Thursday, August 20, 2009

Moving Out!

We, at the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council, have noticed that long-time middle-class residents of Chatham are now moving out, with the ever increasing expense of getting through the recent harsh winters, in light of the changing neighborhood, intimidation from young black males playing basketball in the alleys with no respect for residents who need to park their cars in their garages, the ever-rising crime wave, the degentrification of Chatham, or perhaps ghettoizing of Chatham with the influx on ex-CHA residents into Section 8 housing units, in both houses and apartment buildings (there are approximately more than 1400 Section 8 families now living in Chatham after having been relocated from the projects), and with them, the ills of the inner city, like, crime, drugs, children having children, and the drop in the quality of life in the area. Chatham during the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's and even into the late 90's had a standard of living comparable to any middle-class suburb in the white community, with a comfortable living, even more so than Pill Hill.

1 comment:

JP Paulus said...

Has anyone really asked those who are moving out, WHY they are moving out?

Is there any mentoring going on? Or simplying talking (i.e gossipping) about "those people", with no thought of actually engaging these "problems".

There are 80 churches within 1 mile of 79th & King, yet it seems like people are traveling outside of that radius for church (if going at all). So the churches aren't reaching the community like they could.

Is there any network of youth ministries, or indivudals actually engaging youth & families?

"Concerned Citizens of Chatham" on Facebook, and others (with signs posted up) talk about "buying black", but what about investing in people?

Or will you discard them like whites do in Uptown, Downtown, and other neighborhoods?