Marynook 1962: "Decision at 83rd Street"

[VIDEO] 56 years ago Hugh Hill produced this documentary for CBS Chicago (or WBBM-TV) looking at racial integration in Marynook. On the other hand, what is seen here is an anatomy of "white flight". It's mentioned that realtors are "block busting" they're attempting to stir fears in white homeowners that Blacks are coming to buy homes on their blocks. Of course as we know in the 50+ years most of the south side is mostly Black today.

I can consider the many communities of the south side that since the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, or even 1980s experienced white flight. We can talk about Englewood, Woodlawn, Chatham, South Shore, Roseland, or Auburn Gresham. All of those communities experienced this "white flight".

I also want to note the example of Pill Hill - remember this was a neighborhood that at one point had a high prevalance of doctors working at a nearby hospital. I would recommend this book The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood to see another angle to white flight. I had checked this book out of the library over a decade ago. The author contacted me years ago to clarify some points I made on another blog.

Happy Memorial Day

Photo via The New Yorker

After the odd weather we had from that late heavy snow in February to the unseasonably cold weather in April to the wetness of this month we have finally arrived at the unofficial start of summer. Hopefully you all are enjoy the nice weather of the weekend and of course having a nice BBQ on this Memorial Day. Have a happy and safe one!

Former Jewel store lot at 83rd/King Drive is for sale...

Snapshot by Levois J in March 2018

The lot on 8330 S. King Dr. that formerly housed an old Jewel store and is currently owned by the Park Manor Christian Church is on sale. If I read Worlee Glover's post at Concerned Citizens of Chatham correctly it's for sale for close to $1 million. That's a hunk of change.

I'm excited for whatever plans are in place for this lot. Of course my thought on this piece of real estate is to make it available for commercial development some form of retail perhaps. Then again whoever buys this lot will have their own plan.

Here's a recent post on this lot from this past March. Below is the post from Concerned Citizen's of Chatham with a link to the listing for this property.

Greg Hinz: Chicago population drops for third year in a row

Read on! I appears though that the decline has slowed, but there is still a decline not only in the city but for the suburbs as well:

The new figures are for the year ended last June 30. They indicate that city proper had a net loss of 3,805 residents, slipping to a total of 2,716,450 hardy souls. Last year was the third year in a row in which fewer people lived in the city, but the drop in the prior 2015-16 period was almost 5,000.

None of the declines is particularly large, with last year's drop amounting to barely 0.1 percent and likely within the range of margin of error. Also, the latest estimate still shows Chicago with more people than it had in the last full census in 2010, when the city's population totaled 2,695,598.

But at a time of rising national prosperity and growth, a decline here surely will be used in the upcoming mayoral election to argue that Chicagoans are voting with their feet about Mayor Rahm Emanuel's performance and have decided to locate elsewhere. They may also reach the same conclusion about the state of Illinois under Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Chicago's suburbs, which for decades easily outpaced the city in population gains, increasingly are showing the same growth patterns.
...
Chicago demographer Rob Paral said the new figures are roughly what's been occurring in recent years and not a big surprise. What's not clear from this data is what is happening among racial and ethnic groups, in which, for instance, Chicago has been losing African-Americans but gaining whites, Latinos and Asians, Paral said. 

Former state rep. Ken Dunkin appointed by Gov. Rauner to water reclamation district

While outside of the scope of this blog I just wanted to note this since I saw this on Friday night. Ken Dunkin as a former a member of the Illinois House of Representatives represented the 5th district of Illinois which is basically the near south side (he represents parts of the Bronzeville neighborhood). He attempted to regain his seat in March running in Democratic primary, he was unsuccessful in this attempt - also bear in mind winning the Democratic nomination in Chicago is tantamount to victory in the general election.

Back in 2016 Dunkin lost the Democratic primary to the current state Rep. Juliana Stratton. Stratton is running for Lt. Governor with Democrat gubernatorial nominee JB Pritzker. Dunkin had been heavily associated with the agenda of Gov. Bruce Rauner and that effectively hurt his chances of re-election not only with his constituents, but with his caucus. Why would anyone in the Illinois House Democratic caucus even think they can go against the all-powerful speaker Michael Madigan?

Long story short, Gov. Rauner appoints his old ally in Dunkin to a seat on the Chicago Water Reclamation District. Below you see a tweet from David Ormsby with an image of the document which announces the governor's appointment. I first got wind of this via Rich Miller's Capitol Fax blog. It's also likely that this appointment is only temporary as it arose after the sudden death of a commissioner to the reclamation district and the sudden departure of another Rauner appointee.

Ex-State Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) tapped by @GovRauner for $70K Water Rec Board gig. #twill pic.twitter.com/KISCvl5DSo

— David Ormsby (@DavidOrmsby) May 18, 2018

The reason why this is worth sharing and probably the least important part of this whole political store is that Dunkin is a Morehouse grad. This is one primary reason why this caught my eye although where he got his degree or degrees is not entirely news. What's news is that he becomes another member of the water reclamation district via gubernatorial appointment.

Have any events to share with us?

As always if you have events that are worth sharing send them to us. It could be a community meeting, LSC, parent advisory council, PTA, park advisory council, political event, a new business, etc. Send them to us.

Feel free to post to our FB page, tweet us, or if you got a ig ready flyer tag us. As always feel free to send an e-mail to the address below.

blog @ thesixthward.us

 Also bear in mind election season is upon us, we do expect more readership during this period from now to the November elections and through to next year's city elections. This would be a good time to get some exposure for your events, especially if you don't have a significant social media presence.

• facebook.com/thesixthward
• facebook.com/lovechatham (i.e. Concerned Citizens of Chatham)
• twitter.com/thesixthward
• instagram.com/thesixthward

Community is helping to restore Josephine's

The community is helping restore Josephine's!

The Chicago Tribune has reported in today's paper that Josephine's (also known as Captain's Hard TIme Dining), is back in business. They had to shut down due to copper wiring being stolen. Thepaper reported that IBEW Local 134, electric company MZI Group Inc. and ComEd are reworking wires at cost to help restore the business.

The NextDoor Community and Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City have been huge contributors to the restoration.

You can still contribute by going to the GoFundMe page from Jahmal Cole. The fund is currently at $5389 of the $10,000 goal, more than half way there. Keep it up, community!

Trial of the murder of Demario Bailey begins

The tragic murder of Demario Bailey began yesterday as his twin brother took the stand. The full story is in today's Chicago Tribune.

We will post more as information becomes available, including a photo of the memorial van that you may have seen along 76th street, btween King And State.

Chatham is also featured in a more positive way in today's Chicago Tribune as well. Look for the past after 4pm today.

Josephine's Dining closed due to copper theft

Our very own Josephine's was robbed last night of copper wiring, causing the restaurant to close until further repairs can be done.

Josephine's (also known to many as Captain Hard Times Dining) is located at 436 E. 79th and has been a community fixture for many years.

And another of our very own, Jahmal Cole, has set up a Go Fund Me to help Josephine's. As of 3:30pm today, they reached $2073 out of a $10,000 goal.

The story appeared on Fox 32 news at noon. Expect tosee it at other outlets soon.

Here is the full story from the Chicago Tribune:

Copper wire theft has has hit another Chicago restaurant.

Surveillance cameras recorded someone climbing to the roof of Capt.’s Hard Time Dining in the Chatham neighborhood Tuesday night, according to multiple sources.

Owner Josephine Wade, known as Mother Wade in the community, could not be reached immediately for comment. The restaurant is currently closed, confirmed employee Barbara Wade, no relation.

The soul food restaurant, open for more than 50 years, is perhaps best known for its chicken and waffles.Total damage estimates may be as high as $20,000, said sources close to Mother Wade, including repairs, refrigerated food loss and lost revenue, according to television news reports.

A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign has been created by My Block, My Hood, My City founder Jahmal Cole. At last check, $1,933 of the $10,000 goal had been raised.

Earlier this year, Antique Taco’s Bridgeport location was also hit by copper wire theft, forcing a temporary closure. The restauraunt reopened April 2.

Capt.’s Hard Time Dining, 436 E. 79th St., 773-487-2900; www.gofundme.com/capt-hard-times-needs-your-help

lchu@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @louisachu

Let us know you have been touched by Josephine Wade and how you would like to help.

TODAY: 2nd chance adult & juvenile expungement summit

Also a job info rmation seminar for ex-offenders to take place at Kennedy-King College 6343 S. Halsted in building W on Saturday June 2, 2018. Registration at 8:30 PM doors close at 6:00 PM. Also this applies to non-federal crimes committed in the state of Illinois. For more info call 312.603.5200 or 4641. Also visit the webpage of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County at www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org

Here's an ig post from Kennedy-King College

Honorable Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and an array of judicial, governmental, legal, educational, community and religious organizations and agencies, present the 14th Annual Second Chance Adult and Juvenile Expungement Summit and Job Information Seminar at Kennedy- King College, 6343 S. Halsted St., Building W, Chicago.

A post shared by Kennedy King (@kennedyking6301) on May 15, 2018 at 10:41am PDT

Crain's: Here's how to reverse the damage of segregation

Published in Crain's Chicago Business on Tuesday morning:

The [Metropolitan Planning Council] used the help of 110 advisers and experts to draw up the recommendations, all of which view the city through "the lens of racial equity," Barrett says. Among the recommendations:

• Enact a city earned income tax credit for working households, to augment state and federal earned income tax credits. This would generate $218 million in spending from working families, according to the study. 

• Reduce local control over affordable housing decisions. If a ward has less than 10 percent affordable housing, a city council member shouldn't have the ability to reject or delay proposed residential developments that have affordable housing components. 

• Increase Chicago Housing Authority vouchers to expand options for affordable housing. Expanding the vouchers to 200 percent of fair market rent in certain areas could add 3,377 more housing units to the market. 

• End criminal justice system policies that adversely affect poor people. Among these is requiring a money bond for minor offenses, as people who can't afford bond can spend months or even years in jail while awaiting trial. Eliminating unnecessary pretrial detention could save $198 million a year. The report also suggests implicit-bias training for all involved in the criminal justice system. 

...

• Use equity as a key factor, along with safety, delay reduction and ridership, when making transportation decisions in the Chicago metro area. "The South Side doesn't have the same level of rapid transit service," says Kate Lowe, assistant professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the 110 advisers who worked on the recommendations. "Extending the Red Line would help." Transportation, she adds, intersects with all the systems that shape residents' lives: jobs, education, health care and employment. 

Put into place over two years, the recommendations could add $4.4 billion in income for African-American communities, which would in turn generate $8 billion for the local economy. The measures would add 83,000 bachelor's degrees and reduce homicides by 30 percent. If nothing is done, and the city continues on its current trajectory of segregation, income disparity will widen: The area will see a 17 percent drop in its African-American population, a 12 percent rise in the number of households earning below $30,000 a year, and a 42 percent increase in households earning more than $125,000 a year.

 Interesting?

6th ward shred-a-thon #6wardchicago #twill

Coming this Friday in the parking lot at 215 W. 71th Street from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM contact the 6 ward service office at 312.635.0006. Here's an ig post from the the alderman's office.

A post shared by 6 Ward Chicago (@6wardchicago) on May 15, 2018 at 11:03am PDT

ABC 7 Chicago: Man killed, woman critically wounded in Burnside shooting

[VIDEO] An overnight shooting took place near 91st & Cottage Grove. A man was killed, a woman who was wounded by gunshots sent to University of Chicago Hospital.

I want this violence to end, seriously!

Crain's: Our lawless downtown is threatening our city's economy

I suppose one way to look at this is some of the crime in the more violent neighborhoods of the city's south and west sides are beginning to bleed into the Loop or areas of downtown Chicago. As seen in this article gunfire at Water Tower Place, carjackings in the Gold Coast, a police commander shot to death near the Thompson Center.

That sense of security is under threat: The Loop saw a 14 percent rise in overall crime in the first quarter of this year compared to the last, with a 30 percent rise in violent crime driven largely by muggings, according to police data analyzed by CWBChicago.com. And a series of recent incidents has revived old worries about crime in the city. A police commander shot to death amid weekday crowds in the Loop. Cars commandeered at gunpoint in the Gold Coast and other neighborhoods across Chicago and the suburbs. A 15-year-old boy hit by stray gunfire as he rode a city bus. Just last week, a federal law enforcement agent was shot in the face as he worked to combat gun violence in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Shots fired inside Water Tower Place on the Mag Mile.

All those events got national media attention, adding to a steady drumbeat of stories that raise questions about safety in Chicago. These questions trouble not only those of us who live here, but also those who might be considering a move to Chicago.

Most prominent among them is Amazon, which is vetting cities for a second headquarters that it says would bring tens of thousands of well-paid jobs to the winner. Chicago badly wants the prize, and by all rights should have a strong chance. The city has many of the attributes Amazon wants in a second headquarters—a deep talent pool, a world-class airport and an extensive public transit system, to name a few key selling points. But none of those advantages will matter if the e-tailing giant concludes its employees wouldn't be safe here.

If crime is going up in the Loop area then this is certainly a problem the city will solve. Hopefully these same resources could be used in many of Chicago's long suffering neighborhoods. What do you think?

h/t Newsalert!

The story of the Foster Sisters is now up at the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune has published the story about the Foster sisters.

You can find the story at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-south-side-homeless-sisters-20180502-story.html

If you are interested in a hard copy we suggest going to a convenience store RIGHT NOW. I (JP Paulus) bought the last one at the Starbucks at 87th & the Dan Ryan. But if you are near others, i was informed that at the end of the day, they often throw out that day's paper.

We thank all of the community members who helped contribute to the story, and welcome any responses and reactions to the story, not just in the comments, but even as a guest blog post.

We especially want to thank Lolly Bowean , Abel Uribe and others at the Chicago Tribune as well as everyone who helped us on the social networking site Next Door to make this happen.

We have posted on these sisters before, such as in January when we noticed that their tarp and belongings were abandoned, to the initial report of possibly (now confirmed) one of them dying, and the obituary of Susan Foster.

What's going on with the Avalon-Regal Theater?

We've talked about the new ownership of the Regal Theater on occasion. And Worlee Glover posts on Nextdoor last month to let us know it's for sale! Whoever made the best offer has probably made it already so who knows if it has never ownership now. Regardless Worlee believes this is a tax sale...

Now I wonder what happened to Mr. Gerald Gary and those investment bonds he had been advertising.

Morehouse Leadership Lecture Series involving Starbuck's executives

I know this is essentially outside of the scope of this blog, but hopefully this interests you.

In light of the recent controversy at Starbucks with two Black males being arrested at a location - they didn't yet order any thing and were waiting for a friend - Morehouse College is hosting a town hall. This will be between two of the head honchos of Starbucks that include Spelman College alum COO Rosalind Brewer and chairman Howard Schultz.

I'm sure that the issue of that controversy is will come up in this conversation. If you wish to join this town hall. Click on this eventbrite and watch the livestream at morehouse.tv starting at 3:45 PM Eastern time on Tuesday, May 3, 2018.

BTW, I was perusing the Morehouse website and saw that Mayor Rahm Emanuel was down there to encourage students to consider living & working in Chicago. I was about to say if you're from Chicago and want to get away from Rahm, sorry he's looking for you. Although to be honest if Chicago is to become a better place we need the young men of Morehouse to give the Windy City a chance. We need their talents whatever they may be! Perhaps they can create a competitor to Starbucks! :P

Here's an ig post from Morehouse College on this event.

"The American Nurse" at SMG Chatham

Got this e-mail with a flyer to be posted below about an event this coming weekend at Studio Movie Grill Chatham on 87th.

NursingInspired🏾‍ is intentionally hosting an event during National Nurses Week 2018, as an effort to increase interest in the career of Nursing among underrepresented youth in Chicago!

ATTENTION organizations serving urban, underserved & African American youth (age 14-24),

high school students, pre-nursing, traditional & non-traditional college students, professional nurses and community members are all welcome:

Announcing a NursingInspired🏾‍

1st Annual Movie and Educational event Screening the documentary "The American Nurse (2014)"
at the Studio Movie Grill-Chatham, Chicago, IL


Mark your calendar

The event is on Sunday, May 6th
Doors Open at 2pm, Film starts at 2:30pm

NURSES| 1 CE credit for watching the film through Walden University!

Flyer below:

Identity of the deceased sister

JP Paulus' shot of the sister's collapsed tent Jan. 2018

You may have seen this already on Worlee Glover's Concerned Citizens of Chatham so here it is. The identity of the deceased sister found in a shopping cart pushed by her sister - Susan Foster.

You may have also seen this on Nextdoor. I have redacted the name of the person who posted this.

click for larger resolution

 What you see below the break is a link to the obituary.

PREVIOUS POSTS

• Update on the homeless sisters
• What a sad story that occurred over the weekend in Chatham
• What happened to the homeless sisters?

FedEx hiring at Olive-Harvey College #ohc #ward09

Take place on Tuesday, May 2, 2018 (that's today) at Olive-Harvey College at 10001 S. Woodlawn in the Main Foyer. If you to apply or learn more about the positions available at FedEx visit watchasort.com. Refer to ig post below this event will be held from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM.