Trash is still strewn on the streets and crime remains high. Not much has changed since the 24th Ward has a new alderman, according to residents. The 24th Ward, which includes portions of Austin, Lawndale and Little Village, and borders the 12th, 22nd, 28
Trash is still strewn on the streets, and crime remains high. Not much has changed since the 24th Ward has a new alderman, according to residents.
The 24th Ward, which includes portions of Austin, Lawndale and Little Village, and borders the 12th, 22nd, 28th and 29th Wards, is now under the helm of alderman Sharon Dixon.
Dixon, the first female alderman of the ward, narrowly defeated 12-year alderman Michael Chandler in the April 2007 aldermanic runoff.
She said during her campaign her phone would ring off the hook with complaints about the widespread crime, drug sales and use, and littered and dark streets.
Dixon conducted a scientific poll, which cost $10,000, she said, and the results overwhelmingly revealed that drugs, violence and crime were the main issues concerning the constituents.
The new alderman, who refers to herself as a community activist instead of a politician, said the ward suffered years of neglect, and it’s going to take a collective effort to get it back to where it needs to be.
One longtime resident of the ward said Chandler didn’t do much for the residents, but at least you saw him often in the ward. He can’t say the same for Dixon since he’s only seen her twice since she was elected 14 months ago.
Dixon’s office, in the 2100 block of South Marshall Boulevard, is not convenient. It’s on a major street with minimal parking. It’s just not a good choice for residents to visit. Knowing that, she should be out in the community more so people can see her, Aaron Johnson said.
“She’s not doing very well. The garbage in my alley has been overflowing for the last two weeks. So now, people think it’s just a dumping ground and they just add to it; the residents and construction crews. It’s gets so bad sometimes in my alley and in other alleys that vehicles can barely get down the alleys,” Johnson said. Johnson and his wife Mattie called Dixon’s office about five times and have remained unsuccessful in getting the garbage collected.
Dixon said trash has always been an eyesore in the community and she said she is working hard to get it cleared. A clean ward is one of her top priorities because it will invite businesses into the ward.
“Our streets have too much trash on them. If someone is standing at a bus stop and eating, they will have a place to throw their garbage, instead of on the ground or in the sewers,” Dixon said.
She used $37,000 of her aldermanic menu money to purchase 50 black iron garbage cans to be bolted down on streets throughout the ward. She plans to purchase another 50 next year.
But trash is just one of the problems. Drugs and crime have saturated the ward, bringing violence on top of violence, Dixon said.
“I received so many calls before I got in office that residents would call the police when something was going on, only to notice that the police never showed up. I’ve called on many occasions myself when I noticed things while I looked out my windows. The police would not show up,” she said.
The crime hasn’t gone down much, but the police are showing up more often, according to Dixon.
One of her first tasks in addressing crime in the ward was to hold three meetings each month with the police commanders that serve her ward, the 10th, 11th and 15th districts, she said.
The meetings were apparently beneficial.
“I see more blue and whites now,” Dixon said. The Johnsons see the same police manpower and the same results.
“The police come sometimes, and when they do, nothing much happens. Nothing has changed,” Mr. Johnson said.
Dixon said she would like to see more infrastructure improvements in the ward and is working steadily towards that goal. The ward needs to be brighter, streets need repaving and the vacant lots need to be maintained, she said.
A little less than half a million dollars left on the table from aldermanic menu funds Chandler didn’t exhaust in 2005 went towards new lights in some areas in the ward, she said.
“We’ve had light put up on a four-block stretch between the 4000 and 4300 blocks of West Gladys Street, between the 1200 and 1500 blocks of South Harding Avenue and a two-block stretch on North Avers Street. The trees were overgrown, and the lights were sinking into the leaves. Things are brighter now,” Dixon said, adding that more lighting for Springfield Avenue is planned for next year.
One resident is pleased with the new lighting and Dixon’s vision for the ward.
“My street has been repaved, and it’s brighter. So is my mother’s street. Things are really starting to look up. I have faith in her,” Howard Mitchell said.
Dixon, a longtime resident of the Lawndale neighborhood, said she is committed to getting the ward back on track and appreciates the support the residents have given thus far.
“Some of the residents are patient. Some are anxious. I understand their frustration,” she said.
Always proud of her roots and refusing to give up on the area, Dixon believes the ward has improved overall but admits that it’s also the community’s responsibility, along with leadership to keep the improvements coming.
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