Shorty’s Views: The Depressing Side of the South Side
June 24th, 2011 by Shorty
For as much as I love the South Side, I’m really getting a little depressed living in these parts for several reasons.
First, the paper content on the ground is ridiculous. One day I went out to pick up paper and it filled up a WHOLE bag. I was so mad. If the paper wasn’t on the ground, the wind couldn’t blow it and it wouldn’t be on my property. But just walking down main streets and having the paper chasing you on a windy day is horrible.
Second, the state of the buildings where businesses reside. In my neck of the woods, even the building look like they don’t want to hang around any more. Many have bars on them to prevent burglary. A lot of them are boarded up. Even worse are the ones that are occupied and you really can’t look at them at tell. It’s not a very pretty site. At all..
Third, the hopelessness in faces of the people you pass on the streets. I don’t know the cause of those faces, but I do know that there are so many unhappy people on this side of town and it shows. Literally.
Fourth, people in the community break into the businesses in the community. That’s a jacked up mentality. Actually that’s beyond effed up. You have people who are trying to provide a service to the people in the community but these same people break into their business and inconvenience them on so many levels. So, much for community support.
Fifth, there has been a great increase in crime with the recession and the unemployment rates in many of the community are outrageous! And the perpetrators of crimes are getting younger. Don’t believe me? Attend any CAPS meetings and learn for yourself.
I need to end this side because it’s getting depressing talking about the depressing side of the South Side. Before I go, I would like to know: What are some things about the South Side that depresses you?
King Richard Daley’s Report Card
December 18th, 2010 by Shorty
I was looking for ideas on how to grade public officials in the upcoming 2011 election when I came across an article titled “Grading Daley on community issues” in Newstips by Curtis Black. He cited ratings given by The Developing Government Accountability for the People (DGAP). Apparently, our great city received an overall grade of D because “the city’s performance in several areas had declined since a previous assessment three years earlier.” Even though the DGAP stated “the city,” I would have to look at our great leader, King Richard Daley. Check out their ratings.
Criminal Justice – D
Economic Development – D
Education – D+
Ethics and Corruption – D+
Housing – F
Environment – B+
Transportation – D
You can go to the report card yourself to check out their explanations for the above grades. But, allow me to make my assessment from a South Side Perspective.
Criminal Justice – F – That school to prison pipeline is hot on my side of town. Are there police cars parked outside of schools in King Richard’s community or on the North Side?
Economic Development – F – All one has to do is take Halsted Street from the North Side to the South Side and this will be pretty obvious
Education – D – My friend’s child who attends school in Roseland does not have books for class. I will give Daley credit for feeding the kids. Ok, I have to snatch that credit because the new police stations look better than many of the schools.
Ethics and Corruption – F – No words needed here.
Housing – F – Tearing down CHA homes and moving residents into otherwise established communities without teaching people how to earn an honest living was NOT a good idea. Clearly, people who have never worked for anything do not value possessions – theirs or others. Property values are going down because of people that could care less and are not positively contributing to the community in ANY way. They are NOT residing in King Richard’s community. If they are, I assure you, those families were very carefully selected. This is no offense to any of my readers who are former residents, but you know there are exceptions. Anytime you see mattresses thrown on the side of the road and fast food bags in the middle streets, something is not right.
Environment – F – More money was put into flowers and trees on the South Side than the schools with no books.
Transportation – D – At least some of the buses are still moving. I want to give him credit for expanding the red line farther south but it hasn’t been done yet. But it has been approved. So, he’s borderline C with this one.
I would have to agree with the DGAP about the report. “…despite all of its efforts to beautify and modernize the city, local government does not adequately and equitably serve all of its communities.” And looking at the South Side, that is pretty obvious.
How would you rate King Richard in the areas above?
Shorty’s Views: Cook County Board of Ethics Booklet
December 15th, 2010 by Shorty
Cook County Board of Ethics Booklet
I have a booklet from the Cook County Board of Ethics titled, “Ethics & Campaign Financing: A guide for persons or business entities that have or seek contracts with Cook County” that I picked up from a small business event held by former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger.
As I flipped through the 8 page booklet, it was more of a joke book than one of ethics for those of us who are bombarded with messages about Chicago’s political scene. Check out the topics in the book:
Page 2: Gifts and Favors
Page 3: Regarding Retaining or Hiring Current or Former Cook County Employees
Page 4: Disclosure of Familial Relationships
Page 5-6: Political Contributions
Page 7: Compliance and Penalities
Even though these messages were intended for people who currently have or want to get contracts with the county, I wonder if it was read by and adhered to by the people in charge. Highly unlikely.
What do you think? Do you think Cook County leaders followed at least one piece of advice that was shared in this little booklet?
Are Aldermanic Candidates Really About Change?
December 5th, 2010 by Shorty
Image: bajan.wordpress.com
I’ve been getting a lot of political fliers brandishing the word CHANGE. It is easy to throw this word around because it worked for President Barack Obama, so it should work for them, right?
As we continue to get fliers and other political information from mayoral candidates, I want you to do two things. First, call their offices to schedule meetings to speak with them. See if you can feel them out personally and professionally. Second, find out when debates will be held and be sure to show up. The candidates who fail to show up may not be as interested in change as they say they are. Be sure to find out why they didn’t attend the debates before hurling accusations.
Also, read and pay attention to everything that is printed or heard about aldermanic candidates. That will help you determine if they are really about change or the $110,000 salary that goes along with the position with no job description.
Which changes would you like to see in your community?
Shorty’s Memories of Dr. Margaret Burroughs
November 23rd, 2010 by Shorty
I had the opportunity to have a one-on-one Dr. Margaret Burroughs last year and was truly honored just to be in her presence. We discussed many things during our interview, but there were two things that she emphasized: education and leaving a legacy.
While I thought I understood what it meant to leave a legacy, I didn’t understand the impact of leaving one until I got word that Dr. Burroughs had passed away on Sunday, November 21st. Now, I get it.
From our short time together, she quickly became my favorite living legend. I was in totally inspired and I felt on top of the world after leaving her presence. Allow me to share a few words of wisdom she left me during our interview.
1. The most important thing in life is to do things you enjoy.
2. Everyone has a gift of creativity; you have to bring it out.
3. You have to keep busy if you want to stay alive.
4. Advice to young people: LEARN LEARN LEARN and READ READ READ.
5. Don’t give up hope. Identify your goals in life and move toward them. Don’t let anyone discourage you.
Dr. Margaret Burroughs & Me
I would be remiss if some of her accomplishments were not listed:
- Co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History – the 1st African American museum in the United States and in Chicago
- Co-founder of the South Side Community Arts Center in Chicago;
- The recipient of many honorary degrees including an honorary doctorate degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, her alma mater;
- The “grandmother” of the Park Board in Chicago. Appointed by the late Harold Washington, she was the longest serving member on the board;
- She taught art classes at Statesville Prison once a week. AND she roller skates!!!! You read correctly. Dr. Burroughs gets her roll on! She says that she still has to learn how to go backward!
Needless to say, Dr. Margaret Burroughs will be missed.
Chicago Holds #1 Ranking in Segregated U.S. Cities
November 15th, 2010 by ShortyHonestly, when I first read Chicago Still the Most Segregated U.S. City on The Chicagoist, my first thought was “This is soooo not news.” However, I do believe there are some South Siders that feel that all is well. Well, they did until they were slapped in the face and pocketbooks by the economic crisis, and had to drastically change their lifestyles.
Shawn Stillmaker, the writer of the story, discussed how the clearly defined racial divisions in the city made it easy for predatory lending in predominantly minority communities. The primary focus of his article was real estate.
Allow me to share my thoughts on the racial segregation in our beloved city as an enlightened South Sider. If Chicagoans really paid attention to the unequal distribution of education, resources and economics, then the divisions would be immediately obvious.
Oh, gosh, where should I begin? Let’s start with the abandoned buildings in the community. This number has greatly increased since 2008. Abandoned homes are the main signs that a community is crumbling. And, who knows what goes on in them? Many time activities are taking place that will decrease the value of property in the community even more.
Why is drug distribution the primary economy of many South and West Side communities while economic empowerment through employment and entrepreneurship is encouraged in others? And why is Wal-Mart being pushed as a “savior” of these communities?
It is my understanding that money from the lottery was supposed to go toward education. After conducting a bit of research, I learned that some of it does. But, consider this. South Siders are losers when it comes to the lottery – literally and figuratively. Even though most of the lottery sales are made on the South Side, very few tickets are winners. Can you imagine what would happen if the schools in which the lottery tickets were sold received a small percentage of the proceeds? I would like to think that every student at those schools would have at least one new book in any subject.
I could go on and on, but I’m not. I just wanted to point out some of the things I’ve observed that did not surprised me that Chicago still ranks #1 as the most segregated U.S. City.
Do you think Chicago should hold the title as the #1 segregated U.S. city?
Who Were Those Judges on the Ballot?
November 3rd, 2010 by Shorty
Let me start with my disclaimer: I am not political savvy. However, I have been voting for over 10 years now and have yet to take the time to learn about how to find information on those judges.
Because of my deficiency, I feel more education is needed about the judges on the ballot. I didn’t know who those people were or what they stood for. I do know that I did not take the time to research them, so there were a lot of blank spaces on my ballot.
Can anybody give me some suggestions or advice or how to locate this information?
Shorty Supports Garrard McClendon – And You Should, Too!
October 27th, 2010 by ShortyGarrard McClendon Live, the TV show of Garrard McClendon was snatched from CLTV because of issues with his salary. Apparently, they didn’t want to pay him the amount he was requesting. Their loss.
If you have ever experienced McClendon in person or on screen, you know there is a greater opportunity waiting for his vibrant personality and huge level of knowledge. For those of you who have not really had an encounter with McClendon, check out the following video.
Based on what you’ve seen, do you think CLTV should pay the amount he’s requesting? Or, is he better off without CLTV because a greater opportunity is on the way?
What Does King Richard & George Dub-Ya Have in Common?
October 9th, 2010 by Shorty
Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press
According to Daley & Bush: Parallel Lives by Clarence Page in the the September 12, 2010 issue of the Chicago Tribune, Daley & Bush have the following in common.
More specifically, they are both
- “heirs to political dynasties”
- “namesake sons of powerful political figures”
- “produce spellbinding “locutions” of the English language
- “both would stay in office after their best times had peaked”
Page gave King Richard another accolade. “Daley improved the city’s skyline, commerce and quality of life.” (This statement is another story for another post).
He asked the $1 million question: Why would anyone want the job? That’s a good question. Especially when you see all the people who have come forth for the position since King Richard denounced his throne for the next election year.
These are my thoughts. The next mayor needs to learn from the South Side’s very own President Barack Obama. Mr. President is drowning so deep in bull**** that Bush created that I know his prayer life has increased tremendously since he got into office.
As for Daley’s predecessor. If he or she starts praying now, they may be off to a head start. At least for the first couple days anyway. I still believe that they are going to need a life jacket to help save them from drowning in the deep pile of dung that Daley created. They probably won’t be able to actually govern until about 60 days into the position.
What are some of the issues do you think the next mayor needs to address?
Should I Sacrifice People for Profit?
October 6th, 2010 by Shorty
Currently, I have over 1,500 readers per month with 85% of them being new visitors, and there are absolutely no conversations on this blog. Conversations is one of the ways advertisers determine if they will invest in a blog. It shows that people are reading and are engaged.
I was speaking to someone who said that I could get sponsorship if I had more conversations. To focus on sponsorship means that my focus will switch from sharing resources on the South Side of Chicago and to news and happenings. You’re probably why I can’t do both? I am only one person with a business to build (check it out at www.thewritedesignco.com). Shorty is a hobby I am looking to turn into a business. If I had more writers, that would be possible.
So, I ask you, my readers, do you think I should sacrifice people for profit?