A reader writes:
"After the Fix Wilson Celebration last night, I must say I was in a good mood. But when I got up this morning to go to the gym, I was put in an even better mood. Yesterday I noticed that the fence around Dearborn Wholesalers was still just posts. But today it looked to be completed. I think most days living in Uptown are good days, but it appears yesterday turned out to be a great day in the neighborhood."We went by to check it out and were glad to see a gen-yew-ine Chicago-standard wrought iron fence in place along the front of Dearborn's property. There was still a "regular" and his shopping cart there, but the scene was a far cry from the usual "party of ten" seated on the guardrail.
We were also happy to see a tall wooden fence along the alley at the back of the lot, and another tall wooden fence against the building to the west. Best of all, the dumpsters (or "take-a-dump-sters") that used to line the west wall have been moved to an enclosure at the other end of the parking lot.
To the folks at Dearborn: We've despaired of the situation that used to exist in your lot, and we ran a lot of photos showing the activities there. We sincerely hope that the folks who used to hang out there find help among the many social services that are available to them. We appreciate, and hope you do too, that by putting up the fencing, you've helped make our - and your - community a better and safer place. Thanks.
That's great news.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Uptown Update's attention to this played a role, so keep up the good work!
As a resident of Agatite, the street that runs parallel to Montrose,it makes me very happy to see this fence. The parking lot, as has been frequently observed in this space was a true blight spot in Uptown with large parties of drunken people hanging out, defecating and spreading out their sleeping bags at night. Kudos to Dearborn for solving the problem. Now if I can just keep from congregating in the alley so I can drive through it to my garage...
ReplyDeleteWow! Uptown Updaters finally accomplished something in spite of managing to piss and moan about everything under the sun.
ReplyDeleteIhatemondays...
ReplyDeleteAnd what exactly have YOU accomplished in the neighborhood Mondays? Sanctimonious posts don't count either.
Do u need a pat on the back for a blog well done? I think you've had a positive impact on the community with that comment.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall seeing Uptown Update asking anyone for a pat on the back, but do recall you making a snide, obnoxious comment.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if there will be a gate or additional security?
ReplyDeleteNot to be a naysayer..I'm excited to see the fencing and am sure it will deter loiters...but what's to prevent them from the same activity, only now a little more hidden.
Heck, if I was one of these squatters I'd almost take the "privacy" added by the fence as a good thing.
I had the same worry with Stewart School, but have been impressed that, with a few exceptions, the fence actually has kept it from becoming a community hang out.
Maybe I've just become too skeptical/cynical.
Great non-response mondays... guess we can gather that is the best you can do.
ReplyDeleteSo what's keeping the homeless from hanging out in the ally on the other side of the fence? seems like they'll have more cover to do what they want now. Out of sight out of mind?
ReplyDeleteNothing will keep the homeless from hanging out in the alley. But you have to look at why the parking lot was so attractive to them. Basically, the guardrail gave them a place to sit. Now the "comfort" of the guardrail is gone. We used to have a guardrail in our alley, and its presence there made the alley exactly what Dearborn used to be. Party central, a public bathroom, a hangout. The city removed the guardrail a few years ago (at the request of the residents of the block) and that was the end of the problem. Guardrail gone, party over.
ReplyDeletebut the guardrails are still there. Still sit-able.
ReplyDeleteBut the guardrails are inside the lot. And practically flush against the fence. The Dearborn security guard has been shooing unauthorized folks out with a vengeance lately. The people who hung out there for years could go to an alley, true, but the enabling atmosphere that used to serve them well at Dearborn isn't there any longer. I think spending the thousands of dollars to build the fencing has taught Dearborn an expensive lesson about cooperating with the community.
ReplyDeleteAnytime you've got a guardrail or low iron fence in an area like this, you'll have these characters around it.
ReplyDeleteMan, this stinks. Where am I going to hang out now?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it hasn't completely prevented unwanted human poop from turning up. I almost stepped in a rather large pile this morning on my walk to work. Thankfully it was too windy to look straight ahead as I usually do so I was able to see it and step around it. And in case the thought pops into your head, no, it most obviously was not dog poo.
ReplyDeleteGreat observation!
ReplyDeleteI'm smiling everytime I drive by now. Nice work everyone.
ReplyDeleteMark, I would call 911 if you're unable to get through
ReplyDeleteyour alley. I once opened my garage door, and a drunk literally rolled into my garage.
I hope fresh wooden fence remains tag free for awhile!
Congratulations on helping the Uptown community. When homeless are in an alley they are loitering on public property and all of us who have dealt with this issue know that the Police will do little about loitering on private property without a complaint from the property owner.
ReplyDeleteYou may not have asked for a Pat On the Back but you deserve one.
I wish that the men and women who hang out on the fence had Internet access to give us their stories. I doubt that's the life they had hoped for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Addy. I get incredibly sad whenever I pass a street person who regularly camps out on our street. I keep thinking, she was a baby once, and someone held her and wished everything good for her. Someone shopped for her toddler clothes, and held her hand on the first day of school, and read her bedtime stories. Yet here she is, sleeping on the sidewalks. That's not what her aunties and grandparents and parents envisioned when she was born and they counted her fingers and toes and wanted everything good for her.
ReplyDeletePeople in our community have reached out to this woman for years. Social services have been called. A church that ministers to the homeless has been in touch with her many times. The police's "heart car" has been in contact with her. She refuses help from any and all. Her stock reply is "I'm just here waiting for a cab."
Well, that cab has been on its way for years! It's a sad and depressing story. There are so many people who WANT this woman to have a better life, a safe life, off the streets. Presumably she has a mental illness that's going untreated. But until and unless she consents to help, she will die out there.
My hope for her, and all the folks who have been frequenting the places like the guardrail at Dearborn, is that they get help and turn their lives around. If their mental illnesses can't be treated, I want them to have permanent housing somewhere that's safe for them, where they don't sleep outside in 10-degree weather, or try to sell 8-track cassettes on the sidewalks, or run out into the traffic during rush hour.
I believe that eliminating the places that enable them to continue that lifestyle is the first step. When it's no longer feasible for them to live on the streets, it may be the thing that drives them to seek out the help of the abundant social services in Uptown. I hope so.
Hi, Truman Square...Thanks for the thoughtful reply. My feeling is that if tha woman you're refering to wants to stay on the street, she has a right to. So many homeless people prefer the streets to shelters even if that's difficult for us to imagine. I prefer being uncomfortable passing these people on the street than the discomfort they must feel with the state of their lives, their health, their kids. It makes talk of property value inhumane and embarrasing.
ReplyDeleteAddy, that's where we differ. I don't think people with extreme mental illnesses have the capacity to decide where they live. If social services were to give this woman a competency test, I'm sure she would fail it.
ReplyDeleteNot that this is particular to homeless people -- a gentleman who lived in my neighborhood for many years was living alone in a home and situation that was unhealthy and dangerous. His grown children gave the police and social services permission to evaluate him to see if he was competent to live alone, and he was not.
He was a danger to himself (not going into details to protect his and the family's privacy). We all knew it. He's getting care now, he's eating regularly now, he's getting medication that he's needed for years. Most of all, he's not in danger anymore. His family is relieved about him for the first time in years.
I can only imagine that the families of street people (if they have families) would wish the same for their homeless relatives. I have relatives in another state who have been homeless, so I'm familiar with the situation. I'm glad they're being taken care of now, not living on the street. I would certainly hope that the children of the woman who hangs out on my street, sleeping on the icy sidewalk, would have that same wish for her.
Last, you mention property values. That's from left field! I never mentioned property values. Why throw a red herring into the mix now?!
We're just going to agree to disagree here. Let me end with this: A few years ago a homeless young (young!) man froze to death in an empty lot on my block. No one knew he was there, and he died. I can't imagine the agony of his family, or the agony he went through.
If my calling 311, 911, the heart car, the shelters, or Human Services can prevent someone else from dying this winter on my block, I'll call till I'm blue in the face.
So, maybe you can understand why I feel the way I do, and why I disagree with your sentiment that one should allow homeless people to live as they choose.
I have a feeling that nothing I say will change your mind about this issue, but maybe we can each accept that the other holds a valid, although differing, point of view.
My comment about the property taxes really had to do with the general complaining on this site about the homeless and how it affects the value. It wasn't meant to imply that you don't care about their health and welfare. I suppose I was thinking as well about homeless people I've met in service who prefer the freedom of the street to the shelters. I don't feel right about putting up fences. I'm not refering to the mentally ill homeless people. We seem to coming from our experiences and relationships with this group of people. I know you have a good heart and I want the best for them as well. I'm interpreting some other's comments as a form of bullying.
ReplyDelete