Pullman Community Center hiring event #Ward09 #BuildingwithBeale

The long awaited Pullman Community Center is hosting a hiring event with walk-in interviews. Please bring your resume.

Location: 10355 S. Woodlawn
When: November 2, 2018
Time: 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

You may have seen this in an email blast from the office of 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale.

Refer to flyer below.

State Representative Marcus Evans on the closure of Chatham's Target

Shared this on our FB page earlier this week and will share it with you on this blog tonight. Rep. Marcus Evans represents Illinois' 33rd state rep. district who's office is actually across the street from the Target near 87th/Cottage Grove.

Capitol Fax: Is Michael Sacks gearing up for a mayoral bid?

We may have another contender to fill Chicago's Mayor's office once Rahm Emanuel leaves office next year. I'm not familiar with this name as he's likely made his name in business, however, how would that translate towards a mayoral bid.

Either way Capitol Fax yesterday talks about a Michael Sacks candidacy and some polling. Did you know there are 18 candidates who have announced their interest in running for this office?

For me I don't have a front runner in mind. Perhaps as we get closer to that time when petitions are turned in we'll know for sure who's serious about running for mayor.

Is Michael Sacks gearing up for a mayoral bid? https://t.co/QbUMXakG3y

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 30, 2018

Ald. Sawyer urges Target to reconsider closing of South Side stores #6WardChicago

A press release sent to us tonight regarding the impending closure of Target. Let's see if this makes a difference.

• Ald. Sawyer urges Target to reconsider closing of South Side stores
  Says corporate divestment will harm South Side community
  
  CHICAGO (Tuesday, October 30, 2018)--Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), chair of the Black Caucus of the Chicago City Council, denounced in harsh terms the announced decision to close Target’s two South Side stores. The stores are located in Chatham and in Morgan Park.
  
  “Target’s closing of the Chatham store will be a devastating blow to our community.
  
  “This closing will cost our area at least 120 jobs. Although the employer states that employees will be offered the chance to transfer to another Target location, there is no guarantee of employment, and certainly no guarantee that a job with the company will be anywhere near our community.
  
  “It is ironic that these stores will shutter in February, while the chain is putting finishing touches on two new stores on the North Side, in Logan Square and Rogers Park, both of which already have nearby Target stores. Once the Chatham and Morgan Park stores close, the nearest remaining South Side Targets will be at least 5 miles from this community.
  
  “It is disappointing that this giant corporation is not willing to address the serious management issues at this store, and to give our community more time and investment in order to continue the economic recovery and to increase its store’s profitability.
  
  “For all these reasons, I urge Target Corporation to reconsider what amounts to a racially imbalanced policy of development and investment, and keep the South Side Targets in place, rather than abandoning your investment here for the greener pastures of the North Side.”
  
  ###

I also wanted to share this story from CBS 2 with regards to the recently announced closures. Ald. Roderick Sawyer is seen in this video commenting on the closures of the two "Black Target" stores. [VIDEO]

Target to exit far south side neighborhoods #6WardChicago

Another great report per Worlee Glover, the Target on 87th & Cottage Grove and on 115th/Marshfield (off of the I-57 expressway) will close their doors next year. The Target in Chatham opened in the fall of 2002 and was often advertised as a great moment for the Chatham community. Almost on par with the opening of Wal-Mart on 83rd or even opening Whole Foods Market Englewood.

I'm sad to see Target leave though. Though I wasn't always a regular shopper I do know a few people who were. It's great not to have to go to the suburbs to go to a Target. Before that store opened probably would've visited stores in nearby Crestwood, Calumet City (now closed), or even Burbank. And yeah I know low patronage probably isn't the only reason why Target is shutting this store down.

On the other hand since we're losing Target, what could we find to replace it? We don't need a vacant big box store in Chatham for sure.

 

What went wrong at Treasure Island?

[VIDEO] While it's a brief news clip, check out the above video with regards to the closure of Treasure Island. It had a number of locations throughout the Chicago area and I used to frequent the one that was located in Hyde Park. I wanted to emphasize the impact not just on the foodie culture it helped to insure, but mainly on the workers who were employed with that company. The more I read about this subject, the more I realize the company was in shambles.

Which is why I share this article from Crain's Chicago Business. Bear in mind this article could be behind a paywall, however, I will offer a brief excerpt.

What went wrong at Treasure Island? https://t.co/AxVdpJTzDW

— Crain's Chicago (@CrainsChicago) October 29, 2018

Still, the company soldiered on. Christ Kamberos' second wife, Maria—a former commercial real estate agent who met Kamberos when she was working on the Clybourn Avenue development and married him in 1986—took on an increasing role in the chain in the early 2000s.

When Christ Kamberos died in 2009, more drama ensued. The following year, a daughter from his first marriage sued Maria Kamberos in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that the second wife manipulated an aging Christ Kamberos into eliminating his daughter as a major beneficiary. The suit pointed out that Maria Kamberos was 31 years younger than her husband and alleged that she took advantage of the Treasure Island co-founder's diminished mental capacity to convince him to change his will. As a result, money initially willed to his offspring came under Maria Kamberos' control. The daughter, Christi Kamberos Matthews, claimed the estate was worth "in excess of several million dollars" and asked for compensation exceeding $1 million. The case was eventually settled.

After Christ Kamberos' death, Maria Kamberos became president and CEO and appointed her son, Christ Kamberos Jr., vice president of development. (Frank Kamberos, who is in his 90s, ceased playing an active role in the chain long ago. Whether he remains an owner in Treasure Island could not be determined, but public records show he does retain ownership, along with Maria Kamberos, of the real estate affiliated with the stores.) They renovated the Gold Coast store in 2013 and the Lake Shore Drive location last year, though some shoppers were underwhelmed by the efforts in comparison to the new Whole Foods and Mariano's stores that cropped up after the demise of Dominick's. As recently as October 2017—a decade after opening in Hyde Park, its newest location—Christ Kamberos Jr. said publicly that the company would open an eighth location in a new luxury apartment development in Uptown. (The store never materialized.)

But inside the stores and the corporate office, employees say, operations notably deteriorated at the beginning of 2018.

Inventory deliveries were intermittent for most of 2018, according to six employees, all of whom asked not to be named. Photos provided to Crain's by a senior employee show a loaf of Treasure Island bakery bread with a July 24, 2018, sell-by sticker placed on top of an original July 4 sticker. Moreover, store-level employees say paychecks not deposited immediately would sometimes take days to clear or would bounce.

At corporate headquarters above the Lakeview store, according to employees, more trouble brewed. The fact that something was amiss became clear to Antoine Wright, a former dairy manager, in summer 2017. After noticing his payroll deductions for child support mysteriously spiked to $220 from $170, he contacted the Illinois State Disbursement Unit, which processes the payments and sends the money to recipients. "I come to find out (the disbursement unit) has not received one payment," says Wright. The extra money was being garnished to cover the missed payments.

Like I said, a mess. Read the whole thing.

Wendy's is coming to 87th/Dan Ryan...

Within the last few weeks I tried to leave Jewel/Osco's parking lot on 87th and the Dan Ryan through the usual exit that's closest to the one towards the expressway. One minor problem however I couldn't leave that way. To leave the Jewel parking lot - or the shopping center that contains a variety of stores including Burlington or Rainbow or a jewelry store - I'd have to go down to the old Best Buy/Toys R Us store.

One time a guy when down to that exit from the parking lot and then went north on Lafayette to get to the expressway entrance. A risky move to be sure.

We as of late the parking lot has experience some construction starting with a Chipotle's right on the corner of 87th and now per Worlee Glover of Concerned Citizen's of Chatham, a Wendy's. Alright no more trips to 87th and Stony or 99th and Western - and those probably aren't the only ones closest by. Either way it's interesting that the shopping center that hosts Jewel/Osco on 87th is experiencing something of a building boom in its outer parking lot!

Sun-Times: Charges to be announced against 23 members of South Side gang tied to 11 murders

BREAKING: Nearly two dozen members of the Goonie Boss faction of the Gangster Disciples are facing federal racketeering charges, @samjcharles reports. Police say the move could "significantly disrupt gang activity." https://t.co/JNTRqpKhTj

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) October 26, 2018

Federal racketeering charges are set to be announced Friday against 23 members of a South Side gang faction that, authorities say, are responsible for nearly a dozen murders.

Police sources told the Sun-Times that the charges will be filed against members of the Goonie Boss faction of the Gangster Disciples.
...
Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Chicago office, Chicago Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The charges will “aim to significantly disrupt gang activity,” Guglielmi tweeted.

Details of the charges will be announced at a news conference at the CPD’s Englewood District station at 12:30 p.m.

CBSChicago: Disabled Woman’s $15,000 Van Wrongly Declared Abandoned, Sold For Scrap

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this story for everyone to be aware of this.

Leave your vehicle parked on a Chicago street for a week and it could be towed and even sold without you getting a dime. It is all part of Chicago’s Abandoned Vehicle Program. One family lost a $15,000 van with a customized wheelchair lift, then turned to CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini for help.

Stricken with polio at the age of five, and later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it is fair to say Lisandra Velez’s mother Andrea Santiago has had a tough life. Action by the City of Chicago has not helped.

“It’s just very infuriating,” said Velez. “The city to do that, with no regards to who that vehicle belonged to, is sickening. It’s absolutely sickening.”

Santiago owned a van with a $10,000 hydraulic lift for her wheelchair. It also had a handicapped placard, plates and an additional marking on the side of the van. The family parked it, legally, along their Jefferson Park neighborhood street for years. They never had any trouble.

In June, that changed. A Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation investigator slapped an Abandoned Vehicle sticker on the van – warning if not moved in seven days, it would be considered abandoned and towed.

h/t Newsalert 

Black Mall Grand Opening

Found this through an email blast from 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer

Did you know The Black Mall have a storefront across the street from the BoomBox near 79th/Rhodes? Feel free to follow them on ig @theblackmall

2019 race for 9th Ward Alderman #Ward09

Earlier this month we shared info from Worlee Glover on the 2019 race for ward 6 alderman a rematch between Ald. Roderick Sawyer and Richard Wooten who also ran for alderman in 2011 and 2015.

Recently I procured a flyer for Paul Collins who is running for Alderman in Ward 9. He seeks to challenge Alderman Anthony Beale in 2019.

Visit his under construction website at www.friendsofpaulcollins.com and he also has a FB page Paul Collins for 9th Ward Aldermen

Block Club Chi: After Losing A Friend To Suicide, Englewood Woman Starts Company To Get Black Chicagoans Talking About Mental Health

I truly wish this young lady the best of luck in this endeavor. Hopefully what she does will get Black Chicagoans to talk about mental illness

Three years ago, Englewood native and marketing professional BreAnna Moss lost a close friend to suicide.

While grieving, she wondered what she could do to get communities of color to open up about mental health issues.

“He was one of those people who lit up a room no matter where he was and he was one of those people you could lean on and dump all of your stuff on,” Moss said of her friend. “He would give you great advice, wonderful advice, and we just thought he had really thick skin and didn’t know he was going through so much with PTSD and other traumas that may have happened both in the military and before because he grew up in Chicago.”

The stigma surrounding mental health runs deep in her neighborhood, Moss said, and she knew there needed to be a new approach to speaking with communities of color about these issues. Her idea? Use music and poetry to get people talking.

“Mental health and mental wellness is stigmatized in Black and Brown communities,” she said. “We don’t talk about it. We push folks to go to church. I’m not saying church is not a place you can go but we kind of push people to go to church first when sometimes you need an approach that includes praying, an approach that includes a physician — a doctor — someone who is objective about the situation that can speak to you and talk you through some things.”


Moss, 25, officially launched her marketing and consulting firm, Fresh Kulture, in March. She said her goal is to connect clients with Millennial audiences and create events centered around music, poetry and collective healing.

San Francisco's narrowing middle-class

I found this article from this past summer from Newsalert, San Francisco have some much more serious problems and it involves the proliferation of excrement on public sidewalks. Regardless it shouldn't be a huge surprise that it's expensive to live in San Fran.

San Francisco’s narrowing middle class, already squeezed by the high cost of living could take another hit if a new business tax is approved in the November election, according to the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

The measure, approved for November’s ballot last month, would levy an average of about 0.5 percent gross receipts tax on companies that make $50 million or more in revenue. In return, it would roughly double the city’s funding for housing and homeless services, such as 1,000 extra shelter beds and services for the mentally ill.

Homelessness activists, nonprofits and community groups strongly support the measure, saying it’s time for the city’s businesses to do more to alleviate San Francisco’s homeless population.

But, according to a memo sent to the mayor’s office by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development last week and obtained by The Chronicle, the extra tax would disproportionately impact employees in mid-level jobs, such as administrative staff in retail companies and grocery store workers.

“There is a limit on how high taxes can go before you decide to go to Oakland, where the taxes are much, much lower,” Jim Lazarus, senior vice president of public policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said of businesses located in the city. “There are companies in San Francisco that pay more San Francisco tax than they pay in other states.”

One of the main points of this blog is to talk about urban middle-class issues and as I share this my hope is that Chicago doesn't begin to have those issues. Our city should be for everyone low-income, middle-class, or wealthy.

I'm sorry that I didn't share a timely article as it was published in the San Francisco chronicle in August almost a month before Mayor Emanuel's surprise announcement to forgo running for a third term. One of the issues hopefully mayoral candidates could address in 2019 is whether or not there is a plan to make Chicago affordable for any middle-class families or people.

Washington Heights Visioning Session - Red Line Extension Coalition

Red Line extension

This invited with an attached newsletter was sent to us via the West Chesterfield Community Association with regards to the red line extension.

• THE FOURTH AND FINAL WASHINGTON HEIGHTS VISIONING SESSION BY ENDELEO INSTITUTE.
  
  6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  Thursday October 18th, 2018
  Woodson Library Auditorium
  9525 S Halsted, Chicago

Kurt Summers not running in 2019

You can count out Kurt Summers - Chicago City Treasurer- for re-election or even to run for mayor. Perhaps he has a future in politics in whatever office he chooses. At the same time I'm surprised he doesn't want to run for anything next year.

Also it seems no one advances beyond treasurer once installed and once they leave. Whatever happened to Stephanie Neely or Judith Rice after they left the treasurer's office? And exactly!

Here's a statement released by Summers on ig.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kurt Summers (@followkurt) on Oct 16, 2018 at 6:46am PDT

The mayor's check used instead for community organizations...

This happened last Friday.

A press release was shared via e-mail with regards to Ald. Roderick Sawyer (Ward 6) donating money from outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel to 10 local community organizations. I will share the post provided from Worlee Glover's Concerned Citizen's of Chatham below.

A blast from almost 10 years ago...

Legal Insurrection

A few years ago we got an email from the blogger at Legal Insurrection. It was during the time that I made several posts about what was going on with our then Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2008-09. In December 2008, Blago was arrested by the FBI on the charge of attempting to auction off the former US Senate seat of then President-elect Barack Obama. In January 2009, Blago had been impeached and removed from office.

I had written a number of posts during the episode about Blago's arrest and impeachment during that time. Also some posts about potholes caught the eye of law professor William A. Jacobson. As you see in the post about his e-mail which I never actually published back then he wrote as a descriptor of this blog in a list of sites regarding that long ago scandal that it was obsessed with Blago and potholes. Heh.

Anyway 10 years later, he celebrates a decade of blogging and this blog celebrated a decade of blogging last year. Blago is actually serving a term in federal prison for his crimes that got him arrested while serving as governor in 2008. Prof. Jacobson as a blogger has seemingly become a right-wing blog over the years.

However, when he was following news about Blago it seemed that he was taking our former governor's side in that. If I recall he seemed to think the federal government was out to get Blago. I'm sure there are those who including myself who wonder how he came to that. Perhaps as I could reason today it was a genius move to play advocate for Blago. At that time did we need one more blog that would dump on him?

While I'm sure Legal Insurrection has gone on to bigger and better things or better yet other news of note over 10 years I would like to wish him another 10 years. As he tells his story of how he started blogging it was a dare from a friend he even wasn't political. Sorry to say part of him starting to blog involved his frustration with "Obamamania".

He was inspired to blog by a friend thanks to his ability to make very clear points. Almost a year before that this blog was inspired by many of the local neighborhood blogs that had existed just in time for the 2007 municipal elections in Chicago. And as Jacobson's blog presumably gears up for the 2018 midterms, I expect this blog will gear up for the 2019 municipal elections not only for Alderman, but for the open seat for Mayor of Chicago as well.

h/t Instapundit!

CBS 2: Englewood Woman Passes Bar, Video Goes Viral

[VIDEO] On Tuesday, we saw this story of a woman who graduated from DePaul University's law school who after almost a year passed the Illinois bar to become a practicing defense attorney. To Ariell Williams who is from Englewood, I say well done. And a video of her looking at her bar exam results went viral hopefully someone out there is inspired.

If it's meant to be and you're determined keep going no matter what. You will ultimately achieve your goals! 

Watch the CTA Board meet...

[VIDEO] This is the first time I have seen a CTA board meeting livestreamed on YouTube. There are past videos on CTAConnection's YouTube channel that record meetings of the CTA board. If you're so inclined you can see what they talked about for this month.

Perhaps some of you who are concerned or want to learn more about Chicago transit issues would be so inclined to go there in person. Perhaps some of you if they do public comments at these meetings you can ask about that CTA Red Line extension.

Chicago Transit Board - If you seek more information on the meetings and business of the CTA board.

CapFax: Pritzker now won’t define what “middle class income” is

[VIDEO] All I can say to this is ouch Pritzker, ouch. The Democrat nominee for Illinois governor won't define what income levels would be considered middle-class. I suppose this might mean he doesn't have a grasp on those middle-class families who are leaving Illinois.

The video above was provided by CapFax and will share link to that blog post below!

Pritzker now won’t define what “middle class income” is: “It doesn’t matter” https://t.co/oIFToFlsAZ

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 9, 2018

#6WardChicago 2019 race for 6th ward alderman

Thanks to Worlee Glover we know there may be a repeat of the 2015 election in the 6th ward between Ald. Sawyer & Richard Wooten. Hopefully if we mention him again as a candidate for alderman we won't get hit with petty comments about how we're not listing him as a current candidate for alderman while noting he was a past candidate in 2011 & 2015.

I just want to note that last month after Mayor Emanuel bowed out of the race for mayor last month it was noted that Ald. Sawyer was looking into running for Mayor (which was an office his father Eugene Sawyer once held from 1987-89). Though in an appearance on Chicago Tonight also last month he noted that if the voters of the 6th Ward so chose he would be more than happy to represent them for another term.

If you know of anyone else running for alderman in the 6th Ward let us know! 

Treasure Island is closing down...

Treasure Island was always a nice store to shop at, especially the one in Hyde Park. Unfortunately I've never been to that location when it was formerly the Hyde Park Food Co-op, but I had the opportunity to shop at a local European grocery store.

I'm disappointed to find out that Treasure Island - a family-owned company - is forced to close down operations. I'd be curious what could replace them in that spot near 55th & Lake Park.

Well, there we go. @Suntimes obtains the letter to employees stating that all #TreasureIsland stores in the area will close within a week or so. Another local long-time grocery name falls by the wayside https://t.co/fNRnBM76TA

— Steve Daniels (@stevedaniels27) September 30, 2018

You might recognize Steve Daniels, he did some good reporting on what happened with Seaway Bank. When the news broke he hammered out some tweets about Treasure Island and one of those is a link to a Sun-Times article about the impending closure.

Here's another tweet from someone who has been to the Hyde Park store recently. Kind of a shame the shelves are just about empty already.

Walked over to the Hyde Park Treasure Island this morning and it feels eerily apocalyptic. pic.twitter.com/mU2qFKHJ0E

— “...starring Jamie as Busty McShort.” (@thewayoftheid) October 1, 2018

Finally in recognizing that an employer is closing down it's bound to be difficult for the employees. I would be somewhat disappointed that a company isn't doing right not just by their employees, but by their suppliers as well.

What happened at Treasure Island? Crain's @Brigid_Sweeney gets an earful from workers, who describe the grocer's failure to pay health insurance premiums, unsafe food practices and more: https://t.co/ybGWhPrdZQ

— Crain's Chicago (@CrainsChicago) October 3, 2018

Finally I wanted to share this tweet for those who are employed at Treasure Island. I suppose there are groups out there who want to look out for those who were affected by this.

If you are or know a Treasure Island worker in Chicago--workers report being given 1-day notice of stores closing and losing their jobs. This may be a violation of the Illinois WARN Act. Contact Arise Chicago to learn your rights! 312-715-8141 pic.twitter.com/7877csNXj5

— Arise Chicago (@AriseChicago) October 2, 2018

Our Instagram nametag

We have a small badge that at one point in time was provided by ig only for it to no longer be available. We also have the ability to photoshop some of ig's brand resources and with them you could use those to promote - within reasonable guidelines of course - to promote your ig page(s).

Then ig finally unveiled their nametag where with your camera - through the ig app of course - you can scan the code and then you will be sent to that ig page. This is what we present to you below and expect the name tag to be seen in the sidebar in the near future.

BTW, some facts about our ig. Our account was first active according to ig on July 26, 2014 so we just celebrated our 4th anniversary officially on July 26, 2018. Most of our posts are regrams or even flyers about local events however occasionally you might see some original photographs. As I write this our page has over 800 followers and with our nametag it's easier to get more.

Feel free to let us know what you would like to see on our page. Also if you have any events you would like to share and have an ig ready deliverable to share tag us or email us at blog @ thesixthward.us. We would be happy to hear your suggestions or even about any event you would like for us to share.

Van Dyke - guilty!

I'm very relieved that today there is no rioting, Jason Van Dyke is the police officer who shot young LaQuan McDonald 16 times and he's convicted of second degree murder. He was taken into custody immediately after the trial. The ugliness didn't come to past although the passion is still out there.

Check out this scene in South Shore for example. There had been demonstrations on this day. Of course also bear in mind another person was shot & killed over the summer by police officers. Bear this in mind as far as why 71st and Jeffrey was chosen. [VIDEO]

Since I didn't really follow the trial I had no idea what the charges he was facing at least I see an indication of this on instagram other than the conviction for second degree murder.

Van Dyke trial jury deliberations

By the time you read this court will probably be in session. I'm sorry to have not have closely followed the trial of Officer Van Dyke with regards to what happened with the late LaQuan McDonald. What I want to leave you with as I share this most recent article I found before going to bed Thursday night is whether or not it should've took 16 shots to subdue McDonald.

As the jury continues to deliberate on Friday I'm sure this will be the question they will consider as far as Van Dyke's fate. Incidentally I was reminded by a long-time reader about the trial and the fact that it's now up to the jurors fairly recently.

The jury in the Van Dyke trial will be sequestered overnight as long as deliberations continue.

Jurors long have described being sequestered as one of the worst facets of their service, sometimes even more challenging than deciding the defendant's fate. https://t.co/vOyCdHd8ZD pic.twitter.com/j7PgaDiA1E

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) October 5, 2018

One thing I am concerned about with the jury deliberations is that whatever the verdict, the police are getting prepared for any potential disturbances. I'm hoping any ugliness doesn't happen in our city.

In preparation for a verdict in the Jason Van Dyke trial, Chicago police have canceled days off and put officers on 12-hour shifts to bolster the force by up to 4,000 officers. https://t.co/Wv5tJytvVF

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) October 4, 2018

Finally this was reposted on our ig page and want to share this hear. While it probably doesn't need to be stated or repeated this is one reason hopefully many of us want justice for LaQuan. From Mr. Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City.

View this post on Instagram

According to the Chicago Tribune, Laquan McDonald had experienced his first visit downtown a year before he was killed. Why downtown was out of reach for Laquan for so many years is unacceptable. What happened to him in 2014 was devastating. The loss of his life and the circumstances of his death have left a deep wound for his family and our entire city. We can’t afford this continued violent loss of life. We need solutions that build community, not tear it apart. Solutions that include police, activists, houses of faith, grandmother, mothers, fathers, and our youth. We also must demand honest accountability for a disgraceful past that we can’t let continue. The solutions must unify our city and repair what we have lost. Chicago is about standing together AND about a unified call for something different.

A post shared by My Block, My Hood, My City (@formyblock) on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:23pm PDT

#tbt 95/Dan Ryan - 1971

Before sharing with you a CTA's ig post from earlier this week I wanted to give you all a history lesson. Many of you who read this blog may already know this if you've been riding the CTA's Dan Ryan branch for its 49 years of operation.

So the Dan Ryan branch of what we now call the CTA red line was opened on September 28, 1969. Originally this route was connected with the Lake Street branch to Harlem/Lake via the 18th Street connection and eventually along the south side mainline through the Loop elevated. On February 21, 1993 the Dan Ryan branch would be redirected to the Howard branch through a tunnel into the State Street subway created the red line as we know it today!

In 1971, the trains you see at 95/Dan Ryan in post below with one departing and the other arriving are on what they would call the west-south (aka Lake-Dan Ryan) route. With all the changes to the Dan Ryan due to various construction projects especially the 5 month shut down of the Dan Ryan (aka red line south) and the current reconstruction of the 95th terminal it's cool to see this look back to when it was like new.

View this post on Instagram

In this 1971 photo, a Lake-Dan Ryan A train of 2200-series cars departs 95th/Dan Ryan with open track ahead alongside bumper-to-bumper traffic on a weekday morning. To the left, a train of 2000-series cars arrives in the terminal station. The Dan Ryan line turned 49 on Friday! When the line first opened, the West-South Route (Lake-Dan Ryan service) went between Harlem/Lake and 95th/Dan Ryan via the north and east sides of the Loop while the North-South Route, or Howard-Englewood-Jackson Park service) used the State Street Subway. The south portions of these two routes were flipped in 1992 with the opening of a new, short segment of subway in anticipation of the Orange Line coming, creating the modern Red and Green lines' routings. #cta #chicago #oakpark #forestpark #transit #traffic #rapidtransit #trains #railway #tracks #railroad #publictransit #expressways #freeways

A post shared by Chicago Transit Authority (@chicagocta) on Oct 1, 2018 at 1:00pm PDT

RELATED

• Old Dan Ryan line photos found on Flickr 
• Back In The Day BW Dubs CTA "L" South Side 

Health & Wellness Fair #6WardChicago

This event will take place tomorrow

Wednesday, October 3, 2018
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

706 E. 79th Street (community room)

The alderman's office, of course!

See the ig post below and feel free to call the alderman's office 773.635.0006

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Greater Chatham Initiative (@gcicommunity) on Sep 30, 2018 at 8:59pm PDT