I’ve lived happily in Elgin for 3 years now and have defended her to those who give me a look as if they’ve just gotten a whiff of rotten fish, when they comment about the gangs and the drugs and the run down neighborhoods.
“I’d walk down any street in this city at midnight alone.” I’ve said.
SO…..for 3 years, I’ve come home to my adorable 1936 Cape Cod dwelling in my charming little neighborhood on the North East side. I’ve patronized restaurants in a downtown that has been quaint and on the move. I wax profoundly to people who live in other suburbs about the beautiful homes and the outstanding Gail Borden Library,…..Hemmens,…..The Historical Museum and the Beautiful Lords and Wing Parks.
I have believed every word about the crime in Elgin being no worse than any Chicago suburb and because I have had great experiences in Elgin, I believed it.
So….Imagine my surprise to see a broadcast of the last City Council meeting on TV tonight, Friday, July 18, only to see a string of Near West Side Residents come to the podium to tell horror stories about drug sales, prostitution, vandalism and theft happening feet….mere feet from their front doors….doors where their children come in and out to play.
I was further surprised to hear that these people are vigilantly watching their neighborhood, writing down descriptions of cars, license plate numbers; calling the police when they see a crime occur, only to have the police not show up or show up and do nothing.
Part of the problem seems to be that the Police refuse to put a ROPE Officer in that neighborhood. I guess this neighborhood had one at one time and it helped.
We are talking specifically about the 300 block of Chicago Street….the areas around National and Rt. 31 and Chicago and Crystal were also mentioned. From what I understand, there is what used to be a beautiful Civil War era cobblestone home that once belonged to Gail Borden, being used as a drug house. Two prostitutes work the area so frequently, the residents even know their names…yet when car descriptions and license numbers of the Johns who pick them up are given to the Police, their response is “we are not here to arrest Johns”.
Tell me….I don’t get it. We have concerned citizens. We have people caring to rehab these old homes and turn the neighborhood into the prize it once was. We have people on alert 24/7 in order to help the police identify the criminals….one man even offered his home as a place to install a covert security camera….but the Police do not respond. What gives?
Could it be that in order to keep those crime statistics low…..the crime is being ignored? This is not good. How can we rally as a city and support our neighbors…..whom can we vote in or out of office who will listen. Who will pay $400,000.00 for a fancy condo, just across the river from a crime ridden area full of drug dealers and prostitutes. This may be affecting the people on the near West side most of all but it is affecting the reputation and the property values of every resident in this City and having said that….what a shame to let this beautiful city, and what could be an outstanding neighborhood go to the criminals.
Filed under: Neighborhoods | Tagged: Add new tag, Crime in Elgin, Elgin Police
I Almost bought a house in that area a couple of years of. I am farther west on Chicago now…..
I live on Edison now. It is a busy street but we have setup a neighborhood watch to help curb possible crime. It is not perfect by any means. It requires all the people on the block to care and often renters don’t show up to meetings or care.
I am not sure who in the city to blame. I think they are doing double duty to try and make the downtown nicer which tends to push this type of activity out. It happens in all major cities. You end up with a ring of crime right outside the downtown district.
The fact is there are a few hotspots of crime in Elgin and it will take a lot more than a ROPE officer to clean it up.
I live near State and National and have had open drug dealing on my block. It takes a lot to work through it – and the willingness to actually take matters into your own hands. I joined SWAN (my neighborhood association, NWNA’s counterpart for the area south of Walnut), got to know my neighbors, and started hounding the police. While they were always receptive and talked about wanting to help change, the reality is they’re stretched thin and can’t be everywhere all the time. My neighbors and I started calling the non-emergency number every time we saw something suspicious, increasing police traffic on the block. The police didn’t always come in response to our “non-emergency” calls, but we were building a record of incidents that the city used to prove there was a problem. With that list in hand, the city gave the absentee landlord a serious talking-to about better tenant screening and arrested the drug dealers living in his building. Things are better, but we still keep our eyes peeled and are quick to call the city when something isn’t quite right.
NWNA is doing the right thing, organizing and working together and having conversations with the police and the city. Part of it just takes time – the problem residents have to move somewhere, a point Elginite made last week in his blog – http://elginite.org/blog/2008/07/12/should-200-locust-be-destroyed/.
Our neighborhoods have so much potential! We’re walking distance to the revitalizing downtown, the library, train stations and more. With a concerted effort, we can help pull our neighborhoods up to where they belong. It’s not easy, and it takes the help of the city and police and every resident, but it’s doable with time.
I have grown up in Elgin and I love it. I love Lords Park which to me is exactly what a park should be (full of beautiful old trees, a creek, pond, etc..), the little museums, the symphony, there are so many great things about Elgin. I love my neighbors and I love the old Victorian homes in my neighborhood. I love going for a bike ride with my daughter and getting greetings from neighbors I don’t even know. Don’t give up on Elgin.