Housekeeping

Since the weather’s so crappy these days I’ve been doing some housekeeping on the blog.

With help from a friend, a new template was added. He walked me through how to edit my links so now most of my links work.

I’ve also added a new friend---Chicago Carlessness, a fellow south sider and cycling enthusiast. Give her a big “howdy.”

Maybe if I start biking everywhere instead of taking the bus I’ll be back at college weight before I know it.

By the way Carless, if you happen to run upon another potentially life threatening situation, be sure to have a sharpened old fashioned can opener up your sleeve. I generally find that and some hard looks will back a mother off of you.

Trust me, I know plenty of tough ass white girls. Don’t ever let race be a factor when you must defend yourself.

And speaking of defending yourself, and by defending yourself I mean with knowledge, I’ve also added some new links for the information junkies out there.

AlderTrack and EveryBlock Chicago are for those of you (like me) who literally want to know the latest up to date happenings.

AlderTrack gives you the 411 municipally and EveryBlock Chicago literally gives you the dish on everything else. ‘Cause I know you kids want to find out what’s being zoned down the street from you as well the crime stats with a click of a mouse.

Lastly, some food for thought.

I predict that gentrification and all of the issues that surround it will continue to be a hot button issue for the south side in the years to come.

In my scant time down here, I realized it ain’t all about race.

Those dollars you bring home also play a huge part in how you see the world.

And from where I sit, it seems like a replay of my time in Uptown is shaping up down here in Woodlawn.

The Haves (condo owners) vs. The Have Nots (subsidized renters) vs. The University of Chicago vs. The Old Time Establishment.

With all of that contentiousness it ‘s easy to forget that the root of all of this is people trying to secure the most basic of human needs----shelter.

And no matter how crappy your housing may or may not be when change beckons and the odds don’t look in your favor you tend to come out swinging.

Hence the potential battle royale.

Luckily I ran across a little article written by a person of faith that gave me pause.

It should be required reading before anyone moves into what people like to classify as an “emerging neighborhood.”

It should be required reading for anyone who lives in an “emerging neighborhood.”

It should be required reading for establishment, corporate & neighborhood activist types.

Just a little light reading on coalition building never hurt anyone.