Is the Hispanic community in Chicago mostly unaffected by violent crime? (Washington: fit in, crime rate)

[damba]

Originally Posted by River City Rocky

True, I guess they just don't get talked about much as being part of Chicago outside of Chicago itself. I live in Texas and I rarely hear anyone mention Chicago's Puerto Rican community.

This shouldn’t be surprising given that there are more boriqua in IL than TX and the overall number of non-Puerto Rican hispanics in TX is huge(!)

[It'sAutomatic]

There's a gap in crime between older well-established Latino communities that have entrenched gangs & losers and newer ones with more fresh immigrants & people that purposefully are leaving the worse neighborhoods. Compare inner Little Village with Cicero/Berwyn, Humboldt Park with Portage Park.

[OKParker]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

There's a gap in crime between older well-established Latino communities that have entrenched gangs & losers and newer ones with more fresh immigrants & people that purposefully are leaving the worse neighborhoods. Compare inner Little Village with Cicero/Berwyn, Humboldt Park with Portage Park.

Little village has more new immigrants than any of those. It’s just the gangs

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

One thing you notice when you pass through neighborhoods as I did driving down Cermak road to Pilsen. The Hispanic neighborhoods have a lot of stores and shops there. Of course some have bars across them in parts of Little Village. Also there are grocery stores and chains such as McDonalds or such and places like Boost mobile, fruit stores, tacorias, etc. People on the sidewalk walk with a purpose and keep on going. When you hit Lawndale, you don't have stores mostly anymore. A few but it looks like a third world country. You don't see people walking on the street much except you do see groups of men just loitering in front of buildings. Businesses won't locate to the really really bad neighborhoods. Too dangerous.

Yes!!!!
I work at LV and North Lawndale. When I work at LV I acually feel safe. Like most Hispanic hoods, its nice, well kept. It might be poor, but at least the people there give damn about their neighborhood.
North Lawndale is garbage. Just like you described. Its a day and night difference.

[Bluefox]

I’ve been in La Villita and felt safe but unwelcome. I studied Spanish from sixth grade through college, lived in Spain, and when I spoke to the locals, even in fluent Spanish, I felt like an unwelcome gringo who shouldn’t be there. I was just looking for calaveritas for my little sister’s Spanish class project while visiting from Seattle. It was weird. I was always so accepted when I spoke Spanish in California. I guess they thought I was trying to gentrify them. Though the lady at the pastelería was really nice.

[glass_of_merlot]

That's funny. I speak very VERY little Spanish and deal these people almost every day through work. I have never had any issues. I doubt it's about how much Spanish you speak.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

I’ve been in La Villita and felt safe but unwelcome. I studied Spanish from sixth grade through college, lived in Spain, and when I spoke to the locals, even in fluent Spanish, I felt like an unwelcome gringo who shouldn’t be there. I was just looking for calaveritas for my little sister’s Spanish class project while visiting from Seattle. It was weird. I was always so accepted when I spoke Spanish in California. I guess they thought I was trying to gentrify them. Though the lady at the pastelería was really nice.

You have a fairly large chip on your shoulder.

[HouTxn]

Originally Posted by River City Rocky

How would y'all say these areas are for a tourist that's never been to Chicago and is coming from Texas to visit. Neighborhoods like little village, Pilsen,BOTY, etc. I've told a couple of people from Chicago that I want to visit these places and they look at me like I'm crazy and tell me not to.

Would someone visiting have any issues? Any colors to avoid wearing?

This question calls out to me hehe. I'm from Houston and lived and grew up in a predominately Mexican/Hispanic side of town. Houston doesn't really have "Hispanic neighborhoods", instead more like sides of town that are Hispanic. I visited my buddy who happened to live in a Little Village. For me as a tourist, it felt just like being at home (minus the density of course. Houston is very wide open spaces). I liked knowing I had the same comforts of home in Chicago, as far as traditional Mexican foods, stores, goods, radio stations etc. I enjoyed staying and visiting those neighborhoods because I got to see and live how everyday people live, not experience it as a hotel tourist in downtown. I really enjoyed it.

[Motion]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

One thing you notice when you pass through neighborhoods as I did driving down Cermak road to Pilsen. The Hispanic neighborhoods have a lot of stores and shops there. Of course some have bars across them in parts of Little Village. Also there are grocery stores and chains such as McDonalds or such and places like Boost mobile, fruit stores, tacorias, etc. People on the sidewalk walk with a purpose and keep on going. When you hit Lawndale, you don't have stores mostly anymore. A few but it looks like a third world country. You don't see people walking on the street much except you do see groups of men just loitering in front of buildings. Businesses won't locate to the really really bad neighborhoods. Too dangerous.

To anyone. What are the differences between Black-Americans and Hispanics in Chicago as far as unemployment numbers?

Historically redlinnig practices by banks have been targeted at Black communities. Has something like redlinning been targeted at Hispanic communities to the same degree?

Maybe higher rates of Black unemployment and more intense racist lending practices towards Blacks can explain some of the differences between poor Black and Hispanic areas?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_8KIpmZXs

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Motion

To anyone. What are the differences between Black-Americans and Hispanics in Chicago as far as unemployment numbers?

Historically redlinnig practices by banks have been targeted at Black communities. Has something like redlinning been targeted at Hispanic communities to the same degree?

Maybe higher rates of Black unemployment and more intense racist lending practices towards Blacks can explain some of the differences between poor Black and Hispanic areas?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_8KIpmZXs

Hispanic neighborhood suffer redlining too. I don't think it's now so much the banks as it is self-sorting. I can tell you from living in majority Hispanic communities for the last 15 years that de facto segregation is strong as ever. I know it's popular to blame wealthy institutions but I don't think that's it.

Middle and upper-middle-class white people just don't move to poor neighborhoods, Hispanic or otherwise. And they will quickly flee an area if they believe it is turning in that direction. Usually, it's couched in terms of schools. Sometimes it's couched in terms of crime, which really isn't supportable but try arguing that! The bottom line is that they simply will not want to live among lower-income minorities until they get pretty far into gentrification.

Hispanic neighborhoods tend to gentrify because they are usually relatively safe, and they are cheap and vibrant. And in our case pretty conveniently located too. So you will get young urban dwellers in. It is only after those people put their mark on the neighborhood and make it "cool" that you will get affluent whites moving in behind them.

Little Village, for example, is in the former stage right now. Pilsen is in the latter stage. Logan Square has already gone through it.

Most of our African-American neighborhoods have a severe crime problem and are not particularly vibrant in terms of businesses. There's a lot of boarded-up buildings and not a lot to do. That deters those first wave gentrifiers from moving in, so that "first step" never starts.

I think that's the primary difference. I don't think there's some suit sitting in a 50th floor office Downtown with an evil villain laugh drawing red lines on a map. Again I know a lot of people want to believe that, because it takes the blame off of well, us. But that's just not the case.