True Rockford West Side Story's (crime, home, private school)

[RockfordNativenowSeattle]

Okay, I looked through a lot of post about Rockford and one thing always sticks out in my mind. Everyone says stay away from the West Side of Rockford, why I asked myself are they saying this. The truth is that I was born and raised on the West Side of Rockford and it has some good and bad memories like I have here in Seattle.

So I thought I would share a few facts from my 23years of being in the city before I moved.

• 1: The west side of Rockford is more diverse then people think. This was obvious to me even more right before I moved and drove around before I hit the highway.
• 2: There are some real goon’s over there on the Westside of town in Rockford. But most of the people who live there are lifelong second and third generation there. That means a lot of people know each other, and you should look for such blocks to move on.
• 3: Siren city at sundown is not the Westside of Rockford and that only fuels the police who also here these stories. I can never forget the day I was stopped while walking down the street and escorted to the hood of a police car, searched and let go all within 4mins. “My Crime walking down the Street at night” Seeing as though I had worked in law enforcement in the city of Rockford I could see the perception the officers had and they were young like me.

I had chose law enforcement to help Rockford and figured that was the way to do things. I was still going through a lot of part time work at the Park District and ended up joining the Military and got a lot of exposure to the country and the world. I couldn’t go back at that point, even though I did return I couldn’t stay I wanted to be close to the water and I got it. I am less then ½ mile from the Water and it’s great. Plus at that time The Rockford Police did the wrong thing with a Friend of mines working for the department. Officer Hill was wrongfully terminated and It also cost him his family through all the BS, I figured that was the time to leave. He was one of only 3 good friends I had left in the city of Rockford.

I could tell you about being at a payphone during the payphone murder spree, and only to find out that the guy next to me at the other phone was later arrested and convicted for one of the crimes.

I could tell you about leaving private school and going to public school where the teachers issued 8year old books and he read the newspaper all day and the class was a zoo people gambling in the back.

I could tell you about all the fears I had of the projects on the west side of Rockford, and as kids how we wanted to burn them down. “We wanted these people gone also”

More importantly I will say this, while Rockford does have its work cut out for it, the migration of the younger generation has dealt the city’s future a huge blow. Students like me who are majoring in Computer Science and plan on completing a doctorate degree in the field. Those blows have hurt the city more than anything else.

The reason I left was I was exposed to much more, the availability to work with future great minds. Like progarmmers of World of Warcraft, SWTOR, Windows 7.
Those things were never possible in the city of Rockford, opportunity was low there. I know that now because I have been exposed to better, Ive been to Bill Gate's Home, hows that for a mind blow. If you think anybody on the East Side of Rockford is rich. This man's home and others in Medina WA are a true Experience and will motivate you to work harder to get there. Those experiences will not be possible in my life time in Rockford Illinois.

Former Rockford Illinois Native Now Seattle Native.