Englewood violence limits summer for children

John wrote:

First off I'd like to say this is a brilliant article. It provides insight that we almost never see. All we ever hear from some of these neighborhoods are stories of shootings and violence but an article like this shows the reality of living in an area like Englewood and how most of the people there are good, decent people that just want to raise their children in a safe enviornment.
As for the people who continually criticize blacks living in these areas, GET OVER YOURSELF. When is the last time you were actually in Englewood? Have you seen these neighborhoods? There are no opportunities whatsoever for people to better themselves. The schools are terrible, there are no healthy grocery stores or even bookstores. There is nothing. These places are terrorized by our draconian drug laws which empower violent street gangs to continue selling drugs on the black market. If drugs were legalized and regulated, street gangs would cease to exist. People wouldnt need to fight over territory because the stuff would be available at Walgreens. People can already buy drugs, so why not legalize them and take away all the power and money that gangs have?

And when did this neighborhood turn into such a terrible place to live? Was it that way 40 or 30 years ago? No. What changed? The people that live there is what changed. The people that want to blame things on the area don't get it. The area is the people. And they decide the moral and social values within that neighborhood.

Sadly those social values demonstrated in these savage neighborhoods is spreading as each decade passes. More and more of the illiterate, ignorant, and violent members of those neighborhoods are moving (at govt assistance) to other areas previously safe, prosperous, and sociable.

John wrote:

First off I'd like to say this is a brilliant article. It provides insight that we almost never see. All we ever hear from some of these neighborhoods are stories of shootings and violence but an article like this shows the reality of living in an area like Englewood and how most of the people there are good, decent people that just want to raise their children in a safe enviornment.
As for the people who continually criticize blacks living in these areas, GET OVER YOURSELF. When is the last time you were actually in Englewood? Have you seen these neighborhoods? There are no opportunities whatsoever for people to better themselves. The schools are terrible, there are no healthy grocery stores or even bookstores. There is nothing. These places are terrorized by our draconian drug laws which empower violent street gangs to continue selling drugs on the black market. If drugs were legalized and regulated, street gangs would cease to exist. People wouldnt need to fight over territory because the stuff would be available at Walgreens. People can already buy drugs, so why not legalize them and take away all the power and money that gangs have?

I don't visit filth.

And if you were to invite 10 families at random from the Englewood area to live on your block..........you'd regret the decision within hours or at least days.

scooby wrote:

<quoted text> You mean the values that make 95% of white neighborhoods safe to live in?? where shootings aren't a daily occurence?? where people cooperate with the police, look after their homes,take care of and raise their children, hold themselves and offspring accountable?? make sure they go to school and do their homework and are respectful to the teachers?? God forbid us " sheltered " whites try to impose those values on the black community, then we might expect them to actually act like human beings and not savages.

Scooby you have the post of the day!

Only 4 shot on Saturday in Chicago. Well, that was what was reported.

We are getting ready to come home after training and mentoring the Afghan Army and Police for a year. It has been rough, but we seem to be losing another war at home. We are not even fighting it. I'm tired of the excuses from the State and City leadership and their lack of will to do anything. When the 33rd Brigade gets back home, keep us on orders and put us on the street. We will provide the muscle and discipline the Police cannot or will not. This is a form of Terrorism that should be dealt with. People in Urban areas across the state are living in fear. We have taken causalties here, but a very small number compared to the 600+ murdered each year in Chicago. Chicago, you are at WAR and don't even know it.

Here's a crazy idea. Move.

stpony wrote:

We are getting ready to come home after training and mentoring the Afghan Army and Police for a year. It has been rough, but we seem to be losing another war at home. We are not even fighting it. I'm tired of the excuses from the State and City leadership and their lack of will to do anything. When the 33rd Brigade gets back home, keep us on orders and put us on the street. We will provide the muscle and discipline the Police cannot or will not. This is a form of Terrorism that should be dealt with. People in Urban areas across the state are living in fear. We have taken causalties here, but a very small number compared to the 600+ murdered each year in Chicago. Chicago, you are at WAR and don't even know it.

I couldn't agree more!

stpony wrote:

We are getting ready to come home after training and mentoring the Afghan Army and Police for a year. It has been rough, but we seem to be losing another war at home. We are not even fighting it. I'm tired of the excuses from the State and City leadership and their lack of will to do anything. When the 33rd Brigade gets back home, keep us on orders and put us on the street. We will provide the muscle and discipline the Police cannot or will not. This is a form of Terrorism that should be dealt with. People in Urban areas across the state are living in fear. We have taken causalties here, but a very small number compared to the 600+ murdered each year in Chicago. Chicago, you are at WAR and don't even know it.

!st off, thanks for your service to this great country! It means alot to us.

I agree with a bit of your thought but.... Chicago is Not at war. There are little neighborhoods in Chicago at war but all in all Chicago is a Nice, clean peaceful place for a larger Urban area.

Thanks again for your service. You are a Great example for everyone.

Thank God for the grandparents. If it wasn't for the older generation of blacks caring for the kids of absent parents, this neighborhood would be even worse.

Think wrote:

<quoted text>
Where have you been? Honestly, parents? I suggest you read Kozol's Savage Inequalities. It's not only the parents, it's the work ethic of teachers. Half of these children go into these schools with no permanent teacher, better yet no teacher, no role model. Unfortunately, many of these parents do not work flexible schedules, are not stay-at-home parents able to make conferences. At the same time dedicated teachers produce dedicated students. However, you should know by now that dedicated teachers are quite hard to come by in low income neighborhoods. So to clarify, if teachers and administrators had the empathy and motivation to work as hard in these areas as they do in some of the best schools in the suburbs, we would have better schools. Parents cannot be 100% responsible for bettering the schools; it's an unattainable dream for schools in low-income areas.

Speaking solely from personal experience as a teacher in a West Side high school, committed teachers are not enough. I have worked with a fantastic team of educators who arrive long before the first bell, give up their lunch time to help kids and stay after school. Not only are they planning and completing the myriad administrative tasks required, but they are providing a safe and supportive place for the kids.

Still, one of our kids was recently involved in a home invasion, then shot and killed by police when he pointed a gun at them. We have students who come to the ninth grade not knowing how to read! It is the responsibility of the parent to instill values and lay the foundation for a good education. Unfortunately, many parents are not around to support their children. The aforementioned kid didn't have parents in the picture. Before getting self-righteous about the kid who can't read, he's protected under special education laws, but that's an entirely different conversation.

If no one shows an interest in your education or well-being, you're likely to get sucked into the current that exists in your neighborhood. There are heaps of dedicated teachers are standing in the gap for absentee parents, but it still is not enough. We're only human.

maybe if the parents actually PARENTED their children instead of being drug dealers and gang members then the kids would feel safe its all up to the parents

Pablo wrote:

Here's a crazy idea. Move.

I agree. Just move. That's what I did. Move to Des Moines. Move to the country. There are plenty of cheaper places to live than Chicago and you can actually have your kids sit on the porch and not worry about getting shot.

Maybe they wouldn't be poor if they didn't spend all their money on fancy rims, cars, name brand purses, expensive clothes, cell phones,and blue tooth ear pieces.

Do blacks come out of the womb with a blue tooth piece on their ear now?

These people also need to quit having kids. If you are poor and live in the ghetto, what makes you think popping out a couple of kids will make things better? Why have a kid and expose them to this? I don't want to hear the we are not educated on birth control argument. I went to a crappy high school(Thornwood) which is now ghetto and we has sex ed as freshman.

"The schools are terrible, there are no healthy grocery stores or even bookstores."

One of the biggest myths regarding impoverished areas of Chicago is that the schools have less money to spend per student than they do, in say, Edison Park. Within Chicago, property taxes goes into a pot and then is distributed equally to each school regardless of the income of that area. In addition to that, you have Chapter 1 money which is given based on the amount of free or reduced lunches given at a school (to be eligible for this involves a formula involving income and kids within the home). As a result, the students in Englewood have many more dollars spent on them than the students in Edison Park. To say the schools are terrible has more to do with how difficult it is to keep quality persons working in an area that does not value education and has a horrible crime rate.

As for there being no book stores, there are libraries, goodwill shops I am assuming are filled with books, and other ways to get books cheap.

With that said, real changes are going to involve more than a tell it like it is attitude. Maybe it is a start though.

Pablo wrote:

Here's a crazy idea. Move.

They will say they "Cant afford to" or whatever.

I for one Know it can be done. My Wife and I were both in terrible marriages to other people at the time. My wifes ex basically told her how to dress, how to act, what to eat and other things i wont get into. Anyhow... we Both decided together that we had enough and got divorced. also both decided to give our EX`s everything and i mean everything but the clothes off our backs to make that process easy and fast.
We had 2 young kids,$75 dollars and a bus ticket for the 4 of us. We had Just that and knew we would have to keep moving because the kids had Freaks for Grandparents on their sperm donors side that wanted to make their lives and ours a living hell just like their son made my wifes.

Anyhow.... we took off to a little towm a few hundred miles away with the bus tickets, stayed in a very cheap hotel, worked at a "work here pay here" place that paid cash every day. I did this until we had enough money to get a cheap apartment. Soon after that i got a better Job and as soon as i did that, those idiots found us so we moved again. This happened like 4 times in the course of 3 years!! We loved each other though and the kids did and still do think of me as their Dad and there was NO WAY we were going to give up even though we had to start over from almost scratch 4 times in 3 years.

To make a long story short, with very little help and alot of moving, its been 16 years together, we now live in a Beautiful 3 BR/2BA Condo on the Lake. OUR Kids are both grown and happy and working. Everything is Great. But.... It took a heck of alot of guts and hard work to get here. NOTHING was handed to us, ever!!

NOW I am not saying everyone could do what we did or would but.... PLEASE dont tell me it cant be done. If a place is bad enough you can leave. It may be real Hard and you may have to work Real Hard but you can do it.

For us, even though we had the 2 little ones, we knew it was best for them and us even if we had to struggle mightily in the beginning.

Sorry for the long post. I just get so tired of the excuses sometimes, ya know???

If you dont like your life..... CHANGE IT!!!! Please dont expect others to do it for you. You may have to work real hard and you may get real down but in the end it will feel good to have dont it by yourselves. Your children will thank you also.

JRS wrote:

maybe if the parents actually PARENTED their children instead of being drug dealers and gang members then the kids would feel safe its all up to the parents

They may also be able to get a job if they didn't use words like "fittin" . That is what they said in the article.

I'm fittin to go home.

Guess what "boo". If I'm interviewing you for a job and you say Fittin, I'm not funna hire your uneducated @$$

"I see way too many generalizations about "those" people on this board. I'm so sick of sheltered whites trying to force their so called "values" on a group of people that have been neglected by society and the United States government for well over 200 years."

"It's not as if black people are pre-disposed to gang life and violence. They are obviously a product of their surroundings."

I strongly agree with point 2, African Americans are no more pre-disposed to violence than any other group of people. But you cannot have it both ways. The "values of white America" have to be the end goal (I do not believe for one second that there are any universal white values, I am just using this loosely in the context that your comment implied).

Eye M Black wrote:

<quoted text>
They may also be able to get a job if they didn't use words like "fittin" . That is what they said in the article.
I'm fittin to go home.
Guess what "boo". If I'm interviewing you for a job and you say Fittin, I'm not funna hire your uneducated ****

Two guys apply for a job, one named Bob, one named Toneaqua, who gets interviewed?

Eye M Black wrote:

<quoted text>
They may also be able to get a job if they didn't use words like "fittin" . That is what they said in the article.
I'm fittin to go home.
Guess what "boo". If I'm interviewing you for a job and you say Fittin, I'm not funna hire your uneducated ****

Fittin' is slang for fixin' which is slang for planning or preparing. Woo Tang Slang....or something.

Go Poo Poo wrote:

<quoted text>
Two guys apply for a job, one named Bob, one named Toneaqua, who gets interviewed?

What Kind of Job?

And Yes... I know what you were trying to say.