Harvey Street Gangs/ Where and who are you?

My family lived there since depression days at least. I lived there from 1963-1984. Most of our neighbors were driven out by unscrupulous real estate people, a corrupt mayor, federal officials, HUD money, and crooks like Jackson and the NAACP. In fact I lived on the only street in the U.S. that the postal service refuses to deliver mail to. It was a beautiful and peaceful city until the likes of above destroyed it. "True Harveynite," you're wrong.

harvey started it's downward spiral with dj and hasn't had a good , truly honest mayor since.

True Harveynite wrote:

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You must be out of your mind, Harvey was corrupted before Mayor Graves took office. Please know your facts, I do not believe anyone posting comments on this site every been to Harvey let lone lived in Harvey.

The first "true and exposed" corruption began in Harvey during the "Blockbuster" scam of the mid 60's. Google "Block Busters Chicago"
Corruption then slowed down in the 70's, picked up in the late 80's and sky rocketed in the recent times (Drugs)

I agree to a point, you probably did not like graves because of his color, but graves improved harvey, i dont know about corruption in that admin, but the improvements and progress did happen in his admin, then when he lost, kellogg, took us the rest of the way on our downward spiral.

Hey EX-Harvey. What you are saying is so true to a big extent. There was some action in the 70's to reduce red-lining by limiting the number of for sale signs on a block and maybe a few other things. However your search term for Google didn't produce much when I checked (at least the first few pages), except a very stilted report in The Chicago Reporter. It is hard to believe that what they reported in their article called "Block Busting" could present the right concept. But then "white flight" and the abuse (hate and discrimination of other colors) one suffered who stayed in neighborhoods (by most of the newer residents, leaders and gangs) in Harvey would not be politically correct to report then or now. Our story is untold in the press.

Sorry EX-Harvey. You were right about a Google search. When I used the term "block-busting" or "blockbusting" it produced some articles. Also I erred on the Chicago Reporter article just a bit. It is called "Block Buster".'Hoping your life is good.

UsedTo LiveThere wrote:

Sorry EX-Harvey. You were right about a Google search. When I used the term "block-busting" or "blockbusting" it produced some articles. Also I erred on the Chicago Reporter article just a bit. It is called "Block Buster".'Hoping your life is good.

Pretty interesting corruption in that Block Buster scam eh? I was 9 years old when one came up to our door & dad chased him away. "We built this house and we're not selling" There were 7 for sale signs the next morning. By 1965, one year later, we were the only whites from wood st west for around 3 blocks. During the Foremost riots, we were the only white family, West of wood till Dixie highway just about. Parents stayed till 85'.

We saw the same thing on Marshfield - the block the Post Office is afraid of today.

It was similar to the corruption heard of in the news recently. First there was the corruption of officials and real estate people who practiced block busting. But the second parallels today in that using HUD money, corrupt real estate people, bankers, and government officials allowed those properties to be sold to people who meant well but often didn't have the money and after a big repair bill or other emergency lost all they had. That also moved the gangs to Harvey and increased the distrust and anger of residents new and old. On our street it began with a family who told us (2 doors down) that the NAACP provided them the money to move into neighborhoods and start the process. Then after it began they would move to another neighborhood. My folks stayed until '84. They made good friends of their new neighbors who would. But it became increasing dangerous for them to live their.

UsedTo LiveThere wrote:

We saw the same thing on Marshfield - the block the Post Office is afraid of today.
It was similar to the corruption heard of in the news recently. First there was the corruption of officials and real estate people who practiced block busting. But the second parallels today in that using HUD money, corrupt real estate people, bankers, and government officials allowed those properties to be sold to people who meant well but often didn't have the money and after a big repair bill or other emergency lost all they had. That also moved the gangs to Harvey and increased the distrust and anger of residents new and old. On our street it began with a family who told us (2 doors down) that the NAACP provided them the money to move into neighborhoods and start the process. Then after it began they would move to another neighborhood. My folks stayed until '84. They made good friends of their new neighbors who would. But it became increasing dangerous for them to live their.

That is sad indeed. The leadership in the 80's never fostered an environment of ethnic pride, say through festivals, Arts and other culture based events. The feelings were more like "us and them" rather than a melting pot. This ,I believe was fostered by the huge influx of families from the south and the chicago projects looking for a safer environment. The actual influx increased flow was the fault, again, of the block buster scam. To the Irish, Polish, English,German,and other Slavs that stayed, in their minds, it ws more of an occupation/invasion, rather than a blended peaceful time. I remember well.

DEAD WRONG wrote:

ITS NOT THE BANGERS FAULT THAT HARVEY IS THE WAY IT IS HARVEY BEEN CRAZY SINCE CRACK HIT THE STREETS. IF YOU WANT TO BLAME PEOPLE BLAME THE CROOKED POLICE AND THAT SO CALLED MAYOR DALEY FOR TEARIN THE PROJECTS DOWN AND SENDING PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE MOST OF THEIR LIFE ALL OVER CROOK COUNTY.THAT BEING SAID,HARVEY JUST GOT CRAZIER.WELCOME 2 THE JUNGLE.

Like I've been saying for three years.....the people have to take a stand and demand change.

Graves had the dope dealers ducking and hiding on his watch as mayor. You did not see the dope boys on the corner or the prostitutes. I am not going to say he ended crime but his boys were no joke. The PD was respected. He fired the idiots that the current idiot brought back. The reason Harvey fell to the current state is due to the black citizens wanted a black man to lead them. How has that worked?

There will definitely not be any of the so called gang members/bangers on this post. They are too busy creating chaos and standing on corners loitering businesses and looking stupid to have any reason for reading posts.

Ex- Harvey wrote:

Solitude,
You're right in the fact that kids who in gangs are trying to find an identity. They're to find the three emotional needs that they're not getting, or not getting enough of at home. They are the need to love & be loved, the need to belong to something, and the need to be recognized. At any time, a good parent, teacher, neighbor, etc. can replace one or more of them for a gangbanger. It takes educaton, caring and discipline.
Corruption does start with politicians, but gangs do provide great kickbacks, and scared or cooperative people provide great cover. This is where the battle must start.
Neighborhood watch prgrams that are tied in with the state police, media and statre departments. Media exposing street gangs and state police exposing local corruption will scare gangs into moving. They don't like exposure.
There's not going to be a drug trade in Harvey if people mix media and standing up for the town with the state.

I would love to see you send in comments to citynews@comcast.net

Legalize it, put a 21 year old age limit on it and tax it. Money for schools and hospitals and remove the strength from the gangs.

Every State in the USA is way over budget.Police have been fightening the pot war for 40 years and have not won the war.Think of the money that has been spent on the pot war alone,I'm sure that money could have been spent on something more useful.

I for one am not bashing the police in anyway,God Bless the police but we live in a different world these days and maybe we need to re-think some of these laws. If the gangs make that much money from selling pot alone, imagine how much money uncle sam can make of it on taxes.

People drink a six pack of beer and want to fight, You won't get that from someone smoking pot.Huge difference if you ask me.:)

Kush wrote:

Legalize it, put a 21 year old age limit on it and tax it. Money for schools and hospitals and remove the strength from the gangs.
Every State in the USA is way over budget.Police have been fightening the pot war for 40 years and have not won the war.Think of the money that has been spent on the pot war alone,I'm sure that money could have been spent on something more useful.
I for one am not bashing the police in anyway,God Bless the police but we live in a different world these days and maybe we need to re-think some of these laws. If the gangs make that much money from selling pot alone, imagine how much money uncle sam can make of it on taxes.
People drink a six pack of beer and want to fight, You won't get that from someone smoking pot.Huge difference if you ask me.:)

I agree that it should be legalzed. The reason that the government won't legalize it is because they would lose more than they gain: how?
If you consider the salaries that are at taxpayers expense in relation to drugs, drug related crimes and drug relate social ills, you will find that:
a large number of social service agencies deal with social ills related to substance abuse whether it is with those that suffer from the disease firsthand (addicts) or their children
a large number of law enforcement officers, agencies spend a lot of money in salaries for officers that patrol the streets and lock up dope fiends as well as some of the petty pushers; the guards in the prison system, the people who are in charge of the food, inventory, laundry, maintenence, etc. most of that kind of work is contracted out in the prison system.
the number of officers and politicians that make more money by looking the other way:

Unless you live under a rock or you are truly disassociated from your neighborhood, you know who the dope fiends are and the dope dealers. You think the police don't know? Of course they do, but wen we have a system of justice that is not fair, you have local police that purposely look the other way when the offenders are children of friends, or friends themselves.

I say that the government is making plenty of money on the drug trade, front end and back end.

My problem is the kids that push and grow into adults that push and then use. They just keep feeding the system. Most of the pushers that I know from back in the day are now strung out, and its hard to see because they know better.

i just want t knw if any1 still comments on this page.... ok so u guys all hve sumthn t say about the latin kings in harvey ill.. well me t.. i hate thm seriously dislike them thy make me sick t my stomache knowing tht thy can take a life and get away with it like nothing... thy took my friend and let her die by sum lil lake where every1 throws garbage and shyt.. i wnt thm caught we wnt justice for her.. the latin kings r nutn but sum murders..... if any1 has any info please let us knw..

Y'all is stuppid furrealz ! We use initials, so what Lk lattin kings, Gdk Gangster deciple killer . Sometimes its not just for fun to be in this gang but I have nothing left. No mom, no dad, and I'm only 16 . Were do I go ? But you guyz havnt been here so OFCOURSE you wouldn't understand. You guys should help us, not. Critisizze us. And if we ignore y'all its because , some of us don't want to get killed trynna tlk to you people. Its hard to explainn !

mosha wrote:

i just want t knw if any1 still comments on this page.... ok so u guys all hve sumthn t say about the latin kings in harvey ill.. well me t.. i hate thm seriously dislike them thy make me sick t my stomache knowing tht thy can take a life and get away with it like nothing... thy took my friend and let her die by sum lil lake where every1 throws garbage and shyt.. i wnt thm caught we wnt justice for her.. the latin kings r nutn but sum murders..... if any1 has any info please let us knw..

Yo cussin musta done somethinng. Or was at the wrong place at the wrong time . Look, Not all of us are the same . Some latin king/queens are out of there heads, doing stuppid shit for fun . Latin kingz weren't like that ! We use to say, Justice to the People, Power to the kingz ! I know, people nation yea ,but I also thought of it as innocent ppl, I help protect my neighborhood from rivals. And if your cussin was in a rival neighborhood than she probably, like I said, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Idont care if you haaate latin kings, but , not all of us are the same .

latin Queen loca wrote:

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Yo cussin musta done somethinng. Or was at the wrong place at the wrong time . Look, Not all of us are the same . Some latin king/queens are out of there heads, doing stuppid shit for fun . Latin kingz weren't like that ! We use to say, Justice to the People, Power to the kingz ! I know, people nation yea ,but I also thought of it as innocent ppl, I help protect my neighborhood from rivals. And if your cussin was in a rival neighborhood than she probably, like I said, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Idont care if you haaate latin kings, but , not all of us are the same .

People like this fruitcake live in their own world of senseless violence, occupy property and space they did nothing to earn or maintain. Look at how she//he spells-the taxes going to pay for this persons education was a waste. Yes, you are all the same little lambs that blindly follow leaders who don't care whether you live or die but just want you to do their dirty business for them. Do they offer you a pension...a 401K plan...health benefits? You probably never even think of these things. What are your long term goals? Wake up young one(s) and get out of the gang life while you can easily start a new life. America is a big country and you can start over in a better area. Sugar daddy gang leader is going to take everything he can from you and leave you with jail, death or physically/mentally disabled.