The peacekeeper trying to break the cycle of violence in a rural California town

Delano has long recorded some of the highest gun violence rates in the state. Mercedies Escalante is trying to change that

This is the third of three stories on gun violence in Delano. You'll find the first and second stories here and here

Mercedies Escalante has had a lot of jobs over the years. She has been a grape picker and packer, an elementary school aide, a barber, a cashier at the 99-cent store, and a postal worker.

Often, she has also served as an unofficial counsellor. As her small, rural town in central California was racked with a spate of gun homicides, she helped neighbours make funeral arrangements, listened to grieving parents vent their anger and despair, and talked down those wondering if they should take justice into their own hands.