Residents discuss Englewood’s successes, concerns with aldermen at town hall

Hundreds of Englewood residents packed Kennedy-King College Tuesday night to discuss the neighborhood’s successes and their concerns about their community’s future with their five alderman.

“This is what is going to make our community continue to rise ... This is Englewood rising,” said Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th), who organized the two-hour event, described as the first meeting between residents and all the aldermen who represent portions of the South Side neighborhood.

Resident Sheila Rogers wanted assurance that the city’s TIF dollars would help Englewood.

“I realize it might not be as much as Lincoln Yards got, but I want to know are we going to get our fair share?” Rogers said. “And what percentage of those dollars will be earmarked for economic development?”

The city’s Planning and Development Commissioner Maurice Cox, who was also in attendance, told Rogers that Englewood was recently named as one of 10 West and South Side neighborhoods that the city will be spending $250 million on over the next three years.

Most of that money would be from tax increment financing and Englewood would be receiving $25 million, Cox said.

One resident singled out Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) for his recent Twitter tirade for calling for “childbirth licensing, conception fees or toddler escrows” in response to a child abuse case that took place in his ward.

Cordell Longstreath said he was looking for context for Lopez’s statement and ultimately wanted to know the “type of programs or community initiatives” the alderman were leading to help young parents in Englewood and help with infant mortality.

“I am tired of people killing their children and I make no denials about that,” Lopez responded. “Anyone who can sit here and tell me that our families are solid enough and that we are raising perfect children, is lying to me.

“We know we have people in our communities who were not natured well enough in their own childhood to be raising babies today.”

Lopez said he knows his comments can often “raise eyebrows” but ultimately wants his words to be a conversation starter to resolve issues.

Tuesday’s town hall was also attended by Aldermen David Moore (17th), Roderick Sawyer (6th) and Jeanette Taylor (20th).

Manny Ramos/Sun-Times

Manny Ramos is a corps member of Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of Chicago’s South Side and West Side.