Cabrini Green: was it really little hell (Chicago, Lincoln: rentals, crimes)

[key4lp]

Originally Posted by Josef K.

The strangest thing about Cabrini is that it was within walking distance of one of the richest urban neighborhoods in the country. The contrast was surreal.

Another strange thing I remember is when Mayor Byrne moved in there for a few weeks.

I remember it during the early 70's & it didn't seem that bad compared to some other
housing projects like the Robert Taylor homes. But also at that time, it wasn't that far
from Old Town. There were about 2 blocks of OT and the rest going south had a lot
of peep/strip stores. North on Wells would have been a great time to buy property.
But hey, I was just a young kid.

[mas23]

Lets just say, when you have snipers perched on the roof of your apartment,...... thats a big problem

[snoylekim]

Yeah , Mayor Byrne moved in after a particularly violent period , where the gangs threatened to shoot down Channel 7s Chopper and a few other shootings .. The Police would enter Cabrini ..and would enter buildings in the vain pursuit of offenders. Asl any old timer from the 18th District . The only time i know they purposely didn't enter was on News Year Eve, for the obvious reasons. At one point they formed a separate CHA Police force .. which they unceremoniously disbanded one day and fired all the officers .. Robert Taylor, Stateway, Ickes .. all the high rise projects were just as bad , with specific buildings 'owned' by the gangs , shootings, dealing, extortion , etc . Cabrini was just the closest to more affluent areas , and traveling in close proximity was necessary for more people unaccustomed to the squalor and violence . It became a symbol, because it was unavoidable ..it was RIGHT THERE..not a few miles away .

[jonnynonos]

I wasn't around then but Bob Cooley was a cop and talks about cops not responding to calls in it in his book "When Corruption Was King."

[Oildog]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

When I would take a taxi home from the airport, the drivers would refuse to go down Division Street for fear of getting shot.

I had the same issue when I lived there in the 90s. Cabs wouldn't go by the complexes for fear of bullets, robbery or vandalism.

[jonnynonos]

Funny because now Larabee and Oak is basically cab central. All the Indian and Pakistani restaurants are over there for them. They park on those streets and eat for their breaks, essentially in what's left of Cabrini.

[snoylekim]

They used to catch hell for coding out the nuisance calls ( loud gathering , fighting, etc ) ..the big stuff was addressed. That being said, there were special tactics for entering and responding , especially near known gang strongholds ..put it this way .. it'd be more than one 2 man unit ..

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I wasn't around then but Bob Cooley was a cop and talks about cops not responding to calls in it in his book "When Corruption Was King."

One of the best Chicago crime/corruption books out there. That dude knows how to tell a tale:

http://www.whencorruptionwasking.com/

[jonnynonos]

It's one of the best mob books on Chicago for sure. Family Secrets is also great. The same thing in that it takes you through an amazing tour of the city's underbelly of the last 40 years.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Josef K.

The strangest thing about Cabrini is that it was within walking distance of one of the richest urban neighborhoods in the country. The contrast was surreal.

True. In the 1960's and early 1970's there was a psychological race barrier along Clark Street between Division and North Avenue that was unofficially but firmly enforced by the police. Black people walking at night did not cross east of Clark Street. If they did, they were stopped and questioned. Even the L subway stop at Clark & Division was mostly white. Only a few blocks east was the Playboy Mansion (among other mansions), and the Gold Coast, with ladies in sequins and men in tuxedos enjoying the nightlife.

I lived at Astor & Division as a teen, and fearlessly but vigilantly walked and took the L at night, and never had any scary incidents, but as a white person, I never crossed Clark going west, either. Cabrini Green had a wide sphere of negative influence, but it was nevertheless contained at the time.