Diego Bravo. Lost to gun violence age 15 on June 25, 2023. Forever Young.

May your spirit shine and your death trigger a change for us all!

Ps. The GoFundMe page for Diego Bravo to donate for his funeral is: The GoFundMe page for Diego Bravo