In
class this week, we learned that the Black Ghetto was constructed through a
well drafted institutional practices, private behaviors, and public policies by
which whites sought to contain the growth of urban black populations. After the
construction of Ghettos, blacks were forced to live there and doing so, they experienced
an extreme level of social isolation. For a better understanding, we always
looked back on Chicago to understand how systematic segregation works. For example,
we discussed how the development of infrastructure divided the East from the
West and how after the Housing Act of 1949 was passed, public housing was
purposely built in certain areas to keep low-income blacks out of more stable
neighborhoods, and redlining just to name a few. We even talked about some
public housing sites, like Robert Taylor, Henry Horner, and Cabrini Green, but
I think there is another that we should shed light upon. This particular one is
Altgeld Gardens. Altgeld Gardens was built in 1945 and it consists of 1,971
rowhomes in Riverdale IL. Although it is considered to be in Riverdale, it is
still part of the Chicago Housing Authority. Looking at the location of this
complex, isolation just screams out to me. They are surrounded by literally
nothing. Altgeld Gardens is located South of Chicago and expands from 130th-138th
streets between Greenwood and St. Lawrence (respectively). The Gardens is about 19.6 mi away from
Downtown Chicago, which can take up to 34 minutes in a car depending on
traffic. However, on public transportation, that ride can be over an hour. I
mention travel times because there is only one bus that travels back and forth
from 95th in the Dan Ryan, that travels on south Michigan Avenue all
the way up to 130th street into the gardens. So traveling to a job
or anywhere else for that matter becomes draining. They have one and only one
local store where they can get food, which is not a good variety or quality for
a high price because of the convenience. Luckily, there are 4 schools within
the neighborhood, but there is not much variety between them. For example, one
of the high schools is a charter and one is a military academy. Charter schools
go by lottery so there is no guaranteed acceptance and we cannot assume that
military school is for everyone. Environment
wise, Altgeld is located in near numerous manufacturing plants, former steel
mills, and waste dumps. Because of this many residents have been and still are
concerned about the number of deaths annually from cancer and other diseases. I
couldn’t find any direct numbers as to how many people occupy Altgeld or crime
rates, but from personal experience I know that the community is no stranger to
crime. I was first introduced to Altgeld Gardens when my mother began working at
a child care center located with the community. It was my first time really in
any type of “project housing.” Riding through the Gardens, looked like a lot of
the things we saw in There Are No
Children Here, as far as people just hanging out all over everywhere
because they really had nothing else to do, and nowhere else to go. I can
recall my mother telling me about a resident telling her she had never been
downtown Chicago before. In this day in age, it is almost hard to believe that
anyone who lives at least 20 miles from a metro city has never even visited it
before. I also believe the residents of Altgeld have lost hope to make anything
of themselves. My mother often talks about how sometimes programs and resources
are provided to the community, for example job training, but after a session or
2, they just stop showing up so programs just pack up and leave. It seems as
though they have just become content with their circumstances and that’s just
the way it is. Kind of how LaJoe felt in There
Are No Children Here.
Map of Altgeld http://www.thecha.org/residents/public-housing/altgeld-gardens-and-phillip-murray-homes/
Post about environmental issues http://wethepeoplemedia.org/altgeld-gardens-environmental-issues/
Video of Altgeld https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YqVvvi4Y8
This article really gained my interest from the title. As the blog started, I didn’t see any relationship to any tropical paradise, but near the end, I started to understand why you called it an “island”. Where I grew up, I was a hop, skip and a jump away from Detroit. I visited there on multiple occasions for various sporting events. I realize now that some people don’t have that kind of opportunity as I did and reading this article really made me think about some of my friends who grew up in the ghetto. It’s sad to think that places like this actually exist and were forged based on public policies, private behaviors, and institutional practices. In my area there were very few public housing locations but in some locations could relate to the scenes described in There Are No Children Here. I’ve seen everything from drive-by shootings to someone peeing on a public tree, not to mention the gang related graffiti that kids in community service were constantly removing. All of my life I was told, “If you don’t get out of this town young, you’ll never leave. It’s a trap.” I love how you compared this ghetto lifestyle and imagery to an island. Although not surrounded by water, it seems people cannot seem to escape this life of welfare dependency, crime, and low class living.
ReplyDeleteAnother way I could really relate to your blog was when you were talking about your mother helping with a child care program. When I was in middle school, I was involved in an out-of-school program that allowed me to teach younger students how to do math. This organization was located in the south side schools, the ones located in the ghetto parts of town. I noticed as we went on with the class, the kids would slowly diminish one by one. I only recalled this event when you mentioned that the individuals would eventually just give up or “pack up and leave” half way through the program.
Overall, this article was a good read with little to no constructive criticisms that I could branch out onto. I find it very interesting reading about different cities and relating them to my own experiences within the areas around, and in my hometown. Also, the pictures set the tone from hopeful to painfully realistic. I liked that.