Wentworth/Vincennes - 1958 #tbt

Last year I posted a video that showed the last run of CTA's streetcars 61 years ago. The last CTA streetcar was routed from downtown to Vincennes-77th Street now CTA bus route 24. From Chicago History Today (published this on that blog this past March) here's  how the intersection of Vincennes/Wentworth used to look.

From Chicago History Today - Vincennes/Wentworth 1958

Of course if you click through you will see that same place as seen today. I know things change, but I see back in the day a seemingly vibrant neighborhood. It's unbelievable that we're looking at the south side here.

#fbf: A streetcar named retired with video footage

[VIDEO] Since we gotten on this particular subject fairly recently, on June 22, 1958 the last street car ran in Chicago. This was established in another post from last month the former 22A Wentworth which is now the 24 Wentworth bus. Also know that most CTA bus routes are descended from the old streetcars and the "windy city" at one point boasted the world's largest streetcar network

In this vid you see above from CTA' YouTube channel it shows a number of scenes of Chicago streetcars from about 1955 to 1958. Then at about 1:45 mins into the video you will see footage of the last run of the aforementioned route 22A - well actually you see for the sign 22 Vincennes so time to do more research. Anyway we see it on it's run through Chinatown with a police escort as there is a car with a flashing police light on it.

We get to know the men who were on that last streetcar run for CTA William E. Rye was the conductor & Marvin H. McFall was the motorman. Now I wonder what both men did once the last streetcar had been retired. Did they move on to other roles in CTA?

I hope you enjoy this flashback.

Chicago Public School system removes 2 principals amid investigation into how sexual abuse allegations handled

Simeon High School (8147 S Vincennes Ave) by Eric Allix Rogers

We've shared a few piece with regards to sexual abuse allegations within Chicago Public Schools. For our purposes we're just going to focus on the removal of the principal of nearby Simeon High School over sexual abuse allegations by a school volunteer:

Sheldon House, the principal of Simeon Career Academy, was removed amid a newly disclosed allegation of sexual abuse lodged against an unnamed school volunteer. District officials said that allegation was discovered during an audit of “systemic issues” in the school’s background check process.
...
“As a result of district-led investigations into allegations of sexual abuse, two CPS principals were removed from their positions today due to initial findings that suggest they did not effectively safeguard their students,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said in a statement.

“Investigations into both cases remain ongoing, and we will keep the school communities updated as this process moves forward,” she said.

The district announced the administrators’ removal barely more than a day before a scheduled Chicago Board of Education vote to change how CPS investigates allegations of sexual misconduct by adults against students, as well as new practices that would require employees to inform child welfare authorities and supervisors of “any interactions or behaviors which suggest that an adult has or had an inappropriately intimate relationship with a child or may be grooming a child,” even if the employee does not have “reasonable suspicion” of whether any abuse occurred.
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At Simeon, CPS officials said they launched an internal review of “management practices designed to keep students safe,” which occurred amid a Tribune investigation that documented the school’s failure to conduct a mandated criminal background check before making Gerald Gaddy an assistant coach of the boys wrestling and girls track teams starting in 2010.
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CPS officials said the Simeon audit found “systemic issues” in the school’s handling of volunteer background checks, while uncovering an unspecified, new allegation of sexual abuse by an unidentified Simeon volunteer.

The recent allegation “was not handled in accordance with CPS policy,” according to the district. The volunteer is now barred from the school, and the allegation is under investigation.

CPS said it selected Patricia Woodson, a retired former principal, to lead the school until a new principal is selected by Simeon’s local school council.

 Hat-tip Newsalert

#TBT: A streetcar named retire

Since we talked about streetcars (well a fatal accident involving a streetcar) on Wednesday, let's talk about the last time a streetcar ran in Chicago on this day in 1958. Today's post from CTA's official instagram account shows a streetcar with a sign "Last streetcar to run in Chicago". The caption mentions the 22 Clark making it's last run on Vincennes, presumably the the diagonal Vincennes south of 69th Street.

As it happens by 1958, the route along Wentworth & Vincennes became known as the 22A according to chicagorailfan.com. In 1976 the 22A going down Wentworth & Vincennes from downtown Chicago is now known as the 24 Wentworth. The 22 Clark was converted to buses in Sept. 1957.

Here's CTA ig post from today:

Simeon students trash Chatham Market Walmart on 83rd last Thursday

[VIDEO] I'm with Alderman Howard Brookins (Ward 21) where Simeon and the Walmart is located. Ald. Brookins years ago was at the front of a battle to bring Walmart to the south side and by 2011 it was time for a ground breaking to build this store. Indeed it's hard work to bring national retailers to south side neighborhoods as Chatham only for this activity to happen.

As you know last week there were nationwide protests against guns last week and high school students around the nation took part in demonstrations. Unfortunately there were a group of young people who took advantage of being allowed to take part in these protest to engage in this form of mayhem. Not just outright trash the local Walmart store, also to engage in small time theft.

From FOX 32:

Chicago police say it started when students at neighboring Simeon Career Academy were allowed to leave the school for 17 minutes to take part in the nationwide walkout to protest guns.

Police say between 40 and 60 of those students crossed the street and trashed parts of the store, knocking over product displays, yanking items off shelves, breaking packages and stealing small items like chips and candy.

In a statement, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson says: "We are very concerned by these allegations and we are reviewing the matter."

Some of the students that FOX 32 talked to at Simeon say they're angry that a walkout intended to promote peace instead led to vandalism and violence.

In my mind, now this can lead to questions as to whether or not students should be allowed to leave school to engage in activism. I'm all for our young people engaging in various aspects of their civic duty which is certainly to protest, however, we can never tolerate unfortunate incidents such as this.

NAACP Chicago Aldermanic & Mayoral Forums...

If you live in wards 6, 9, & 21 on February 7, 2015 you can check out candidates for your wards and mayoral candidates at Simeon High School located at 8147 S. Vincennes Ave. Of course there are different times for the candidates forum for the schedule wards. Refer to the flyer above titles 2015 candidates forum.

Man shot, then killed by hit-run vehicle

The beginning of the story...

Chicago police Sunday were continuing their search for the person who shot a convicted sex offender and struck him with a vehicle near a lounge in the city's Chatham neighborhood.

An autopsy Sunday showed that the man -- identified as Howard Hodges, 34 -- died from injuries caused by the vehicle, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Two other men also were shot in the incident, which happened near 83rd Street and Vincennes Avenue. Those victims did not suffer life-threatening injuries, police said.

The full story is here at Chicago Breaking News.

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