'Worst Of Chicago' Not Found Here: Op-Ed

CHICAGO, IL - A neighborhood with three of the most prominent Catholic high schools in the Midwest, including the largest all-girls Catholic school in the country, was recently named to a "Worst of Chicago" list. That same neighborhood, one that's home to the highest concentration of police and firefighters in the city and home to one of the highest concentration of those with Irish ancestry outside of Ireland, is a place you can't avoid if you have roots on the South Side or south suburbs of Chicago.

Nor should you want to. There's nothing wrong with Mount Greenwood being one of the 77 major neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, and it's certainly far from being the city's worst.

The Chicago Reader included Mount Greenwood, and in doing so including all of its residents, in its "Worst of Chicago" list for 2017. Author Jake Malooley argued that it is "Chicago's Upside Down" and whose "annexation to the nearest suburb would be seen as a win" for the city.

It's true that Mt. Greenwood is different from most other Chicago neighborhoods. Crime rates are low, local businesses stay open for decades and communities gather in force to support local families going through tough times.

It's not perfect. That's also true. As Malooley wrote, the neighborhood did as a whole strongly support Donald Trump in 2016. It was indeed also host to racial tension due to another issue that brought groups with budding viewpoints together in a scene that may have looked bad to outsiders that same week.

But the neighborhood, at least to me, is much more than what we saw during that time.

I've never lived in Mount Greenwood, but grew up a block away in Oak Lawn and currently live a few blocks away in Evergreen Park. And I'm proud to call the neighborhood a friendly neighbor.

I can't think of another place in the city that puts as much pride in its schools, from kindergartners at Mt. Greenwood Elementary School to graduate students at Saint Xavier University.

Or a place that's had so little turnover in businesses over the years. Places like The Lamp Shop, Alternate Reality, S&T Provisions, Big 'N Little Shoes. It doesn't matter if it's 1985 or 2017. Those places have stayed put.

It's home to the only farm still operating in the city of Chicago and a high number of men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to keep people safe.

And a place where residents invest in their community with a home ownership rate of more than 85 percent.

The Reader's list of "Worst of Chicago" is a questionable one to make, since many of the "bad" things they listed were either general things everyone dislikes or things that can't be prevented.

It was thorough and had some good items, like the "mistreatment of the homeless" and "Chicago used as an example of urban mayhem."

They also attacked a number of individuals such as Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

But in attacking Mount Greenwood, they were also attacking the unnamed members of what often feels like more of a small town that a part of one of the world's largest cities.

It was the only neighborhood mentioned in the list. The terminology used was unnecessarily harsh.

The response from the community, however, was great.

Malooley and The Reader may not have intended it to turn out this way, but that "Worst of Chicago" article actually brought out the best in Mount Greenwood pride. Comments flooded in from the community about how much they love living in the community and a blogger on Chicago Now provided a good response. At least one business on 111th Street has declared on its outdoor sign that it no longer carries the paper copy of The Reader.

While perhaps Mount Greenwood should focus on bettering its image on the national spotlight with some of the misconceptions coming to light, it's important to note that he neighborhood serves a far greater good as part of the city. And instead of pointing at some perceived imperfections in one spot, residents of different neighborhoods should actually work together to boost the image of of the city as a whole.

Photo by Tim Moran