Crime
Crime vs. Community
When looking at crime near W. Lisbon Avenue, a unique pattern begins to reveal itself that is not random at all. Crime tends to stay away from programs that take time to participate in the community. The Amaranth Bakery and Art Studio have done a lot of work in the community through the passion of art. Westside Academy II has set up a program for students to create temporary art galleries in the neighborhood.
The Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development has done a lot throughout the community to better the living environment for families in Washington Park. Kehr's Candy has also been providing a great commercial service to the area since the 1940s. All of these different programs have helped move the crime away from the stretch of W. Lisbon Avenue between N. 32nd Street and N. 37th Street. Through their service, art, community work, interaction, or just their presence, these establishments have helped move toward a better environment. |
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Washington Park's Decline
With the 1980s came Washington Park's decline. Crime rates began to steadily rise, causing many families to feel unsafe and move away to raise their children. As is the case with all Rust Belt cities, the industrial jobs that once provided numerous jobs to the area's residents left, leaving many people unemployed. As more and more families left for safer neighborhoods and better jobs, the congregation at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church dwindled, and the church decided to combine itself with three other area churches and move to a new location, creating All Saint's congregation in 1994.
With the loss of St. Thomas Aquinas came a loss of the activity and neighborliness that grew with it. The church's alter was sold to an Arizona church, and the building was sold to the new owner of Westside Academy II. The convent on the site was demolished, and the church itself was converted into storage for the school. The neighborhood continued to fall into disrepair; buildings left vacant were demolished, and their lots were left undeveloped. Some houses were not demolished and instead left abandoned and deteriorating. Today the block around St. Thomas Aquinas consists of old houses, foreclosure signs, a 4th-8th grade school, and the church itself, complete with broken stained glass windows and overgrown vegetation. At first glance, this is simply a decaying neighborhood, but turn back the clock, and this neighborhood is a thriving, family friendly area focused on education, community involvement, and a strong sense of unity. Washington Park is one of the nation's many neighborhoods that is plagued by crime. In the time between February, 2014 and March, 2014 there were 70 crimes reported in this neighborhood. This is not to mention the cases that go unreported. Schoolteacher Jennifer Koss told the story of a shooting that occurred outside her school in 2013. The shooting happened right outside the building, and as a result, the children were kept inside for the remainder of the year for safety reasons. Another story told by Ms. Koss is the story of a girl being stalked to and from school. A man followed her home and to school, learning both where she lived and where she spent her days. The man was eventually caught with no physical harm being done to the girl, but the fact remains that this is a problem. Ms. Koss now tells her male students that they should be walking the girls home from school to discourage potential stalkers. Ms. Koss was also a witness to a crime a few years ago right outside her home. These are only a few of the stories of the violence and crime that takes place in this neighborhood. Ms. Koss says that security is a major problem for children going to and from school and is probably the cause for the lack of neighborly interaction. |
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