" I mean, we live in a nice, upper middle class neighborhood but I have to ride through Rogers Park to get to work. Howard St. in Rogers Park is hell on earth to me (and it's not even the worst in Chicago) Clark St. through Rogers Park is a fucking dump. "
Jenn Handel
The Look @ Me Mom Blog
October 14, 2006
Remember little Shannon? Well, I think we found another one just like her. She calls herself Jenn. She's a sheltered girl from Iowa who I'm guessing, just moved to Chicago.
As you can see from the above quote, Jenn doesn't much care for Howard Street and Clark Street in Rogers Park.
What you think about Jenn Jeff-O?
11 comments:
Oh boo-hoo, poor Roger Parkers. Rogers Park may not be the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, or a number of other neighborhoods, but it decent damn neighborhood.
So some random girl from the cornfields of Iowa has never seen large lower-income families in an urban environment. Yeah, maybe these people she sees with many kids don't have to live this way, but they do and its their decision. Most importantly, its really none of her business. She is right about one thing, she "sounds so naive and stupid."
Rogers Park has some good areas, and then some bad areas. It has some areas that have gotten better, and maybe some that have gotten worse. We have our own crime, our own social issues. We as a neighborhood experience the same frustrations that any city does.
There is no part of Rogers Park - that's right Morse Avenuers - which compares to the really bad parts of Chicago. She complains about all the people on Clark. She obviously hasn't seen a neighborhood that had NO businesses, only liquor stores every few blocks.
There is obvious room for improvement in this neighborhood. There are obvious steps that may be taken to solve some of the neighborhood problems. Many of these problems, as well as their solutions, are discussed right here in this blog. But hell on earth? Get a grip.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, I wonder why people move to Chicago from "garsh, we-ain't-got-no-poor folk, Iowa" only to act disgusted and horrified when he/she has to face real poverty and blight thru the bus window.
If you want upper-middle-class suburbia, suit yourself. But then why did you leave?
and for the record, i've lived on the northside of chicago since the day i was born. i've been caught in crossfire, the victim of violent crime, i've fled from a maniac shitting hisself on the subway and i've had a shove fight with a bitch on the red line. those are just the highlights of life in the big city. :)
I meant to ask
If you want upper-middle-class Iowa, why leave it in the first place?
What is upper middle class Iowa, anyway? a double wide on wheels?
i know, i know...meeeeeow.
As bad as some parts of Rogers Park are & can be.This Iowa girl should go down to the Englewood neighborhood, we think it's get ruff in RP,well Englewood makes Rogers Park look like Park Ridge.
I certainly disagree with Jenn, as I love Rogers Park, having moved here from Minneapolis in July (and I think Clark Street is cool...very vibrant).
Craig, I like your blog, but I think it's poor form to call this girl out like this. She's entitled to her opinion, and you're just inciting loudmouths to harass her.
Aldermen may be fair game. I have a hard time seeing how she is.
Millie, how do we join your efforts?
Very wrong Millie incorrectly stated.....>"Seems I know your neighborhood a little better than you do. Joe Moore lives at 1432 West Fargo Avenue. If memory serves correctly it's a white stucco house."
Millie, thanks for joining in and you're half right, it's white stucco. As a new reader I must inform you, here in the Hell Hole we deal with facts. This is Alderman Moore's house. It's 1431 West Fargo, not 1432.
Millie:
Damn. You are the "forever open, free and clear" group? Well, assuming that you have been ferreted out now, I take comfort in being able to tell you to go f--k yourself. Nice job getting a rise out of me.
That is all.
vmm
Check out Albion or any other block east of Sheridan. Touhy between Sheridan and Ashland, Lakewood, and many more. One thing you can't say about RP is that is has been decimated by cinder block crap that won't last. While we don't have that many single family homes, we do have many lovely ones and many are well maintained.
I'm curious where you visited and what the weather was like that day. What you saw reflects your own lack of imagination I'm afraid. The fact that you insult every person who lives here is pretty bizarre. What a blanket generalization. I guess you can't deal with much complexity. We here in RP deal with this every day.
Also, a word about living with social problems, when you see them like we do, you can't put your head in the sand, shout "me me me", and ignore them as I think people can more easily do in more homogonized communities.
My main issues with what goes on here (and I live here and intend to stay) is litter, crime, and lack of retail. I believe these will improve and I have seen them improve in the time I've been here.
And I thought Alderman Moore lived in a condo. I look at old run down houses a bit differently also. I see POTENTIAL. Potential that is GONE when they are leveled and cinderblock vanilla crap replaces them.
Craig, I am shocked shicked SHOCKED!
The Peterborough Panthers won the Elite Speedway League
http://www.peterboroughspeedway.net/content.php?content.44.php
and you post this instead???
Where are your priorities? :)
Still more shocked than shicked. Pardon my bad Yiddish :)
Anyway, here's an explaination of Speedway.
http://www.peterboroughspeedway.net/content.php?content.25
Don't let the Alderman see this. Moore & DevCorp may try to use TIF money to buld a track on the beach.
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