What in the world has happened to the West Ridge/Rogers Park area (Chicago: best neighborhood, apartment complexes)

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by themag62

Having owned a condo on Hoyne S of Devon, I agree West RIDGE wasn't particulary nice 11 years ago, indeed. Nor has it been "middle class" suburban ish for decades. However, this is not true of West ROGERS PARK, (W of California N of Pratt to Howard.) It remains pretty nice.

This shooting does not represent some big change in West RIDGE. It has been seedy for years and did not benefit much from the condo conversion boom of the last decade.

West of California is most definitely West Ridge. Rogers Park goes to Ridge (hence the term, West Ridge).

West Rogers Park would be the western half of Rogers Park.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Drover

Because the even cheaper neighborhoods tend to already have well-established gangs. It's easier to set up shop in a neighborhood where there won't be much pushback.

For what it's worth, West Rogers Park didn't seem particularly nice 11 years ago either. Not that it was a hellhole then nor is it now, but contrary to your brother's assertion it doesn't seem like the fundamental character of the neighborhood has changed that much. But then, I don't live there so maybe your brother knows better.

Gangs get shuffled along as part of larger demographic shifts, their members don't just pick up and leave a neighborhood independent of everyone else, they are completely intertwined in communities which make up neighborhoods (gang members, relatives of gang members, supplier & customers).

And Chicago migration of the poorer communities has always followed the same rough pattern - they move out and away from the city's core, following cheaper rent/housing. Irving and Portage Park are seeing an influx of gang violence from gentrification moving north and NW from the neighborhoods you mentioned, definitely - but West Ridge? It's possible, but extremely unlikely. You'd need to show the movement of specific gangs for that to be valid.

Speaking of, anyone gotten the new edition of the Chicago Crime Commission's Gang Book? I have the 03 or 04 version (or whatever it is), so as they mapped out every last census tract, that would be very informational.

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by themag62

However, this is not true of West ROGERS PARK, (W of California N of Pratt to Howard.) It remains pretty nice.

I live in this section of West Ridge, and I agree with your observation.

[Drover]

West Rogers Park, West Ridge, whatever. The spot where this kid was shot has long been a middling neighborhood by Chicago neighborhood standards and it's not shocking to hear about the occasional shooting there. Or at least it shouldn't be, notwithstanding the OP's apparent shock.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Drover

West Rogers Park, West Ridge, whatever. The spot where this kid was shot has long been a middling neighborhood by Chicago neighborhood standards and it's not shocking to hear about the occasional shooting there. Or at least it shouldn't be, notwithstanding the OP's apparent shock.

Devon and Western is not a "middling neighborhood," and you are the last person who should be making claims about Chicago "neighborhood standards" with your absurd claims about gang migratory patterns. Get away from the computer and go spend some time on the streets.

The OP asked a specific question and the commentary so far is as helpful as a pair of two left shoes.

The fellow who commented that West Ridge is and has been middle class for ages is the only one on the mark here. Every community area has homicides now and then, that's far from evidence that such an area is overrun with gang violence.

And to the person confusing Devon and Western with the mayhem on Morse Ave a good mile or so east, good grief dude. Why not just throw out crime statistics in the Jungle and claim that's representative of the whole area?

Not surprisingly, the "gentrifiers R us" at the Tribune seem to be the cause of this confusion, this is pitiful. West Ridge is not the same thing as West Rogers Park. I have tons of friends who grew up there and they aren't as stupid as the Trib and the realtor/developer ilk would have you believe.

btw, notice where the victim was from, not exactly Logan Square.

Murder in West Ridge: Friday night shooting victim dies in hospital on Sunday


CRIME UPDATE:
(West Ridge) - Chicago Tribune Reports, a 19-year-old man shot Friday night in West Rogers Park died Sunday afternoon, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Anthony Scott, of the 9100 block of South Perry Avenue, was declared dead at 3:52 p.m. at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, according to the medical examiner's office.

BLOGNOTES: The time of death is more than one day after the Chicago News Report claimed he was murdered, at 12:48 a.m., Saturday, March 17. When it comes to crime reporting, who's telling the truth?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

Devon and Western is not a "middling neighborhood," and you are the last person who should be making claims about Chicago "neighborhood standards" with your absurd claims about gang migratory patterns. Get away from the computer and go spend some time on the streets.

I'm in that neighborhood all. the. time. It's not a great neighborhood, it's not a bad neighborhood, it's somewhere in the middle. That's my opinion of it. If you don't like it, you can Mod Edit

[linicx]

If it bleeds it leads, and if it leads it pulls in advertising dollars.

[Kamms]

I thought the population decline going on in Chicago was all the project riff-raff (aka blacks) would correlate with a decline in violence.

[ofcjim40]

I believe the consensus has been the part of the black population that left was closer to middle class and had more of a financial means to relocate. Basically working class people that were sick of the violence and decline and were able to leave. What was left behind was still the criminal element. But what we are seeing more of in the burbs is these families that relocated are typically good working class people. Some of the problems arise in if their teenage and older children partake in criminal activity. Then this spreads it to the suburbs. Then the child and his friends want to make a name for themselves and start to disturb what was an otherwise quite suburban neighborhood.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ofcjim40

I believe the consensus has been the part of the black population that left was closer to middle class and had more of a financial means to relocate. Basically working class people that were sick of the violence and decline and were able to leave. What was left behind was still the criminal element. But what we are seeing more of in the burbs is these families that relocated are typically good working class people. Some of the problems arise in if their teenage and older children partake in criminal activity. Then this spreads it to the suburbs. Then the child and his friends want to make a name for themselves and start to disturb what was an otherwise quite suburban neighborhood.

Thing is, almost none of this analysis applies to the neighborhbood where this kid was killed. It's not really black families moving into the area so much as Hispanic families. But irrespective of black or Hispanic, they're moving there for basically the same reasons; they're trying to get away from gang violence and they're trying to find a balance between affordability and safety. But the problem is, the immigrant, working-class parents who are trying to find greener pastures for their kids bring with them the cultural and social patholgies that foment the gang violence that they're fleeing from in the first place.

This culture isn't a defining feature of the Devon/Wetern neighborhood yet, but said culture is established enough that it shouldn't surprise anyone to hear that shootings happen there from time to time. Despite the protestations of a prior poster who thinks I should get out more (I was just in the neighborhood in question about 3 hours ago; when's the last time he was there?) and who mocks my analysis of gang migration patterns even as his own analsysis of such patterns isn't that different from my own, gangs have in fact encroached on the neighborhood in question and are imposing measurable havoc. Is it too PC to ask why was a black kid from the far south side up there anyway? Was he just looking to pick up some mutton biryani and got caught up in a fracas? I can't say for sure, but I don't think so...