Remembering Chino Garcia

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Carlos "Chino" Garcia, the longtime Lower East Side community organizer and co-founder of CHARAS-El Bohio community center, has died. 

For decades, Garcia helped shape the neighborhood through housing advocacy, the arts, environmental initiatives, and countless community projects, inspiring generations of neighbors and activists. 

Yesterday, friends, neighbors and collaborators gathered outside the former CHARAS-El Bohio building on 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, where a mural of Garcia overlooks the space, to celebrate his life. 

The impromptu memorial featured music, food and stories about a man whose influence on the Lower East Side spanned generations.

We'll have more on his life and work in the community in an upcoming post.