The Creation of a Food Desert: A story of Political Rivalries, Legislative Vengance & Racketeering in Chicago. In 4 Parts. It is sadly true. Part 1/2

PART ONE : THE BACKSTORY

First, let me explain my greatly abnormal upbringing. It is only the older I get that I appreciate the complexity and strangeness of it.

I grew up in a brick house on Chicago's Northwest Side. The best memories of my upbringing involve going to my next-door-neighbor's house. He had previously been a photographer for the Chicago Tribune from the 1930's until the 1970's. He had rooms and rooms full of Photos collected over a lifetime. Chicago history. From The Chicago Gang Wars of the 1920's, to a night he and his wife went to the Biograph to see Manhattan Melodrama, only to be the first press on-scene when Dillinger was killed.

I relished opportunities to bound next-door and hear a story, look at old pictures, and learn something of the world, often foregoing "normal" social interaction to hear about Frank Nitty, Al Capone, the things that were, and how they changed. I was 4 when I started going over there... I was desensitized by photos and stuff by the time I was 8. I called him Grandpa Hank, and her Grandma Jo. They were an odd sort of adjunct to the family you acquire by circumstance. I come from a dysfunctional family, and their warmth and guidance was something that wasn't offered at home...

Last week, I found myself on the street on which I grew up. What I saw affected me, so I took a walk around, then investigated all other information that may help me figure out why some of these things happened. Why all of the Grocery stores closed, and why the crime rate in the neighborhood I grew up in has multiplied every year on record since 1997 (conveniently when we moved to the Suburbs ). I believe all of these things are rooted in a political fight that was waged in a crude manner in my neighborhood 18 years ago.

We had a close relationship with our local Precinct Captain, who is now in a Suburban Police Department. His boss, the Alderman, knew all of us, however one year that office was in danger of being lost in the primaries to a very young political upstart.

PART TWO : THE SUMMER OF 1991

The year was 1991. The Bulls were forging towards their first championship on the backs of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. And the 31st Ward was in-battled in a massive Democratic Primary. The long term Alderman was running for City Council. It became a heated battle between Ray Suarez, and, well this guy. That summer was a heated foot-race to know and be known within my neighborhood. I remember parts of it very well, I was 8 at the time. I remember Rod and his wife, Patti, going door to door down Fletcher, asking for donations and support. He had freaky hair in terms of 1991 standards.

Ray Suarez ran against him vigorously, with radio ads and TV interviews. They charged that the man affectionately referred to as "Blago," was a Political Opprotunist, and married Patti(whose Father, Richard Mell, is on the Chicago City Council for political reasons). It got dirtier. Blagojevich charged that because Suarez had been a City Hall Insider for sometime. He was inside the pockets of, at that time, first term Mayor Daley. While knocking on doors one night the two men ran into each-other and had a street-corner debate at Nelson and LeClaire one night.

Now, as a kid I didn't understand most of what was happening around me. On Mother's Day at the beginning of that summer I was hit by a car, and spent the month of May in the hospital. The Precinct Captain who was very close to us, made sure the city installed a stop sign at the corner of Fletcher & LeClaire. The stop sign has since been hit by a car... While in Children's Memorial Hospital, Rod Blagojevich sent me a "GET WELL SOON" card. 16 years later he attempted to defraud the chairman of the same hospital, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Election Night Came: Blagojevich lost. But he wouldn't go down without a fight... Ray Suarez still retains that seat.

The corner they had the argument on, as well as my house got redistricted 2 years later.

The Creation of a Food Desert: A story of Political Rivalries, Legislative Vengance & Racketeering in Chicago. In 4 Parts. It is sadly true. Part 2/2

Part Three : A Very Vague Overview Of The Next 15 Years and My Personal Run In With RODDY

NOTE ALL OF THE IMPORTANT THEMES WITHIN BLAGO'S POLITICAL LIFE:

1992, Rod ran for and won a spot in the Illinois House. Instead of mud-slinging, he used his past experience as a Prosecutor (who knew?) to his advantage. The District Blagojevich had won was previously held by someone under indictment for Tax Evasion.

1996, Blagojevich Runs For ILLINOIS' 5th Congressional District. He beats Michael Flanagan, who had only been in office for two years, because Dan Rostenkowski was charged by the Government with Postal Fraud.

2002, Rod Blagojevich, fresh off of being the only IL Democrat in the House or Senate to Vote for the Iraq War, ran for the Governorship. All any Democrat needed to do to win was somehow tie the Republican to the current Governor, at the time, George Ryan. While Ryan was States Attorney there was massive fraud in the DMV, and a lot people bought licenses. After some disastrous crashes the FEDS began investigating. By this time Ryan was Governor, and was sinking in the polls. It was a cakewalk of an election.

In 2003, the Cubs, my Cubs, made it to the NLCS against the Marlins. My Father, through a lot of people he knew got us 3rd row tickets. Sitting behind us was Governor Rod Blagojevich, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and a bunch of rude people. Rod remembered my Father's name from the car accident I had had years earlier. Then he realized it was me. I had changed in 12 years. NO- THIS WAS NOT THE BARTMAN GAME...

At the time I was attending Columbia, and I asked him about flaws in the ILLINOIS FILM BILL. The Flaws I referred to were regarding the bills strength when it came to larger budgeted projects, but weaknesses when it came to Independent Film. He said the bill was "the best we could have gotten done right now."

PART FOUR: MODERN DAY

Now, I revisit this neighborhood, decimated by an uptick in Gang Violence. Where have the politicians been who has long held a power control over the neighborhood?

Well, after his election Ray Suarez began a long-running internal power struggle with Richard Mell, because of what he had said about Mell's daughter 18 years previous. Services in the neighborhood after 1995 started becoming scarce. When the CTA chose to reduce services (instead of cutting Executive Pay) in 2007 the Northwest and Southwest Sides were hit hardest. Suarez went to the Capitol Building with a large group of Aldermen in September of 2006, pressing for more statewide financing of the RTA. Blagojevich was, by all accounts, curt, and left the meeting early.

Blagojevich’s response, rooted in his opponent questioning his marriage fifteen years previous is somewhat abnormal. Policy briefings, legislatively speaking, are all required to be held with a sitting Governor present. As a result, only one more group of Aldermen made the attempt to go to Springfield. Suarez was not with them.
Blago approved a state bill, granting the CTA more State Cash. However, they did begin cutting select services on the Northwest and Southwest Sides. Noticeably routes like the Central Bus routes were cut dramatically, as were ¼ of Belmont busses.

Albertson’s® knocked down the Jewel® I lived around the block from in 2003 and built a new store. With the service cuts in the CTA, and the discontinuing of the Laramie in 2006, the new store closed in late 2006. Albertson’s® invested $3,000,000.00 into that neighborhood, their store stayed open less than 22 months.

The other Grocer in the area, Dominick’s®, on Central closed not too long after the new Jewel® went under. Due to low patronage from a non-existent CTA in the area, now the neighborhood has a CVS® Pharmacy. It regularly only has 2 cars in the lot. Other stores that have closed because of this: Aldi’s® and Cub Foods®.

The nearest grocery store is 2 ½ miles away now, it used to be around the block from the house on Fletcher, where I saw my childhood pass by me. The neighborhood is officially a Food Dessert, only fast food lighten Belmont, nothing is the same. Nothing stays the same.

My question in closing: Why is this contentious race between Blagojevich and Suarez not on either man’s Wikipedia Page? Public perception may, perhaps, be an endearing thought. Memories fade… People forget things, and stories get fudged. But the above is sadly true. :(