In comparison, I was in Hyde Park last week, home of the President of the United States, and I dined in a trendy restaurant and enjoyed the sights and sound of people socializing on a warm Spring evening. I even saw approximately 10 cops patrolling the streets on bikes alone! You wouldn’t of thought just miles away on the other side of town this sight was unseen. Yet on the West Side, there was no visible police presence, trendy restaurants, bars or boutiques to patronize, and the parks looked like a wasteland.
I’m repeatedly disappointed at the repeated denial of economic and social vitalization needed on and in the West and South Sides of Chicago. Yes, the runoff election occurred in April, but Rahm Emmanuel has been in office for 4 years and our predominantly black neighborhoods are without police presence, great schools comparable to those on the North side, and staples in the community such as a University of Chicago or Presidential Library. Why? Don’t we deserve more!
Are we going to just settle for politics as usual, while revitalization and commercialization occur in other communities? Or are we going to request that all parts of the city are revitalized, and not just those prone to tourists. No community should wake up everyday only to live in squalor, with beat up roads, and a missing business community. No community should be left behind.