Honestly, when I first read Chicago Still the Most Segregated U.S. City on The Chicagoist, my first thought was “This is soooo not news.”  However, I do believe there are some South Siders that feel that all is well.  Well, they did until they were slapped in the face and pocketbooks by  the economic crisis, and had to drastically change their lifestyles.

Shawn Stillmaker, the writer of the story, discussed how the clearly defined racial divisions in the city made it easy for predatory lending in predominantly minority communities. The primary focus of his article was real estate.

Allow me to share my thoughts on the racial segregation in our beloved city as an enlightened South Sider.  If Chicagoans really paid attention to the unequal distribution of education, resources and economics, then the divisions would be immediately obvious.

Oh, gosh, where should I begin? Let’s start with the abandoned buildings in the community.  This number has greatly increased since 2008.  Abandoned homes are the main signs that a community is crumbling.  And, who knows what goes on in them? Many time activities are taking place that will decrease the value of property in the community even more.

Why is drug distribution the primary economy of many South and West Side communities while economic empowerment through employment and entrepreneurship is encouraged in others? And why is Wal-Mart being pushed as a “savior” of these communities?

It is my understanding that money from the lottery was supposed to go toward education. After conducting a bit of research, I learned that some of it does.  But, consider this.  South Siders are losers when it comes to the lottery – literally and figuratively.  Even though most of the lottery sales are made on the South Side, very few tickets are winners. Can you imagine what would happen if the schools in which the lottery tickets were sold received a small percentage of the proceeds? I would like to think that every student at those schools would have at least one new book in any subject.

I could go on and on, but I’m not.  I just wanted to point out some of the things I’ve observed that did not surprised me that Chicago still ranks #1 as the most segregated U.S. City.

Do you think Chicago should hold the title as the #1 segregated U.S. city?