Battle Bandera - Humboldt Park’s Newest Mural Is a Knockout for Community and Culture
Written by Brian Bloss
Published on August 13th, 2025
A vivid celebration of Puerto Rican culture and community now lives on the walls of Battle Bandera; the anti-violence boxing gym under the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC). The artwork is a collaboration between Chicago-based artist Nikko Locander, aka Ali Six, and longtime friend and community advocate Adrian Rodriguez. The new mural is more than just paint on a wall. It’s a promise to keep fighting. Plus it has boxing gloves.
Nikko is an illustrator turned muralist and a Humboldt Park native. He got his start as many street artists do. Tagging walls with Rust-Oleum spray paint as a teenager. So this project, made with Rust-Oleum’s newly released artist-grade spray line, marks a full-circle moment. ”When I saw that they were coming out with a new line of paint specifically geared towards artists I figured this was a great opportunity to bring it to a community effort for Chicago and I wanted to lend a hand to the community for Battle Bandera.”
The mural is part of Rust-Oleum’s Spray It Forward initiative, which is creating ten murals in communities nationwide. The program aims to empower artists and neighborhoods to tell stories that matter. For Nikko, this was the perfect platform to not only showcase his skills but to give back to a place that shaped him. “I was mainly doing this little raccoon character,” he laughed. “But we don’t really have raccoons in Puerto Rico. We don’t have them at all.” So he created a new character: a bold, wide-eyed coquí, Puerto Rico’s iconic tree frog. “So then it kind of clicked,” Nikko says. “I can have the frog represent my heritage and the culture that I grew up on. I think this mural for me, especially having a coqui character with boxing gloves front and center for this mural kind of represents to me not only acceptance, but being with your family. It feels like I’m finally putting myself in Humboldt Park with the way I’m creating my art.”
Adrian is a lifelong Humboldt Park resident and now co-director of PRCC’s Violence Prevention program. The program strives to be a safe haven that blends sweat, discipline, and social impact. “Battle Banderra is an anti-violence program where they get kids off the street and into a hobby,” Adrian explains, “that maybe they want to do as a career or maybe that’s just something that keeps them motivated to keep going to pursue something else,” Boxing is only one aspect of the PRCC’s mission. They also provide yoga, financial literacy, and help finding work.
Nikko’s mural of a coquí frog with boxing gloves stands in front of an Afro-Boricua flag, which is a fusion of Puerto Rican and Pan-African colors, while a nearby elder coquí offers wisdom. The message is one of blending cultures, “It’s full inclusiveness,” Adrian said, “everyone is welcomed and invited into our space,” The flag was a deliberate choice for Nikko. “For me to paint that inside the gym, was telling the story that everyone is welcome.” Nikko said, “it’s not just Puerto Ricans, we also are welcoming of African Americans and as well as Caucasians and Asians, it’s everybody.”
Murals aren’t new for Humboldt Park, they’re a legacy. “If you drive down Division Street, you would probably find murals everywhere from the side of buildings to on the cement floor to the side of businesses” says Nikko. From sidewalks to storefronts, murals tell you who lives there, what they care about, what they’re fighting for. “I think we are all very conscious of how murals affect the tone of the neighborhood and how it gives us life and it speaks to who’s around.” Nikko said. Incorporating that into Battle Bandera embraces the culture in a really relevant way. “This neighborhood is built on its culture and its art. There’s artists that thrive in this community. So there’s art everywhere. I don’t think you can go one block without finding some kind of artwork from someone, whether it’s from 30 years ago, a year ago, tomorrow, or today. There’s art everywhere.” Adrian said.
“In Humboldt Park, in Paseo Boricua, gentrification is huge.” Adrain explained, “So what we want to do is just make sure that we’re being resilient and preserving our culture.”
The area was officially recognized when Paseo Boricua was named one of nine Cultural Districts in Illinois earlier this year. It’s a game-changer in terms of how the community is seen and an acknowledgment of the richness history can bring.
The mural unveiling became a multi-generational affair. Kids painted toys, people got emotional, and neighbors stopped to share their own stories and reflect on times past. The new Rust-O line was a perfect match for the illustrative style Nikko has spent years refining. When meditating on his work becoming a part of the community Nikko said, “I just want people to feel strength from it.”
Battle Bandera is already gearing up for round two as it celebrates its one-year anniversary this month with a community showcase. The mural stands as both a milestone and a launchpad. Rust-Oleum also plans to keep hitting with more murals on the horizon and sites across the country. If there is one thing to take away from the Spray it Forward’s collaboration with the PRCC, it’s that when art is created with intention and respect to heritage, it hits a little harder.
Brian Bloss is a Los Angeles based artist, writer, and photographer. He enjoys long walks on the beach and anything wrapped in bacon.
