“If Englewood is this way when you visit I get the feeling there won’t be action like this in 10 or 20 years. It could be the next hot spot. And it has all those nice old homes. Still this is one place you need to be careful.”
– Levois, commenting on our post about cops responding to an incident in Englewood.
The city’s a triage operation. Write Englewood off.
No Chicago neighborhood that’s deteriorated to the point Englewood is at has ever recovered.
Focus on some area that has a better chance of being saved.
Don’t write Englewood off, Englewood is on it”s way up, just stick around.
Jean
Jean,
It’s easy to see the state Englewood’s in.
What do you see that’s moving it up? What signs are there that it’s on the way up?
Well, at least they don’t have to deal with gentrification. Because that would really suck for them, right? I mean, at least they don’t have a bunch of new condos and stuff in their neighborhood, like in Rogers Park and Bronzeville.
Yeah, Englewood’s glass is half full.
Englewood’s glass is below half full. In fact, I would say it’s a gas tank on E. Yes, that was truly terrible to say, in addition to being corny, but it’s the truth.
I really could see that area coming back though. It’s no different than the hopes of people over west thinking the same thing. Who would have thunk that development would be pushing to the United Center, let alone past Western.
And another interesting thing I saw, slightly unrelated, was Businessweek online naming East Garfield Park as one of the Top 10 up and coming neighborhoods in the US. Of course, that was negated by the fact that the runners up in Chicago were the lower west side, which is already happening…And GASP, Cicero (IL).
And another interesting thing I saw, slightly unrelated, was Businessweek online naming East Garfield Park as one of the Top 10 up and coming neighborhoods in the US. Of course, that was negated by the fact that the runners up in Chicago were the lower west side, which is already happening…And GASP, Cicero (IL).
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haha. Did you know last summer the police “lost” the insection of Madison and Sacramento?? No, I know you did not. Yep, right near those new condos and townhomes they build. Lost it. Thugs, looters, gangbangers tearing s— up! Hip-hop style! The black ghetto is bubbling over. 5 min after the police were sent downtown to handle the “rights” of the marching illegals there was a drive by in Englewood. 3 shot. This will be a bloody summer. And the neutered police that Jesse, Sharpton, et al want so bad won’t be able to help. Good luck to everyone, you are on your own.
There is some new construction. You guys should talk to the Rebirth of Englewood Redevelopment Corporation. They’re working on some thing. If gentrification hits Englewood their plan is to help keep Englewood residents in Englewood by giving them job traininga and helping them purchase their own homes. Yeah Englewood is definitely down, but there are assets there that could help bring it back up.
Levois,
Where is that new construction? I’ve missed it on my several visits to Englewood.
Haven’t missed the board-ups and the vacant lots due to burn-outs.
I’ve seen some off of Garfield I think. Couldn’t tell you an exact block. The boarded ups and the vacant lots are definitely not difficult to miss.
There is new construction in Englewood, mainly infill. Not tons, but some. There are also NEWER buildings just north of 63rd on Halsted, and some other areas, around 63rd…Seeing as the area goes from Garfield to 71st, basically Ashland (officially) to the Ryan, it’s a huge area. If you go all the way to Western, which is now referred to as West Englewood, you nearly double the area…
You people all sound like racists. Englewood is African-American. Of course you just want to “write it off” If Englewood were white people you’d say something completely different.
Just like that racist guy a few months ago who said that people who live in Englewood have bad credit scores. Again, Englewood is African-Americans, so he was saying that black people have terrible credit. Jeez.
si se puede,
You’re trivializing the concept of “racism” by invoking it where there’s no basis for it.
If Englewood were white I’d say exactly what I said. I have a basis for what I’ve said about Englewood. You have none for what you’ve said about the commenters here.
But Englewood hasn’t been ‘white’ since the late 19th century. So when you write off Englewood, your really writing off poor black folk. There isn’t really any other way to interpret this thread. It’s racist and not politically correct to ‘write off’ poor African-American whether you want to admit it or not. Are you going to ‘write off’ beverly too? That’s as white as white bread.
Si se puede, I would recommend you read some of the previous posts in this blog, Chatham, Gresham, Bronzeville have all been shown in a positive light. And they are black neighborhoods! That just freaked you out a little didn’t it.
and by the way, Englewood was a very white neighborhood about 50 years ago.
he does have a point there si se puede…i feel you though, but he does have a point.
anon, si se puede —
Stretches of Englewood stayed all-white into the 1970s.
Within the next week or so I’ll be posting some video interviews with elderly African-American ladies who were the first to move onto their block in Englewood 35 years ago. Not 50 years ago; not in the late 19th century.
I am assuming that was a typo on his part.
No stretch of Englewood was all-white into the 70s though. Whites were still living in parts into the early part of the 70s. My mother tells me the story of the time that she got mugged while visiting her father at hospital the over there back in ’67, at knifepoint, by someone who called her Auntie Cracker. She weighs 86 lbs, by the way.
Actually, have a friend who was baptised at St. Basil, if that tells you anything. His family was the last on its block and they moved right after he was born and baptised, in ’75.
Anyway, the sad reality is that race is part of everything in this city. If I were to stop at the church at 65th and Stewart tonight to light a couple of candles, I could be mugged on my way out and called cousin cracker, by the residents of Englewood.
Si, where I agree with you is in the fact that there are some positive things going on in Englewood, some people rolling up there sleeves to help people get out of street life and do something positive – those are the kinds of things that neighborhoods need and the kind of thing that gentrification doesn’t address. I hope you are successful in what you do, if anything at all.
However, crying race about everything does nothing but march the conversation 50 paces backward to the 50s and 60s. Nothing is ideal in this life, or city, but we have made SOME strides, and can continue to make strides if everyone is willing to work.
One more thing about Englewood: there were indeed blacks living in the area as far back as the 40s. There were actually some in my parents’ Catholic grammar school (they got out in the late 40s) – my parents are in their 70s now, if that tells you anything. There was an area of Englewood that was settled into by blacks long before anyone on this blog was born.
Anyway, the sad reality is that race is part of everything in this city. If I were to stop at the church at 65th and Stewart tonight to light a couple of candles, I could be mugged on my way out and called cousin cracker, by the residents of Englewood.
You are a racist for even thinking that!!!!!!