>> THE NORTHWEST SIDE COMMUNITY
OF AVONDALE IS A DIVERSE
NEIGHBORHOOD WITH AN INDUSTRIAL
HISTORY.
LOCATED NEAR THE KENNEDY
EXPRESSWAY AND THE CHICAGO RIVER
IT HAS SIGNIFICANT POLISH,
LATINO EASTERN EUROPEAN AND
ASIAN POPULATIONS AND RESIDENTS
AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE
CONCERNED GENTRIFICATION MIGHT
DISPLACE LONG TIME NEIGHBORS.
BRANDIS FRIEDMAN SPENT THE DAY
REPORTING FROM AVONDALE AS PART
OF OUR "IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
SERIES" AND JOINS US NOW LIVE.
>> GENTRIFICATION IS A CONCERN
FOR NEIGHBORS HERE IN AVONDALE
AS IS A LACK OF GREENSPACE.
WE FOUND A BIT OF IT.
THIS IS A GARDEN AT ADDISON AND
AVONDALE ONE OF THE FEW PUBLIC
SPACES AND WE'LL GET INTO HOW
RESIDENTS ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS
THAT SHORTAGE.
FIRST BACKGROUND, AVONDALE HAS
LOST POPULATION OVER THE YEARS
DOWN NEARLY 3% SINCE 2010 AND
11.5% SINCE 2000.
THIS IS A LOWER MIDDLE INCOME
COMMUNITY THE MEDIAN INCOME
$66,000 TODAY THERE'S 34% WHITE
AND 56% HISPANIC.
OFFICER ZOBY SOTO SAYS THIS
COMMUNITY USED TO BE KNOWN AS
THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT BUILT
CHICAGO.
IN FACT SHE LEARNED A FUN FACT
ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO OWNED HER
HOME BEFORE SHE MOVED IN 28
YEARS AGO.
>> COME BACK TO VISIT AND I
SINCE LEARNED AT THAT TIME THE
GENTLEMAN HELPED BUILD SEARS
TOWER.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE
BACK IN THE DAY, DID A LOT OF
THAT WORK THEY WERE CONSTRUCTION
WORKERS, COPS, THEY WERE IN
LABOR, RIGHT WORKING IN LABOR.
>> NOW, ZOBY SOTO SAYS SHE HAS
SEEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE
RACIALLY AND SOCIOECONOMICLY TO
THE POINT SHE IS CONCERNED THAT
NEW CONDO BUILDINGS WILL LEAD TO
GENTRIFICATION WHEN SHE WOULD
LIKE TO SEE MORE AFFORDABLE
HOUSING IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I MIGHT HAVE NOTICED SHE IS
WEARING A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY
T-SHIRT AND IS A PROPONENT OF
THE SYSTEM AND AVONDALE NEVER
RECEIVED THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IT
WAS PROMISED YEARS AGO.
ONE OF THE REASONS SHE SAYS IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR NEIGHBORS TO
PARTNER WITH THE CHICAGO
METROPOLITAN PLANNING AGENCY FOR
PLANNING TO DEVELOP A
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
>> HAVE A VOICE AND A PLAN SO
WHEN THE DEVELOPERS COME IN, WE
COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THE PLANS
AND SAY DOES THAT FIT WITH THE
VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT
WE WANTED TO SEE FOR OUR FUTURE
INSTEAD OF LETTING IT HAPPEN TO
US.
AND DOING IT ONE BY ONE.
IT IS A BATTLE FIGHTING
DEVELOPERS THAT COME IN AND WANT
TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT AND
HAVING AN ALDERMAN SIGN OFF ON
IT.
>> EARLIER WE MENTIONED
GREENSPACE OR LACK OF IT.
BACK WHEN THIS SECTION OF THE
KENNEDY WAS BUILT IT BUY SECKED
THE --
BY SECTED THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND
CUT INTO THE PARK SPACE.
THE AVONDALE GARDENING ALLIANCE
OPERATES A NEIGHBORHOOD SPACE
LOT THAT BACKS UP TO THE SMALL
PARK AND HAS A VIEW OF THE
INTERSTATE EXPRESSWAY.
THE ALLIANCE POINTS TO THE WORK
THAT IT DOES TO MAKE URBAN
AGRICULTURE ACCESSIBLE.
THIS SPACE IS CALLED THE MINDFUL
LIVING GARDENS, FULL OF FLOWERS
AND FOOD THAT GOES TO THE
AVONDALE MUTUAL AID SOCIETY AND
THE BRIDGE.
ORGANIZERS REPORT SINCE THE
START OF THE PANDEMIC INTEREST
IN THIS GARDENING HAS
SKYROCKETED.
>> WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF FOLKS
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOME OF
OUR MEMBERS REALLY STEP UP IN
AMAZING WAYS TO ADDRESS THE
FINANCIAL AND FOOD INSECURITY
THAT'S RAISED.
AND THE INTEREST IN URBAN
AGRICULTURE, WE THIS TIME TWO
YEARS AGO IN 2019 WHEN WE WERE
DOING OUR LARGEST EVENT, OUR
ON-LINE COMMUNITY WAS ABOUT 350
PEOPLE.
TWO YEARS LATER WE ARE OVER
1500.
>> IN FACT, ONE OF THE ALLIANCE
MEMBERS CONVERTED HER WEDDING
FLORIST BUSINESS INTO A PLANT
BUSINESS BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE DID
ADOPT PANDEMIC PLANTS.
NOW, WITH THE UP AND DOWNS OF
THE PANDEMIC BARS AND
RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE CITY HAVE
HAD TO PIVOT TO KEEP UP WITH THE
CHANGING POLICY AND
RECOMMENDATIONS.
SLEEPING VILLAGE ON BELMONT IS
ONE OF SEVERAL MAKING IT A
POLICY THAT CUSTOMERS MUST BE
MASKED AND SHOW PROOF OF
VACCINATION THEY STARTED THIS
SEVERAL MONTHS ANG WHEN CASES
FELL WHEN THE CASES WERE DOWN
EARLIER THEY BACKED OFF OF IT.
LATELY IT'S BACK IN PLACE.
>> AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I FEEL
MORE CONFIDENT IN MY ABILITY TO
KEEP THE VACCINATED PERSONS SAFE
IN OUR SPACE.
VERSUS SOMEBODY COMING THROUGH
THE DOOR THAT IS UNVACCINATED.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE
FEEDBACK WE'VE GOTTEN HAS BEEN
VERY, VERY POSITIVE.
THE THING WE'RE HEARING MORE
THAN NOT IS THAT PEOPLE FEEL
MORE SAFE IN A SPACE THAT IS
REQUIRING PROOF OF VACCINATION.
>> AND CO-OWNER BILLY HELMKAMP
SAYS THAT WHILE THEY HAVE ONLY
HAD TO TURN AWAY A HANDFUL OF
PEOPLE FOR LACK OF PROOF OF
VACCINATION MOST OF THE
CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN
UNDERSTANDING SINCE THEY KNOW WE
HAVE BEEN IN THE PANDEMIC FOR
ALMOST 18 MONTHS.
PARIS, LATER ON WE'LL HEAR FROM
ONE OF SEVERAL ALDERPEOPLE WHO
REPRESENTS AVONDALE AND TALK
MORE ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN