Residents of gentrifying area angry

**Pedro56** · 08-10-06, 07:15 PM

Residents of gentrifying area angry

August 9, 2006

BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter Advertisement

Being accused of trespassing in your own place, or told that your water bottle really is filled with liquor. Looking suspicious and getting knocked to the ground for it.

Simply feeling you don't belong in the neighborhood anymore.

These are the complaints of hundreds of Cabrini-Green residents who marched Tuesday afternoon to protest the police shooting of 14-year-old Ellis Woodland. They say they've been pushed around by police and pushed out by developers.

"It's crap, man. I was brought up here,'' said Jimmie Blossom, 63, who has since moved out of the neighborhood but visits regularly.

'Nobody can put me down'

"I know they want the neighborhood. . . . It's prime property. They are trying to get the poor people out of here. . . . I got a right to live, too. My God, I got a right to live. I might not have money ... education. But nobody can put me down and kick me in my side."

Chicago Police guided a mostly peaceful march past the Near North police station at 1160 N. Larrabee -- half a block from where Ellis was shot -- to the busy intersection of Division and Clybourn, blocking streets along the way.

There, the group joined hands in an enormous circle just steps from the Starbucks, a symbol of the gentrifying community as Cabrini apartments come down in place of low-rise public housing and upscale developments. A CTA bus was turned back on Division.

Tensions rose at the end of the protest. Protesters winged water bottles at police and brandished broken broom handles and bats in the 1200 block of Larrabee.

Two African-American teens chastised a white police officer with vulgar verbal attacks, challenging him to take his gun off and fight. They also expressed anger at white citizens at the march.

'Community . . . is fed up'

One man allegedly spit on an officer during the march and was sprayed with Mace by police trying to arrest him near Scott and Larrabee, which brought forward the protesters with the broom handles and bats.

And when Thomas Strong, Ellis' uncle, questioned why no one from the department had come to speak to them about what happened, one woman shouted: "Because he's black, and he lives in Cabrini-Green!"

"This a community that is fed up,'' said Dierdre Brewster, a community activist who organized the march. "It's obvious."

asweeney@suntimes.com

**Pedro56** · 08-10-06, 07:17 PM

After receiving free housing, food stamps, link cards, medical care, and SSI for all manner of disability, residents of the Cabrini Green neighborhood are finally fed up with police and developers forcing them out of the neighborhood. They fear the fact they might get somewhere that isnt free, and will interfere with their drug trade.

**Ducky** · 08-10-06, 10:02 PM

Sounds like what is happening here, the houses are all getting remodled and sold for some pretty big bucks. Landlords are tired of their properties going to shit because of the tenants, and the tenants are tired of the fact that we who dislike drug dealing insist on calling the calvary.

**Pedro56** · 08-10-06, 10:14 PM

No, what it is is, the city is tired of the crime so close to downtown and realized that the yuppie will pay and does pay really high prices to live close to downtown Chicago. So the mayor, seeing that the leeches of the projects, pay no taxes, pay no water bills, pay nothing at all and really do not contribute to society what so ever, so what he did is start condemning all the projects and sending its residents to the far outlying suburbs. Everyone is getting mad over loosing control of their drug spots and loosing the free roach/rat infest concrete jungle that they live in.

Cabrini, gotta love it. http://www.gangstacity.net/gctrailer4.wmv

i know I have posted this before but it still makes me laugh everytime I see it.

**bird1** · 08-11-06, 12:18 AM

to see full story of police shooting of 14 year old click here ->http://nbc5.com/video

**Lazy Fed** · 08-11-06, 01:09 AM

Originally Posted by Pedro56

Two African-American teens chastised a white police officer with vulgar verbal attacks, challenging him to take his gun off and fight. They also expressed anger at white citizens at the march.

Hmmmm where is the ACLU crying over this, I bet if the roles were reversed the shit would hit the fan......

**TwanimusPrime** · 08-11-06, 03:50 AM

Welcome to the fabulous world of the welfare state. Where entitlement reigns!

The entire "community" is like a spoiled teenager. Gets everything from mommy and daddy, but when they get in trouble, they just scream "I hate you!" and slam the door. But when allowance time comes up, they'll be first in line for their work free check.

**Piggybank Cop** · 08-11-06, 09:36 AM

OK you guys no holding back.
I want you to fully express yourselves.
Don’t put any sugar coating on this.

**Pedro56** · 08-11-06, 09:50 PM

There is no sugar coating from me. I can't stand the welfare rats. It should be like unemployment 6 mos or get a job, if not lose the check. Not them though, keep collecting, not paying a lick of taxes sucking off of my hard earned money.

**Crimebytes2** · 08-11-06, 10:22 PM

Me, sugar coat? I don't think so. Government is obliged to help children and those who are not able-bodied. Everyone else should be expected to be self-sufficient. I repeat... EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT! The problem is many advocates for the poor believe that the solution to poverty involves giving people money, money, and more money. After all, if poverty is defined as having an income below some socially acceptable level, then the easiest and most direct way of raising poor people above that level is to boost their incomes. Providing such assistance has been the dominant strategy for combating poverty in the United States for many years. Hence, the reason we are a welfare state.

**slamdunc** · 08-11-06, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by TwanimusPrime

Welcome to the fabulous world of the welfare state. Where entitlement reigns!

The entire "community" is like a spoiled teenager. Gets everything from mommy and daddy, but when they get in trouble, they just scream "I hate you!" and slam the door. But when allowance time comes up, they'll be first in line for their work free check.

You just made an excellent analogy; some people just don't know how good they have it.

**So Fla Cop** · 08-12-06, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by fscf3801

Hmmmm where is the ACLU crying over this

**So Fla Cop** · 08-12-06, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Pedro56

After receiving free housing, food stamps, link cards, medical care, and SSI for all manner of disability, residents of the Cabrini Green neighborhood are finally fed up with police and developers forcing them out of the neighborhood. They fear the fact they might get somewhere that isnt free, and will interfere with their drug trade.

That is so correct it is scary.