Berwyn YES or NO... fill me in!!! (Chicago, Rockford: sale, real estate)

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

What kind of parents are happy with the schools in Berwyn? Involved or not parents, the schools in Berwyn are challenging.

Those I personally know include an attorney, a financial analyst with an MBA, a political consultant with his own firm, and a young doctor. One of the families is Hispanic and the rest are white. One has a kid at Morton West and the rest are in or about to enter elementary schools. This is not an all-inclusive group of people who may be happy with the school system -- just those I know. All of them value education highly.

Just out of curiosity, what experience do you have with Berwyn schools to call them challenging? Did you send any kids there? And how are Humbolt Park's schools?

[Humboldt1]

I will just flat out ask the question:

How much of the crime in Oak Park, Berwyn, and Forest Park is being commited by:

Whites?
Blacks?
Hispanics?
Asians?

Those are some tough answers that we already know. Also, look at where the crime are occuring in Oak Park for instance, much more as you approach Austin, less as you approach River Forest.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I will just flat out ask the question:

How much of the crime in Oak Park, Berwyn, and Forest Park is being commited by:

Whites?
Blacks?
Hispanics?
Asians?

Those are some tough answers that we already know. Also, look at where the crime are occuring in Oak Park for instance, much more as you approach Austin, less as you approach River Forest.

I could take a very good guess but like to back things up to statistics, which I do not have on this. Regardless, are you suggesting that crime in Oak Park is concentrated to half of the town (Ridgeland on east) but evenly spread out in Berwyn because all of its residents are likely to commit crime? Actually, it isn't. Crime in Berwyn tends to be greater on the north end and less on the south end, somewhat like the East/West divide in Oak Park.

As someone on here once eloquently said, "I don't care if the guy stabbing me is from my town or not!" Crime is crime, and that seems to be the basis of some of these comments. I'm just wondering why it usually isn't discussed as to one community but always discussed as to another.

And as an aside, Berwyn's crime rate was higher in 1996, when it was maybe 10-15% Latino. So I don't know if we can make a sweeping generalization that Hispanics are more likely to commit crime.

[Humboldt1]

I have no problem with hispanics. All of my renters that I chose (I booted 3 black families I inherited when I bought the building after 2 years of pure hell) are hispanic, mexican and puerto rican. They are for the most part hard working though I don't understand the gang sh#t.

Humboldt Park schools SUCK. I would never send my kids to school here. I go to church at Clemente sometimes and get to pass thru metal detectors on my way to service. So sad.

I agree that crime in Berwyn will be more concentrated in certain areas than others.

If and when I have children, my children will have much more success getting into good universities if they go to New Trier, Stevenson, Naperville, Schaumburg, Fremd, or other high rated school districts than Berwyn.

Will your educated friends send their kids to high school in Berwyn or will they go to private school or move to another district? I don't care so much about elementary schools and middle and high school, though I would prefer my children go to a good elementary school as well. For college purposes, I would focus more of my time and energy on giving them a solid high school education.

[BRU67]

Well, one has a kid in Morton West now and so far so good. He's doing very well and seems to be learning. The children of the others are very young. I don't think they know what they're going to do yet. West could look entirely different in 7 or so years when they're ready.

A kid who goes to your referenced schools does indeed have a better chance of success at getting into college. Of course. But just because someone goes to West doesn't automatically mean they're doomed to fail. I know two kids first hand who have gone on to MIT and Cornell from West within the past two years. There's more to it than just the school.

[Humboldt1]

I would just want to increase the odds of my kids succeeding. I wasn't an Einstein and managed to get into good universities even though I went to a crappy rural high school in southern Indiana where the only AP class offered was Calculus. We literally had no other AP classes.

I believe that what the kids learn at home and outside of school is way more important than what is being taught in the classroom.

[ndfmnlf]

I will just flat out ask the question:

How much of the crime in Oak Park, Berwyn, and Forest Park is being commited by:

Whites?
Blacks?
Hispanics?
Asians?

Those are some tough answers that we already know. Also, look at where the crime are occuring in Oak Park for instance, much more as you approach Austin, less as you approach River Forest.

You need to adjust the comparison among ethnic groups for income.

[Humboldt1]

Adjust for income and there are fewer differences, but still differences amongst various ethnic groups. I would argue it is more about culture than it is about affluence. I grew up around lots of poor white people in rural southern Indiana and we had very little crime.

Now, they have crystal meth to deal with but even with this crime is very low. Most murders and assaults are domestic in nature. They do not have gangs to deal with. The only gang activity you ever get is when the occasional idiot is stopped along the highway transporting drugs or guns between major metro areas. We actually had a group who were transporting $7.2MM worth of cocaine from Miami to Chicago whose car slid off the road during a snow storm and the police were called to the scene when the SUVs occupants were seen moving bags from the disabled vehicle to another vehicle. Pure stupidity, just like the drug smugglers who get pulled over for speeding. If I were moving drugs I would certainly drive within the speed limit.

Poverty is certainly a factor in increased crime, but not the only factor.

[ndfmnlf]

Adjust for income and there are fewer differences, but still differences amongst various ethnic groups. I would argue it is more about culture than it is about affluence. I grew up around lots of poor white people in rural southern Indiana and we had very little crime.

Show the data then.

[aragx6]

You also need to adjust for density levels.

When folks live on top of each other in squalor, everything changes.

Had a friend in college who grew up dirt poor - and I do mean dirt. But they had a little house on a little bit of land that had come down through her family, she had a car that (usually) ran and they grew their own food when her parents were unemployed. This is pretty typical of the rural poor, and while their plight is still very scary and children still go to bed with their little tummies empty, in contrast to the live-on-top-of-each-other type squalor of the urban ghettos it seems almost OK.