The [Monday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“Racial segregation in Chicago neighborhoods has declined as more African-Americans have opted to move to the suburbs and more whites and Latinos have moved into historically black communities, an analysis based on new census data shows,” the Tribune reports.
“But while some Chicago neighborhoods have become more racially diverse, the city remains one of the most segregated large cities in the country, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the data.
“Milwaukee ranks highest on the list of most segregated large cities and New York City ranks second, Frey’s data show. Chicago is third, and 76 percent of the city’s African-American population would have to move in order to achieve complete integration, the research shows.”
How many whites would have to move?

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“[L]ocal experts who study housing trends say it’s not hard to see where Chicago is starting to experiencing more integration. There are areas near downtown that were once majority African-American but have undergone a change to their racial makeup because of development.”
Translation: Whites have “integrated” black neighborhoods occupying premium real estate by moving themselves in and blacks out. In this scenario, the integration is temporary until the gentrification is complete.

A decade ago the South Loop neighborhood was majority African-American, said Rob Paral, a Chicago-based demographer. Now it’s more diverse.
“If you look block by block, you might see the same segregation trends,” Paral said of Chicago. “When I think of Cabrini Green, that would be an area that is conceivably more integrated. Or look at the Oakland area – as the black population moves on from there, the white population is moving in. There’s also Kenwood, another neighborhood that was solidly black that is now more integrated.”

I rest my case.
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“The racial makeup of communities is important because it often dictates what resources are available, the poverty level and who will be voted into office, said Stephanie Schmitz Bechteler, the research and evaluation director at the Chicago Urban League.”
Translation: The city is structurally racist.

“The reason we pay so much attention to segregation is because it matters in terms of life outcomes,” Bechteler said. “Where you live and where you grow up matters, and so does who you grow up around. It dictates where you go to school, the access you have to healthy business corridors, even your access to healthy food and job opportunities. All this is tied to address.”

I rest my case.
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I’m also guessing that the more black a neighborhood is, the less likely it is to still have a school. Therefore, such neighborhoods aren’t likely to attract new families. That seems counterproductive to any sort of development strategies to create healthier communities.
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“[H]istorically black communities were hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, making houses cheap and easy to buy for Hispanics and whites who may have been willing to move for a bargain.”
Translation: “Integration” achieved through financial scandal!
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“In black neighborhoods, as residents have become more prosperous they have chosen to move, Bechteler said her research shows . . .
“Greater numbers of African-Americans are moving into suburban areas – not just in Chicago but all over the country, Frey’s analysis shows.
“In Chicago, the shift of African-Americans from the city to the suburbs is likely because residents are in search of better housing and schools and safer communities, said Dick Simpson, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a former Chicago alderman. But many black residents still land in suburbs with majority-black populations, like Dolton, Harvey and Maywood.”
So the city is achieving slight progress in integration by becoming less attractive for black people, who then re-segregate in the suburbs. Doesn’t that leave the metro area as a whole unchanged in terms of segregation?
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P.S.: “A separate report released by Brookings last week shows that whites – a minority of the population in Chicago – were the city’s only racial group to see their incomes rise dramatically in the past two decades.”
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The Laquan McDonald E-Mails
You’ll have to check @BeachwoodReport for the “highlights.” More analysis to come. But the basic idea is this:

Breaking: Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts reveals first exhibit: “The #LaquanMcDonald E-Mails.”

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 1, 2016

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SportsMonday: Chicago Shrugged
Bears go out with a whimper, Bulls and Blackhawks come in with a bang.
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Featuring: Running, The Gories, The Oblivians, Dean Ween, Ministry, Choke Chains, The Promise Ring, and JEFF The Brotherhood.
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BeachBook

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TweetWood
A sampling.

#Bears improve to worst team in the division.

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 3, 2016

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Spoiler. Ep9 #MakingaMurderer: on coerced confessions: “police were taught to elicit confessions from some outfit in Chi.”

— Wendy Katten (@wjk1971) January 3, 2016

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Officials: First Baby Born In Cook County In 2016 Is A Democrat.

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 2, 2016

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The Beachwood Tip Line: Auld acquaintances should not be forgot.

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Posted on January 4, 2016