No. 5 most violent Chicago neighborhood Humboldt Park

[VIDEO] Humboldt Park according to Maggio News posted to YouTube on February 9, 2018. Description

The Humboldt park neighborhood has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the Chicago area. Humboldt is home to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, the Urban Theater Company and one of the most Beautiful parks in the city.

Humboldt has an old connection to the FLAN (Armed Forces of National Liberation) terrorist organization. There is a deep divide amongst the residents over support for the FLAN.

The park is the life blood of this neighborhood. Humboldt Park was once the nation’s greatest public park, the park has tennis courts, an inland beach, baseball fields and bike paths. Humboldt is ranked number 5, on the list of Chicago’s top ten most violent neighborhoods and is one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city.

The riots of the 60s and 70s damaged this neighborhood and forever changed the economic future of Humboldt Park.

Like the other top ten hoods drugs, gangs and lack of opportunity continue to plague the area.

Here's a map of Humboldt Park

Block Club Chi: Boy, 11, On Life Support After Years Of Bullying At CPS Leads To Suicide Attempt, Mom Says

I'm really aching for this boy and his family. He made a suicide attempt as in on life support. Jamari Evans is way too young to be ready to take his own life, as he's really just starting off.

It seems after some extreme actions from his teachers - ideally the ones who really should do what they can to protect him - contributed to his current condition. It's sad that he wasn't getting the support he should've had. It's also sad that highers up with CPS didn't take what his mother said seriously until Evans attempted suicide.

It's strange that he was even denied a transfer from his elementary school. What reason was a transfer to another school denied. This story should be a PR disaster for Chicago Public Schools.

BTW, I find it quite sad that the events that caused this young man to attempt suicide happened at a school named for the father of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson.

Sun-Times: Man fatally hit by Metra Electric train, service resumes with ‘extensive delays #Ward09

Well it's a bit interesting I post that Metra Electric ride along video this morning and there was an incident on that same line this morning near Kensington or 115th Street. Here's a tweet with a link to the Sun-Times story

The CTA will honor Metra tickets for affected riders on the Red Line from 95th to Lake and on the 1, 2, 6, J14, 28, 71, 115 and 119 buses. https://t.co/lyRUkPKgHH

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) February 22, 2019

From the twitter page for the Metra Electric line a new update.

Metra Alert ME - CTA will no longer honor Metra tickets on the Red Line (95th to Lake) and bus route 1, 2, 6, J14, 28, 71, 115 and 119

— Metra Electric (@metraMED) February 22, 2019

Metra Electric ride-along #fbf

[VIDEO] Remember a few years ago that I had shared a video of the CTA Red Line where you would see the whole journey from 95th Street to Howard Street on the north side. What you see above was published on Metra's YouTube channel in May 2017.

In this case you will see the journey of the Metra Electric train from University Park in Will County through the south suburbs and into the city to the Millenium Park station in downtown Chicago just under Randolph Street.

If you want to see it's journey through the south side of Chicago just skip to about 30 mins into this one hour video. Basically you'll see the communities of Ward 9 from about 130th to 95th roughly on it's journey. Of course if you continue watching until it goes into downtown Chicago you will see Hyde Park and Bronzeville along the way.

And it's also interesting to note that this line which also has branches west into Blue Island and east to the South Chicago neighborhood has been part of proposals to become part of the CTA as the grey line. It was also cited as an alternative to building the Red Line extension by a candidate for mayor of Chicago.

Metra Electric Map

No. 6 Chicago most violent neighborhood - Auburn Gresham

[VIDEO] Chicago Auburn Gresham is the next subject of Vic Maggio's series on violent Chicago neighborhoods. It's one you can visit one you get off the expressway just off of 79th Street for example. Maggio writes to this video which was posted on February 2, 2018:

The Auburn Gresham Neighborhood is home to the Thurgood Marshall Branch of the Chicago public library, St. Sabina Church, headed by Rev. Michael Pfleger, and St. Leo campus for veterans, which includes the Catholic Charities' St. Leo's residence-based outpatient clinic.

The Neighborhood has seen many tough times and a lot of violence and has seen a substantial drop in population over the past couple of decades. This is directly due to crime. This neighborhoods gang problem really took off because of the piss poor economy created in the late 70s forcing many young black men to the streets to make a living. This period in time seen the rise of the mega gangs.

I have met a lot of good people in this neighborhood and hope this hood is not on the list next year.

Maggio News

Here's a map of the Auburn Gresham community

 I wanted to share this post over at The Sixth Ward from 2016 with regards to John Ruberry who did an urban exploration of Auburn Gresham. His family once resided in the area and he makes sure to note some of the many abandoned homes there. He even notes the value of controversial Catholic priest Father Michael Pfleger within the community.

Shedd School blog 10 years

Hello my name is Levois in addition to creating this blog I also created The Sixth Ward.

Ten years ago I created this blog in a dorm room at Morehouse College and to be fair I lacked a real plan for this place on the internet. All I remember is that my goal was to just have a place for Shedd School and keep the history of my former elementary school alive. Shedd was where my academic life started.

To be fair (and with apologies to any young people) I just have to admit that often I hated school. It was something I had to do whether or not it was the expectation of my parents or the law. Either way I as a young person would have always fantasized about what the rest of the world was doing while I was sitting in a classroom at a neighborhood school. I couldn't wait to get out of school for the summer though a few times I instead had to do summer school.

So just as many young people do now, I had my ups and downs with school. Perhaps I wasn't getting along well with classmates (i.e. was getting picked on), wasn't getting along well with teachers, parents were upset because of bad grades etc. On the other hand you made many friends a lot of whom were lifelong (and in my case I connect with a lot of them online with social networking), perhaps you still connect with your favorite teachers who are now retired, also you can always reflect on the subjects you loved to learn way back when.

So either way this school which was my first experience with education so many years ago deserves to have something of a legacy. Like I said I had no solid plans for this blog other than taking pics of Bennett or Shedd School or talking about education policy or even now as more of a neighborhood blog. Just bear in mind there were periods of time I even lacked motivation in updating this blog.

So who knows if the emphasis on this blog will change again. What I do hope is that if anyone has any Shedd School history to share feel free to e-mail me. I must also admit that due to the declining enrollment rates in CPS, Shedd has closed their doors and is a building without a use at the moment. Still this was the one place that despite the ups and downs I do have fond memories of.

Shedd School represents my childhood which was by no means perfect. Though I recognize now that the times we had as children speaking for myself it was taken for granted. I'm sure many of us took our childhoods for granted also. However, many of us have grown up have lived our lives and still many of us have children and providing hopefully allowing them their childhoods that they will also take for granted.

So here's to celebrating this blog's 10th anniversary. Perhaps I have motivation for another 10 years at this blog. Time will tell, so I will enjoy this while it lasts.

Random Acts of Kindness Day #rakday

[VIDEO] Something posted this morning from Jahmal Cole at a local Jewel-Osco parking lot. Here's the description he wrote:

What's something simple you can do to improve your community? After I shop, I always take my cart back to the coral. This small habit helps me build muscle to take on bigger challenges. But when something is easy to do, it's just as easy not to do it.

It's just as easy not to greet your neighbor.

It's just as easy not to pick up trash.

It's just as easy not to shovel your neighbor’s snow.

Thank you Jewel-Osco for partnering to spread this message on Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Visit formyblock.org for more.

BTW, we should be doing random acts of kindness everyday. Great message by Mr. Cole.

Travel Advisory: High Risk Funeral Procession #Ward09

You might have seen this from Concerned Citizen's of Chatham and I see that Ald. Anthony Beale posted this as well (at least until it was deleted).

Let me state the route of this procession

Therefore neighborhood advocates involved with peacekeeping activities are calling for all area residents, businesses and faith based organizations to be aware and cautious when using, or crossing, Cottage Grove Ave between 115th street & 67th (Marquette road) between the hours of 1pm until 3pm 2 hours), where a procession leaving the "House of Hope" will travel to Oakwoods cemetery.

From what I'm seeing as far as comments this might involve the funeral of Lawrence "Big Law" Loggins who was murdered earlier this month. Police fear retaliation in his murder.

State Theater 11016 S. Michigan Ave #tbt

The State Theater is one many movie theaters that existed on what was known in local parlance as The Ave. South Michigan Avenue in Roseland during far more prosperous times was a very active destination for local shoppers until the local economy changed after the 1970s.

According to Cinema Treasures this theater was opened in 1922 and as you read in below ig post from Pete Kastanes was demolished in 1997.

No. 7 most violent Chicago neighborhood - South Shore

[VIDEO] This video was published to YouTube via Bloody Chicago on January 26, 2018. As in the earlier videos a basic history of the community is shared in the description.

The South shore neighborhood has some of the most beautiful shore line in the city, and is home to South Shore Cultural Center, Rainbow Beach, Terror Town, and the historic district, the Jackson Park Highlands.

The neighborhood has seen a massive increase in crime since 2000, because of placement of residents from Chicago’s most violent public housing projects and because of this South shore is now the subsidized housing capitol of Chicago.

South Shore is a good example of how political leaders attempted to rectify one mistake with another.

 I hold out hope for South Shore, but unfortunately, I think the damage has already been done.

Maggio News

Here's a map of the South Shore community

In 2017 South Shore was deemed the eviction capitol of Chicago.

Footage of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma #BlackHistoryMonth

[VIDEO] If I had known the success and unfortunate tragedy of Tulsa, Oklahoma's "Black Wall Street" who knows if I would've appreciated knowing this history. It's great to see this wonderful colorized footage of Tulsa's Greenwood community during the course of the 1920s.

And thanks to the late pastor Solomon Sir Jones who shot his film with the then new 16-mm cameras. Most of those films were shot in black & white - although what you see above is colorized. It definitely shows what any Black community anywhere could become. Perhaps an early version of the "Wakanda" we could create.

Anyway while this footage aired on the Smithsonian channel the prints are actually owned by the Yale University Library. And his films - 29 of them over 355 minutes of footage - were selected by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". So aside from what you see above feel free to gain access to these films and see some aspects of Black history come alive.

#tbt Martinique Restaurant formerly stood near 95th/Western

It's funny to find this about The Martinique restaurant/Drury Lane Theater that formerly stood at 2500 W. 95th Street. What exists on this site today includes a Walmart and Sam's Club. You can see an article about this here.

In the early 1990s at least this was the site of my 8th grade class banquet for Bennett School.

What I see from Pete Kastanes on his twitter page I got a kick out of seeing a pic of this ashtray.

Here is an ashtray from The Martinique Restaurant/Drury Lane Theater once located at 2500 W 95th St in Evergreen Park, IL. It’s one of the most missed places in the Chicagoland area that is still talked about today. pic.twitter.com/2cgIUEdFBf

— Pete Kastanes (@DefunctChicago) February 6, 2019

Also here's a photo found from one of Kastanes' FB pages. This was certainly a striking site driving west on 95th Street especially during the 1990s when the restaurant was in operation. I'm glad someone out there took some pics of the sign. Click through the embed to see more pics of this facility.

BTW, GO BADGERS😛

No 8 most violent neighborhood Roseland

[VIDEO] This video I actually shared here last year and will repost that video on this occasion just to share with you the 8th most violent neighborhood according to Vic Maggio and stats he got for HeyJackass.com. Here's the description posted to the video shared on YouTube Janunary 20, 2018:

The Roseland neighborhood is home to the Lowden Projects, the wild 100s.

The Roseland neighborhood by far has one of the best outward physical appearances then most of the other top ten neighborhoods.

Roseland has a decent economic base, good homes and schools, this goes against all the usual arguments of why violence is happening in this neighborhood.

Updated: This year in the Roseland neighborhood, 130 people have been shot and, 36 have been killed and 94 have been wounded. These stats rank Roseland at number 8 on the 2017 list of the most Violent neighborhoods in Chicago. This video was made 5 weeks before the year ended. I meet a lot of good people in this neighborhood and am hoping Roseland does not make the list next year.

And here's a map for your reference of the Roseland community area

Roseland

 In the above video you will see shots of the Lowden Homes on 95th and the surrounding community as well as some shots of the homes of West Chesterfield. Of course that in addition to the great history of Roseland that had been a prosperous community through most of the past century. However, as we've seen of many neighborhoods in the first three videos things just change. It could be the economy or white flight bottom line is that fortunes change...

Experiment #PolarVortex

I saw a few people perform this experiment during our recent cold snap. Boil some water and throw it up into the air once the temps fall to a certain level. See what happens in this ig video from Whitney Young High School.

View this post on Instagram

Ever wonder what principal Dr. Kenner does during a snow day? #SnowDay #chiberia #staywarm

A post shared by Whitney M. Young Magnet HS (@whitneymyounghs) on Jan 31, 2019 at 10:12am PST