Elmwood park , What is happing to it? (Chicago: sale, real estate market)

[ElmwoodParker]

Originally Posted by BigTed

To anyone who can answer, where specifically have you seen thugs or shady people hanging out i.e. what streets and in the North or South part of town? I'm just interested to know because I haven't seen what you're seeing with the exception of at the gas station that is right across from Chicago. I've seen some suspect people driving around town but I assume that they're from Chicago and just driving through the neighborhood to check it out. I'm close to North Ave and all I see around here are white people.

I've lived in the 1700 block as a kid with parents for 28 years, then when I got married, we bought a home 10 years ago in the 1800 block so I too live very close to North Avenue. So I think I somewhat qualify as an Elmwood Park expert.

I have seen the downfall of Elmwood Park, I send my kids to St. Vincent in River Forest, there is no way in the world I would put my kids in EP schools. Hubby and I both did EP schools K-12 (Elm for me, Mills for him).

The problem with EP starts at Village Hall. Its laughable at how much a family business it has become. The majority of the Village employees all have 3-4 other family member working there too. Our Deputy Chief of Police retired and now he's a part time Code Inspector (he got to keep his village car and still gets to use the Village gas pump though).

The head of the Village Yards (streets and san) has the same exact flowers in his garden that the village workers are planting along Bloomingdale (funny how that works isn't it).

Eastern Europeans on the Northside have invaded our space, they have 3-4 families living in a single family bungalow. My mother and father in law lived in a bungalow on the 2700 block and up until 8 years ago, there was always a parking spot available on their block.....now when we drive pass it (they are deceased) we laugh at how there isn't parking for blocks.

There was a village meeting last night and it was jammed packed, only because there was an letter sent out by an unnamed citizen alerting us to the drive by shooting a couple weeks ago. The village tried to hide that from us.

There is a string of robberies and burgalries along Cortland Avenue, an older couple was bound and gagged in their home. Women's handbags are being stolen from them while walking. The police may be doing something about this but they do not have a visable presence on our streets.

Elmwood Park has changed (it kills me to say this as I still do love this town), but until TPTB start doing something - it will only go downhill.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by ElmwoodParker

There is a string of robberies and burgalries along Cortland Avenue, an older couple was bound and gagged in their home. Women's handbags are being stolen from them while walking. The police may be doing something about this but they do not have a visable presence on our streets.

Looking at the stats, there were WAY more robberies and burglaries in Elmwood Park twenty years ago. Thefts too. I'm starting to think that many Elmwood Park residents have selective memories.

[ndfmnlf]

Some of these foreclosed houses are bought by investors who don't care what direction the town is headed. These investors will then rent these homes, either conventionally or even worse through section 8, and these investors wont sell these homes until the market comes back.

For every transaction, there is a buyer and there is a seller. You attack the buyers/investors for allegedly causing Elmwood Park to deteriorate. But how did they get a foothold in EP? Isn't it because some long term EP residents decided to sell their homes? Yes indeed, those members of your "tightly knit community" decided to sell their homes to the newcomers. Nobody forced them to sell. Nobody kicked them out of their homes. It was their voluntary decision to do so, from which they presumably made a profit.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by BigTed

I needed to stop for gas earlier tonight at the gas station on Diversey and Harlem and ironically there was a gathering of 4-5 thug-looking black kids (i.e. shirts down to their knees w/ baggy jeans and 3 had hats cocked to the side) and 3 squad cars there basically watching them. It made me think of this thread. Not sure how many, if any, of the kids live in EP but Chicago is right across the street so it's possible they were just hanging out there. Maybe it's mainly the north side of town that is getting worse? If anyone has had any bad experiences in EP or seen anything lately feel free to chime in as I'm obviously interested in hearing about it.

So because they're black and have a different style than you they must be doing something illegal?

If you are representative of the type of folks in Elmwood Park, no wonder people think it's going down hill. That's sheer ignorance.

[David Hammond]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Looking at the stats, there were WAY more robberies and burglaries in Elmwood Park twenty years ago. Thefts too. I'm starting to think that many Elmwood Park residents have selective memories.

source? link?

thanks

[David Hammond]

Originally Posted by aragx6

So because they're black and have a different style than you they must be doing something illegal?

If you are representative of the type of folks in Elmwood Park, no wonder people think it's going down hill. That's sheer ignorance.

I don't see where he said they were doing something illegal. But facts are facts, that 1 in 9 african american males is in jail, how many others are in the criminal justice system in some other way? (i.e. parole, etc.) Either BigTed already knows this, or he just has good instincts.

Just as it is a fact that men commit more crimes than women, young people more than old, it is also an indisputable fact that blacks commit more violent crime than whites.

Therefore, "profiling" is justified, and it's smart and efficient policing. Why should police spend equal time policing women when it is men that commit more crimes? Why shouldn't the police profile youths over senior citizens? That's being efficient and realistic. It also stands to logic that police should profile based on race, just like they already do with age and sex which nobody, not even a feminist, complains about.

If the IRS and FBI profile white-middle aged guys for white-collar crime, and don't equally spend time policing and profiling, say, hispanic laborers or unemployed black teens for being massive tax frauds, is there anyone here who would cry and complain that this is boo-hoo evil and unequal "profiling" targeted against the White man?

[hsw]

Originally Posted by David Hammond

I don't see where he said they were doing something illegal. But facts are facts, that 1 in 9 african american males is in jail, how many others are in the criminal justice system in some other way? (i.e. parole, etc.)

Just as it is a fact that men commit more crimes than women, young people more than old, it is also an indisputable fact that blacks commit more crimes than whites.

Therefore, "profiling" is justified, and it's smart and efficient policing. Why should police spend equal time policing women when it is men that commit more crimes? Why shouldn't the police profile youths over senior citizens? That's being efficient and realistic. It also stands to logic that police should profile based on race, just like they already do with age and sex which nobody, not even a feminist, complains about. If they IRS and FBI profile white-middle aged guys for white-collar crime, and don't equally spend time policing and profiling, say, hispanic laborers or unemploye black teens for being massive tax cheats, is there anyone here who would complain that this is bad, unequal, and evil "profiling" against the White man?

I doubt it. It's realistic.

Well said

Prefer to live in a region where the police are competent in "profiling" to prevent/deter criminals...many socialist/overly PC places could better protect law-abiding citizens via such common-sense law enforcement...

[Humboldt1]

People who look and act like thugs should be treated as such, regardless of race. I fully support the police harrassing individuals like this hanging out on street corners.

In my small town with all white people the police would harrass those who cruised up and down the main street, with many of these youths hanging out late and drinking. There are no blacks and were no hispanics when I gre up though maybe hispanics are less than 1 percent of the population now.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by David Hammond

source? link?

thanks

Just look back through this thread. Someone already posted some stats comparing 1996 to today, and the index crimes have been cut in half in the last 12 years. I'm not going to look it up for you.

[johnm68]

So because they're black and have a different style than you they must be doing something illegal?

If you are representative of the type of folks in Elmwood Park, no wonder people think it's going down hill. That's sheer ignorance.

That's unfair. Anyone with a modicum of common sense who has lived in and around Chicago and the near west suburbs for any length of time can identify and distinguish the thugs from the decent citizens. I don't think Big Ted is out of line for making this observation, and I don't think it's at all ignorant. In fact, I'd go so far to say that 99% of black or hispanic teens who wear their caps to one side are signaling gang affiliation, simply because a black or hispanic kid who's not interested in banging would have more sense than to make himself a target by holding himself out as a gang member.