Bud Billiken Parade (Humboldt: violent crime, to live in, floor)

[skyeINIL]

Humboldt, how did you enjoy the parade? Did you make it ok being around all those "ghetto blacks"?

[Avengerfire]

Two teens shot while leaving Bud Billiken Parade :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

[Humboldt1]

Actually, I rather enjoyed the parade. It is very organized and I missed whatever shooting that was.

I walked back to my car along the parade route on MLK. So long as you stay along MLK it is safe though only a couple blocks to the east is not good. I honestly thought that area would be more gentrified though you can clearly see more of it coming with rehabs and new contruction.

The parade was great as were all the participants and the staff. They just need to get people outside of the black community involved. Other than a few folks including Rod and some local celebrities from the news stations there was no diversity. It was like nonblack people don't care about this parade. Nonblack people are missing out on a great event.

The same was true with those from the bank. The only whites there were management (including myself). All the others who were laymen (retail and office staff) were black.

I had a nice conversation marching next to a volunteer who is a social worker in Bloomington, who grew up in Chicago. Apparently, a lot of thr riff raff is now going to Sec8 apartment complexes down there. It isn't just the south suburbs that are seeing an influx of former project residents (west suburbs too). Daley and the mayor of Bloomington have a deal to ship many of these former residents to Bloomington where it is causing big problems.

The parade was great and I will do it again but will encourage more diversity amongst bank employees participating.

[skyeINIL]

I have to say that that is very cool, Humboldt.

[dcoolbro]

Humboldt I'm glad you enjoyed the parade. I agree I wish it would be a little more diverse. Every now and then you see a few whites brave enough to come out. They are really missing out. I grew up in Chicago and my family went every year. The parade was a BIG event for us. I haven't been in years since I left chicago. My favorite is watching the drill teams do their thing.

[Humboldt1]

It was a great event and I enjoyed my time at the parade, though it was annoying to have those watching the parade beg me for stuff as I walked off the parade route. Not beggars, just people watching the parade.

In advance, they actually warned bank employees that we would be hit up by people to give them stuff while participating in the parade. This is pretty sad folks when people watching a parade are hitting up parade participants for money and bank logo stuff (both happened within 2 mins as I walked off the parade route).

So, yes, skye there were "ghetto blacks" there, but for the most part it appeared to be middle class people who just happened to be a few shades darker than me. There were lots of police so I never really had anything to worry about though a few blocks west of the parade route (not east like I said in my previous post) the neighborhood gets really bad between 35th and 43rd. I am always amazed what big of a difference 2 blocks makes in Chicago, especially in neighborhoods that are "up and coming", which Bronzeville certainly is.

Hopefully, as that area continues to gentrify some of the new non-black residents will participate in the parade, either as spectators or parade participants. Great parade as a whole, though.

I really thought the buffalo soldiers were cool.

[ManheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I had a nice conversation marching next to a volunteer who is a social worker in Bloomington, who grew up in Chicago. Apparently, a lot of thr riff raff is now going to Sec8 apartment complexes down there. It isn't just the south suburbs that are seeing an influx of former project residents (west suburbs too). Daley and the mayor of Bloomington have a deal to ship many of these former residents to Bloomington where it is causing big problems.

The parade was great and I will do it again but will encourage more diversity amongst bank employees participating.

Good point. My brother is a senior at ISU and has an off campus apartment in Bloomington. He tells me that a couple of his friends have been straight up robbed walking from their complex to the store, or vice versa. When I went down there to visit him, I was pretty surprised to see all of this that you have described.

[Drover]

"Daley and the mayor of Bloomington have a deal to ship many of these former residents to Bloomington where it is causing big problems."

What, you mean like on a cattle car as if we're shipping them to a concentration camp or something?

This is nonsense. You can't "ship" anyone anywhere unless they're being moved from one part of the prison system to another. For everyone else, there is something called "freedom of movement" in this country. Anyone else who moves from Point A to Point B does so of their own accord, not because any government agency "shipped" them anywhere.

[ManheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Drover

"Daley and the mayor of Bloomington have a deal to ship many of these former residents to Bloomington where it is causing big problems."

What, you mean like on a cattle car as if we're shipping them to a concentration camp or something?

This is nonsense. You can't "ship" anyone anywhere unless they're being moved from one part of the prison system to another. For everyone else, there is something called "freedom of movement" in this country. Anyone else who moves from Point A to Point B does so of their own accord, not because any government agency "shipped" them anywhere.

I agree with you Drover, but why did such a good sized number of them decide to take their sec8 vouchers to Bloomington rather than stay in the south suburbs or in the city itself?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ManheimMadman

I agree with you Drover, but why did such a good sized number of them decide to take their sec8 vouchers to Bloomington rather than stay in the south suburbs or in the city itself?

Gosh, I dunno -- maybe to get away from all the gangs and drugs and crime? And to find a place where their limited resources go a little further? And what makes you think Bloomington is the only place they've headed? Been to Champaign or Peoria or Springfield or Danville or Decatur or Rantoul lately?