Ruggles alum Demario Bailey will be remembered at the school today

We apologize for the late notice, but we just got this e-mail from Cee Powell of Greater Chatham Alliance. There is a memorial for Demario Bailey, who was tragically shot, simply for defending his brother. 

This event will start at 4pm today (an hour from publication of this event).

I'm sorry for the short notice, but things have been so hectic and I really thought I had sent this to you guys yesterday.  There will be a memorial held for Demario Bailey today.  Because Demario & Demacio have been members of the Ruggles family since Pre-k as well as the community his death has hit us all very hard...and Kendell LaRue being a Ruggles Alumi himself put together this memorial together to give the students at Ruggles as well as the community a way to pay trubute to Demario.  As you may know he still has an abundance of friends & staff members that could not make it to the memorials held at Johnson College Prep and we of his Ruggles family need to give our children an outlet to grieve and honor him.  I in particular because the twins adopted my daughter who's now 13 as their little sister and she was emotionally upset that she could not attend the memorials at Johnson Prep...which I thought was a wonderful thing on Kendells' part. both the school and I have talked to Delores and she was very touched by Kendell's actions.  So if you guys are available please come.

 

 

We hope to have more details soon.

Ruggles playground slide -- still NOT fixed!

On May 28, I reported how Ruggles playground has had a slide that has been broken for several months (possibly as early as last summer),

That 311 case number was 13-00586860, and it was left on May 15.

I called on Wednesday, July 24 (2 months later). No action has been done, but I have a new case number  = 13-01016700.

I won't go over the whole post (we have more photos there as well), but hundreds of SMALL CHILDREN use that park every day over the course of this summer, and especially during the school year.  How long will this problem stay a problem?

Please call 311 to get updates, as well as Alderman Rod Sawyer's office.

When will they fix the slide at Ruggles Playground?



Tape only lasted a few days

The big red slide at the South Playground of Ruggles Elementary School has been broken since summer of last year -- at least 9 months!

Now that CPS has closed 50 schools, perhaps they could find the funds to repair the slide?

When I called 311 (again), I received the case number via text (from 311311). This number is  13-00586860.  Please call 311 and refer to that number, as well as calling Alderman Sawyer.





 The situation reminds me of the scene in the movie "The Campaign" with Will Ferrell and  Zach Galifianakis, Unfortunately, I can't find a clip online that has a flashback to the characters, where a slide damaged almost as bad hurt Marty and inspired Cam to become a politician.   Let's hope the inspiring comes without injury to a child!

Mia shows the feelings of neighborhood kids in regards to the slide being damaged for at least 9 months

The tape was removed, but in worse shape and new graffiti

What's happening In The 6th Ward April 2013

 There are plenty of events going on in the community that are FREE or nearly free.

Saturday
April 6, 2013
10:30am
6th Ward Meeting
Greater Salem Baptist Church
215 W 71st Street

Saturday
April 6, 2013
10:00am
Chicago State University TIF Seminar
   Chicago State University
    9501 S King Drive

Tuesday
April 8, 2013
Time: TBD
Chatham Business Association Seminar
Legal Aspects of Starting A Business
8441 S Cottage Grove

Saturday
April 13, 2013
9:00 am
Expungement Seminar
Ruggles Elementary
7831 S Prairie

Saturday
April 20, 2013
All Day
6th Ward Clean and Green
Various Locations

 










Saturday
April 20, 2013
10:00 am- 1 pm
Illinois Service Federal Shred O Rama
8700 S King Drive

Saturday
April 20, 2013
10:00 am- 1 pm
Chesterfield Community Council Home Expo 2013
90th S King Drive

Saturday
April 27, 2013
1:00 pm -4 pm
Cole Park Unity Day
Nat King Cole Park
361 E 85th Street


 Movies and Music

Thursday
April 4, 2013
6:30pm
Free Angela Davis
Chatham 14 Theaters
210 W 87th
Free: Must RSVP at Eventbrite

Friday
April 12, 2013
6:30 pm
Black College Dance Exchange Concert
Chicago State University
9501 S King Drive
Admission: $10

Monday
April 22, 2013
Time: TBD
Chicago State University Community Band Concert
Chicago State University
9501 S King Drive

 

South Side Third-Grader Launches Toy Drive for Hurricane Sandy Victims - DNAinfo.com Chicago

South Side Third-Grader Launches Toy Drive for Hurricane Sandy Victims - DNAinfo.com Chicago

Unlike most children his age, Samuel Love is not spending too much time thinking about all the gifts he might get for Christmas.

Instead, the 9-year-old is busy organizing a local toy drive to benefit New York children affected by Hurricane Sandy.

“Christmas is a time of giving and sharing. Not many kids my age think about that, but I do, and that’s why I want to make sure kids in New York have a good Christmas,” the third-grader said.

The student at Beasley Elementary School, 5255 S. State St., lives in the Pill Hill neighborhood on the South Side. He said he thought of holding a toy drive after watching footage of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy on TV.

“That’s when I started thinking about how those kids might not get any gifts this year because their parents can’t afford it,” Samuel said.

Some more info if you want to help this young man out!

He is asking the public to drop off new, unwrapped toys all this week at his school or at Josephine’s Cooking, 436 E. 79th St., a soul-food restaurant in Chatham owned by his grandmother Josephine Wade.

On Saturday, Samuel is hosting a Christmas party at Josephine’s Cooking from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $10 donation required to get in the door, but “if you bring a toy admission, is free,” he said.

He has set a goal of collecting 3,000 toys to distribute to needy kids in New York. Those who attend the Christmas party will be treated to a free buffet lunch. There will also be a Santa Claus on hand to take photos with children for $10. All monies raised will be used to purchase new toys and then shipped to either a military base or a children’s charity in New York for distribution, according to Samuel’s father, Victor Love.

Let's help the young man out and give other children a Christmas this year!

Ben Wilson: A Dream Unfulfilled

  Basketball fans know the names Marcus Liberty, Nick Anderson, Derrick Rose and the 2012-13 consensus #1 high school basketball player Jabari Parker. Marcus Liberty, from Chicago King was the #1 player in the country in 1985 and the rest attended Simeon High School. Chicago basketball fans know all those names and one more Ben Wilson. Ben Wilson became the first Chicago Public League basketball player to be named the consensus #1 basketball player in the country.

 17-year-old Ben (Benji) Wilson was a symbol of everything promising about Chicago. A sweet-natured youngster from the city's fabled South Side, Chatham community, and America's top high school basketball prospect. Nicknamed "Magic Johnson with a jump shot," Wilson's natural talents and drive assured his best years were yet to come.  Ben Wilson  was tragically killed in November 1984 the day before his senior season ,the outpouring of grief city-wide was unprecedented.

 While I understand this ESPN produced this documentary for television I felt that this documentary needed to be shown on the big screen. I feel that all high school students and athletes especially basketball players need to see this documentary. They need to understand that the senseless violence must stop and the hurt of this violence affects more than the person it is afflicted on but it hurts family,friends, team mates, communities, etc.

 I was present at the memorial put on by his Simeon teammates. The memorial held on the courts he made at Cole Park,was attended by Chicago High School basketball elite. Recently, Cole Park has again become a place where basketball best play as the former #1 college player and the current #1 high school playerhave recently played. Unfortunately, I also saw first hand the pain of his death that still exist.

 The timing of this documentary is amazing as in 1984, the 2012-13 consensus #1 high school basketball player again is a Simeon student Jabari Parker.

  The producers and ESPN thought this documentary needed to be seen as well. The documentary has been shown at film festivals around the country including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Last month a special screening took place for the family and close friends on one night and Nike sponsored an invitation only screening the next night at Simeon High School. Now it time for the rest of Chicago to see what so many have talked about.

The Chicago International Film Festival  screened the documentary, three times last week including two screeings with the producers Chike and Coodie.

Finally,  ESPN will air the documentary Tuesday
 October 23,2012
 7pm
 FREE
  

For more information on Ben Wilson, please visit the official website for the Ben Wilson Foundation http://alive-25.com/, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/178516408948866/?fref=ts or Twitter #neverforgotten

CPS Strike update -- good news?

I was briefly at Burnside Scholastic Academy today. There are no photos, because there was really nothing to see.

From what I could see, there were only a handful of children at the school, and seemingly an equal number of CPS staff there (approximately 20).

One of the non-Burnside staff gathered the staff members who walked the children out, and saying they were to gather in a few minutes with some potential good news. He didn't share the details, so we shall see what the news brings.


The police officer on duty said there were approximately 50 teachers gathered outside Burnside from about 6:30am to 10:30am.  They protesters were loud (as most protetsing usually is), but peaceful.  From what he observed the teachers' plan was to picket during that time period every day.


As of 1:15 pm, there was no deal announced yet.


What were your experiences with the school strike today?

Ruggles PTA casino fundraiser

You are invited to pay a visit to the Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Michigan on August 25, 2012. Proceeds will benefit the Ruggles School PTA. Refer to flyer below for more information.

Ruggles LSC candidates...

Today is election day at CPS elementary schools. Today and Thursday are elections for Local School Councils at individual CPS schools. Thursday are election to high school LSCs.

I've been sitting on this for a while so here are some materials if you're to vote at Rugggles Elementary School located at 7831 S. Prairie Avenue. One flyer for an LSC candidate was already shown here, a flyer for Jahmal Cole author of Torch of Decency!

Knowing this is late notice, where ever your neighborhood elementary school is today please go out and cast a vote today! And leave a comment here to let us know at which school did you vote!

There's another election coming up...

And that election will be for our neighborhood schools Local School Council. Torch of Decency author Jahmal Cole has offered us a flyer for the coming election to takes place April 18 at all elementary schools and April 19 at all high schools. Again if you plan to run for an LSC let us know blog @ thesixthward . us. We want to know what you plan to do at our local schools!

Where Do We Go in 2011

In 2010 some major issues came to light in our community. We saw a rise in serious crime that took the life of Officer Thomas Wortham, an up and coming police officer and community leader. We saw the fall of education where one of our high schools Robeson was called one of the worst in the nation and three of our elementary schools, Deneen, Gillespie and Ruggles showed up on CPS probationary list. Lastly, 79th street one of the longest streets in the city of Chicago and once a mecca for African American business now is a street of empty storefronts.

While we have had our struggles this year, the new year 2011 brings a lot of promise. The election of a new mayor, a real aldermandic election, and a community that has wakened up. What do we need to do in 2011? The first topic we want to discuss is education. We cannot continue to make excuses for our schools. Whether they are elementary, secondary or post secondary we MUST demand excellence from our educational institutions. I suggest that after the election for Alderman, that the winner convene several town hall meetings where we have a serious discussions about the problems and how do we fix them. Also, look at the models that are currently being used whether its the traditional, charter, or a hybrid combining the best of both. What will work best for our community? What ideas do you have to better our schools?

Issues at Ruggles?

I had only posted a tweet about this as soon as I got this. And I didn't recognize that this meeting was to take place on Tuesday Nov. 9th at 4:30. Either way I wanted to share some comments at Ruggles School per the man who was responsible for those photographs of wayward signs on 75th Street.

I am chairing this committee and would like to invite all stakeholders interested in the Education of our children to get involved. Minutes of the meeting will be available, via email, seven days after the date of this meeting. Make your request by email.

I made my request and hopefully Mr. Julius Stanley, will allow me to share the minutes of this meeting on the blog.

Also I asked if I could post about this on the blog he not only gave permission, he also offered more comments. My main objective was to post this flyer he attached to his original e-mail. I had already saved that to my scribd account.

There is a problem at Ruggles. Children are not being educated and there seems to be no accountability from the Chicago Public Schools. There will be more coming. My home number is *redacted*. There will be a Principal Evaluation process taking place; a meeting is scheduled for today, at 4:30pm. You need to report--- see the problem for yourself. I'll let you know of future dates in advance.

Also I'm choosing not to share his number, not sure if he'd appreciate that being posted online. ;) I also hope we will have further updates as well.

Review of The Prayer Vigil at Ruggles School

On Friday, May 28, several community residents gathered to pray..for our community for ourselves and for each other. We had "celebrities" such as Ald. Lyle and Philip Jackson of the Black Star Project.  However, they weren't there to promote themselves but simply to pray and be prayed for. Everyone had a chance to pray, and the mood of the playground shifted to one of community and hope.


About 25 people attended, plus a few others (including 2 police officers) at the end.  In the background, kids safely played in the playground.

Thanks so much to Mr. Jackson of the Black Star Project for providing these wonderful photos, helping those who couldn't make to get a picture (literally) of what happened.

After the prayer, we did share some events going in our respective lives and invited others to events people are sponsoring. We will post on them as we receive information. One example is the Deborah Movement. Dorthy Davis, also of Black Star, shared this information at the prayer.

Something i noticed...at the end of the prayer, when i looked around the park all i saw were families...mothers & fathers and their children. Despite evidence of previous beer drinking, on a Friday night at 8pm, no one sitting around Ruggles Park drinking alcohol or  smoking pot or otherwise loitering.

It was a beautiful sight that can - and must - keep happening..

Reminder: tomorrow's pre-emptive prayer strike at Ruggles School

Just a reminder about tomorrow's pre-emptive prayer strike....

Now, i know there are many who are sick of "rallies" and want "action." To be honest, this event may disappoint. For this event, we would focus more on the ACTS prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication) rather than planning to do this or that .

The hope is that people will build prayer (especially for our community) into their lives, and  their daily physical walk becomes a walk with God, where we not only talk but also listen for Him in our day to day lives.  From that, He will guide us to appropriate action.

The other hope is that you will see neighbors who have a similar spiritual perspective, and you can connect with them for future action (in addition to prayer).

JP Paulus and his family will be there. How about you?

A pre-emptive prayer strike against the violence before it happens in our community!

“Back to the Basics”
A Praying City - Chicago

What: Neighbors simply gathering to pray for our neighborhood before summer begins.

When: Friday, May 28, 2010, 6:30pm – 7:30 pm
(but many will gather by 6pm, and continue later in the evening)

Where: Ruggles Elementary School Park, 7831 S. Prairie, Chicago IL 60619
(on 79th, 2 blocks west of King Drive, 4 blocks east of the Dan Ryan)

Bring family and a friend – or 5!

For more information, contact Ms. Brown at 773-712-4203

Pre-Emptive prayer strike at Ruggles School = May 28

JP Paulus and his family will be there. How about you?

A pre-emptive prayer strike against the violence before it happens in our community!

“Back to the Basics”
A Praying City - Chicago

What: Neighbors simply gathering to pray for our neighborhood before summer begins.
When: Friday, May 28, 2010, 6:30pm – 7:30 pm
(but many will gather by 6pm, and continue later in the evening)

Where: Ruggles Elementary School Park, 7831 S. Prairie, Chicago IL 60619
(on 79th, 2 blocks west of King Drive, 4 blocks east of the Dan Ryan)

Bring family and a friend – or 5!

For more information, contact Ms. Brown at 773-712-4203

Today is the National Day of Prayer...

Are there any activities happening in The Sixth Ward in regards to the National Day of Prayer?







Also, a reminder about the "pre-emptive Prayer Strike" at Ruggles School on Friday, May 28 at 6:3 pm.

Pre-emptive prayer strike and addressing crime

Two things...first a reminder about tomorrow's meeting with Alderman Lyle and the community, addressing the issue of crime. It will be held at St. Mark United Methodist Church (8441 S. St. Lawrence) at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 5.

Later on this month, I (JP Paulus) along with some others in the community, are holding a "pre-emptive prayer strike", to pray for peace, as well as listening to God for our role as peacemakers in our community.

A flyer is being produced for distribution, which should be ready on Friday.

Here's the text:

A pre-emptive prayer strike against the violence
before it happens in
our community!

“Back to the Basics”
A Praying City
Chicago

What: Neighbors simply gathering to pray for our neighborhood before summer
begins.
When: Friday, May 28, 2010
6:30pm – 7:30 pm
(but many will gather by 6pm, and continue later in the evening)

Where: Ruggles Elementary School Park
7831 S. Prairie, Chicago IL 60619
(on 79th, 2 blocks west of King Drive, 4 blocks east of the Dan Ryan)

Bring family and a friend – or 5!

For more information, contact Ms. Brown at 773-712-4203

We hope you can make it!

Election Report from Ruggles School

A quick report from Ruggles....

It was slow when we went, as far as the day was concerned. AT 1pm, there had only been about 49 people who voted.

There were 8 machines for our side of the gym (another precinct had the other side of the gym). However, only ONE (1!) had the touch screen...the rest were the optical scanner. It seems strange that we don'tmore touch screen machines...weren't these supposed to be the new thing?  Anyone prefer the paper ballot?

There were about 7 people voting, including my down the street neighbor and her husband.(We didn't get a chance to talk, unfortunately).

The judges were friendly and not yet weary, though expecting it.

Signs were in front of the school near the office, but away from the Gym entrance where the election was actually held.

Nothing special, but nothing bad either. (In Rogers Park, Bernie Stone's people tried to steer us to voting for him; no shenanigans here).


What was your experience voting?