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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Route of future Red Line extension has been determined

[VIDEO] The long awaited extension continues to move forward with a specific routing south to 130th Street on the far south side of Chicago. Of course there's still a process through getting the financing from the federal and state governments for construction on this new L line can start. When the process ends we're looking towards sometime next decade before the building starts.

Here's a basic map of the future extension via Tribune Graphics
  Also the question is already being asked about how to get the money to build this new L line 
Finally here's the CTA page for the Red Line extension.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Scary police chase on Thursday

[VIDEO] So along the Dan Ryan or Bishop Ford Expressways on Thursday a scary car chase was going on. Three jurisdictions tried to stop the car and they were undeterred, but ultimately the guys in blue got their men. There were injuries, thankfully no one was killed. Two suspects in custody.

As you will see the chase went through West Chesterfield at one point then all the way up to 87th by the Jewel Store off the Dan Ryan and then back west along 95th. Ultimately the chase ended at 93rd & May.

Video courtesy of CBS 2 Chicago. And a map of where this chase ultimately ended.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Documentary of violent crime in Roseland

[VIDEO] Saw this video over at John Ruberry's Marathon Pundit. Ruberry though he's a suburbanite today has roots in the Roseland community.

All the same this documentary produced by Victor J. Maggio - and I would like to see his statistics - lists Roseland as the 8th most violent neighborhood in Chicago. He breaks down the history of Roseland and how it's a wonderful community with such violence. 

The description for this video:
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.
He mentions a number of incidents that take place in the areas north of 95th Street and I'm sure some of you reading this blog might be offended by being lumped in with Roseland. So allow me to share a map with you below which is of the Roseland Community area which is a larger area than of what's considered the Roseland neighborhood further south. So another reason why I want to have a map to reference for your benefit.
Roseland community area
This video does especially mention the murder last year of a Cook County Judge at his home in West Chesterfield. Also mentioned is the murder of a man who owned a non-profit on 95th Street. Eye opening video. Another mention are the Lowden Homes that are west of the Dan Ryan on 95th near Wentworth, cited as the source of these crimes.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Thank you Sen. Donne Trotter

Illinois state capitol - Springfield
In portions of Chicago's 9th Ward Donne Trotter's 34 state senate district covers and area north and easy of the Bishop Ford/Calumet Expressway. So that means he covers Chatham, Chesterfield, West Chesterfield, Roseland Heights, & Pullman.

On Friday he announced his retirement from the Illinois state senate effective immediately. Rich Miller who writes the Capitol Fax blog and newsletter wrote this for the Sun-Times yesterday:
He was the Senate Democrats’ top point person on appropriations for years, and that “budgeteer” status gave him the access and the power to help shape the government in incremental measures with every new state budget. His contributions cannot be minimized. From KidCare, to things like clean needle exchanges, mental health programs, HIV programs – pretty much anything whatsoever to do with improving the health of people in Illinois – Trotter (who has a master’s degree in Health Policy of Jurisprudence from Loyola Law School and was an administrator at Cook County Hospital) has been part of it.

Trotter is also well known for his mentorship of young African Americans. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched him stop a conversation among older people to make sure a young black person’s voice was heard.

Rep. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) is probably one of his most successful mentorships. Sims served on the Senate appropriations staff under Trotter, then became the caucus’ budget director and, after law school, became a state representative who is now chairman of the House Judiciary Criminal Law Committee.
As reported over at Concerned Citizens of Chatham, there is an expectation that Elgie Sims may be Trotter successor to the 34th district seat in the state senate. Continuing:
Sen. Trotter got his political start with Congressman Ralph Metcalfe’s 1974 campaign. Later, Trotter helped register tens of thousands of voters for Harold Washington’s 1983 mayoral campaign. The late Chicago political expert Paul Green used to tell the story about how Mayor Washington was duly impressed when only two voters in Trotter’s assigned precinct cast their ballots for one of the other mayoral candidates.

Trotter thought his big move to the Illinois General Assembly would happen in 1986, when then-Rep. Carol Moseley-Braun decided to run for lieutenant governor. He backed out of the race when the future U.S. senator decided not to run statewide. Instead, Trotter wound up being elected to the House in 1988, after Moseley-Braun was elected Cook County recorder of deeds.

The new legislative district map in 1991 forced him to run for the Senate the following year, where he has served ever since. Trotter turned out to be far more suited to the Senate (he often chafed under House Speaker Michael Madigan’s rule) and quickly became an indispensable member of Senate Democratic Leader Emil Jones’ team. When Jones was elected Senate president, Trotter’s power increased exponentially.
Below is the post from Concerned Citizens of Chatham and we have at least 30 days for Democrat bosses in 34th district to determine who will succeed Trotter.

McDade Elementary School

Visit them online here. There is a nice park in the back with playlots and tables with checker boards. I have a picture of the park. Very nice though the dandelions may not help in making it look nice.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Whole Foods Market distribution facility open in Pullman

This all occurred yesterday including the bread breaking which is what they do when they open new stores. For example they did the same thing upon opening the Whole Foods store at 63rd/Halsted. This is from the Mayor's ig page.
And also Elgie Sims - state representative of the 34th District for Illinois - was also in on the action and also posted a college of pics on his ig page also.



Here are some related tweets to this event from some local media sources



"Strategic gentrication"

Before writing about the story below, what I hope to post about later may be semi-related to this. The new distribution center for Whole Foods is now open for business and what will be posted later are ig posts & tweets related to this significant event. I believe this to be a great boost to the south side Pullman neighborhood where the center will be located.

That said, the post to be continued below is about a charge made last week by a gubernatorial candidate of "strategic gentrification". Of which to be fair there are those who are alleging this with the Whole Foods store that is currently open in Englewood at 63rd Street & Halsted. That said the question could be asked is Whole Foods Market a catalyst for change in a depressed neighborhood offering jobs and better food for an area or is it just part of a strategy of gentrification. You be the judge after you listen to Democrat gubernatorial candidate Christ Kennedy below - he seeks to unseat Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner who is seeking re-election
[VIDEO] The comments of Chris Kennedy - who's running in this year's Democratic primary for Governor and a nephew of the 35th President John F. Kennedy - made some comments that got people talking last week. He thinks that there is "stragetic gentrification" going on in Black communities and his evidence are closed schools and social services facilities. Needless to say as he accused Mayor Emanuel of knowing about this the mayor bristled under the suggestion.

Via Tribune:
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday called Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy’s claim that the mayor is making Chicago “whiter” and wealthier a “hallucinatory” insult.

Emanuel said he’s “looking forward to ideas, not insults” in his first public comments since Kennedy on Wednesday accused him of leading a "strategic gentrification plan” forcing African-American residents out of the city.

“It is easy to cast blame and point fingers,” the mayor said. “Where are the ideas? Where are the solutions, real solutions to real challenges that make those challenges opportunities?”

Emanuel also quoted a Chicago Tribune editorial that was critical of Kennedy’s comments. “As the Chicago Tribune referred to it today as imaginary, hallucinatory,” he said. “I hope nobody ever describes any of my ideas that way.”
...
Emanuel on Friday said he was troubled by the city’s black population decline and said the factors behind the drop can’t be explained in brief television news segments. “Of course it troubles me, which is why we’re making an investment in the neighborhoods across the city of Chicago. That’s a longer discussion, that’s going to take longer than standing here and get snipped and cut up later when it gets produced,” he said.

Support among African-American Chicagoans remains a potential political weakness for Emanuel as he gears up for a 2019 re-election run.
Over at Capitol Fax an excerpt of a Kennedy press release:
Statement from Rebecca Evans, spokeswoman for Chris Kennedy:

Unlike JB Pritzker, who continues to remain silent to protect the political establishment, Chris Kennedy has the political courage to speak truth to power. He will stand up to anyone regardless of party, position or influence if it means standing up for justice, equality and opportunity for everyone in Illinois.

Chris Kennedy isn’t hiding behind $17 million worth of scripted TV ads. He will use his voice to stand up for what is right even if it’s calling out inconvenient truths that are hurting people of color in Chicago.

He has said from the start of this campaign that he wants to dismantle the structural inequities that exist in our government. He has put forward real solutions and plans on how we can do it. We must allow an elected school board, stop closing public schools, put an end to the discriminatory property tax racket, and fully address the civil rights violations described in the Department of Justice’s report on the Chicago Police Department.
Ah so two Democrats are at odds here. Rahm Emanuel isn't too thrilled with Kennedy's comments and it seems the campaign is going along with it.