Wind Shield Survey
Windshield Survey: Little Village
Population 72,881
Race and Ethnicity
Statistics From The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning 2015-2019
White (Non-Hispanic): 3,112 = 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino: 59,873 = 83%
Black(Non-Hispanic): 8,898= 12.3%
Asian(Non-Hispanic): 95= 0.1%
Other/Multiple Races(Non-Hispanic): 179= 0.2%
- 75% of the population speak Spanish and 23.7% English only.
-80% of the population are Mexican.
Culture
In any direction you look , you will see the influence of Mexican culture in the community.
Little Village maintains its cultural dynamics in many different ways. One of them being by celebrating their traditions year after year like it is celebrating fiestas patrias which is Mexican Independence day. Involves music, dancing, fireworks, and lots of traditional food.
Day of the Dead is another tradition where offerings are made to the souls of loved ones that have passed away. Pan de muertos are sold around the community and iced sugar skulls.
Mexican food restaurants predominates in Little Village, You can find a taco stands in every corner, authentic Mexican restaurants are abundant around the community, panaderias, and candy stores.
Mexicans have the belief that natural remedies is an effective way to heal illness therefore there are botanicas (herbal shops) around Little Village.
Religion
In Little Village, you will find murals of Our Lady of Guadalupe around the neighborhood. Our Lady of Guadalupe symbolizes faith in the Catholic community which is the religion that represents the population of Little Village.
There are various places of worship with different denominations such as Roman Catholic, Prostestant, Baptists, and United Methodist with Roman Catholic having the most available churches in the community totalling 6 and 2 catholic schools.
Politics
Little Village has been a hotbed for politics since its development. It is the home of Anton Cermak, who became Chicago’s mayor in 1931 with the support of a diverse coalition. He brought representatives from German, Polish, Czech, Jewish and eventually African American communities into leadership positions. He is often considered to be the originator of the Democratic machine because of the strategies that he used to consolidate power. Little Village is also the home of Rudy Lozano, who was well-known locally as an activist and an organizer with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and with tortilla factory workers. He came close to an electoral victory that would have made him the first Mexican-American alderman in the Chicago City Council, and he was key in organizing the Latino vote behind Harold Washington’s successful campaign for mayor. On June 8th, 1983, he was murdered in his home and, although the details of the murder remain unclear, many feel that there was a political motive behind his assassination.
Little Village has always supported the Democratic Party in the past presidential elections. In the 2016 presidential election, South Lawndale cast 11,878 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 585 votes for Donald Trump (92.01% to 4.53%) (Ali, 2016). In the 2012 presidential election, South Lawndale cast 9,391 votes for Barack Obama and cast 688 votes for Mitt Romney (91.88% to 6.73%) (Ali, 2016)
Ricardo Muñoz was appointed the alderman of the 22nd ward, which includes Little Village by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1993 and served until 2019. He was the longest tenured Latino and fourth longest tenured member of the Chicago City Council. Michael D. Rodriguez is the current alderman of the 22nd ward and took office as a member of the Chicago City Council in May 2019.
Politics Ctd.
Current Alderman
Boundaries
Boundaries Ctd.
Little Village, which roughly shares the boundaries of the Chicago Community Area of South Lawndale, is located east of Western Avenue, west of Cicero Avenue, north of I 55 and south of the BNSF train line. It is one of the densest communities in Chicago, with a population of almost 75,000 and about 17,000 residents per square mile. With 26th Street as its commercial anchor, which is the city's second highest-grossing shopping strip after only the Magnificent Mile.
Boundaries Ctd.
With 26th Street as its commercial anchor, which is the city's second highest-grossing shopping strip after only the Magnificent Mile.
Media:
Little Village has access to the major media outlets in Chicago like the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune as well as free newspapers like the Reader, the Red Eye and South Side Weekly. While there are many Spanish language news outlets online, only La Raza and Hoy are available in print locally. Online Spanish and bilingual news outlets include La Voz Chicago, La Raza, Hoy, El Día, Reflejos and the Lawndale News which is a bilingual news website dedicated to local Lawndale news which covers Little Village.
Housing and Zoning
Little Village is a mix of housing, commercial business and a large industrial corridor.
Some statistics taken from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) website:
Most people in Little Village rent their properties. 63.9 % of all occupied housing is occupied by renters.
There are 18,078 housing units in Little Village.
There are 2,777 vacant units, which is 13.3 % of all housing. This slightly more than the city of Chicago where 12.2% of all housing is vacant.
Houses in Little Village are older. The median year a house was built was 1926. There are 14,630 homes that were built before 1940, which accounts for 70.2% of all homes.
Housing and Zoning
Housing Type
Single family, detached: 3,939 units 18.9 %
Single family, attached: 303 units 1.5 %
Two units: 7,550 units 36.2%
Three or four units: 6,624 units 31.8%
Five to nine units: 1,756 units 8.4%
Ten to nineteen units: 79 units 0.4%
Twenty or more units: 563 units 2.7%
Mobile homes/other: 41 units 0.2%
Housing and Zoning
According to Zillow.com there are 83 homes currently for sale in Little Village with the average home price being 198,383 dollars.
Housing and Zoning
This is a typical street in Little Village. The houses are older, but well kept.
Housing and Zoning
A map showing the outlines of the Little Village industrial corridor. Many homes are directly across from heavy industry. This space is 1,252 acres.
Housing and Zoning
Cook County Jail
Cook County Jail takes up a sizeable portion of Little Village, 96 acres to be exact. Many houses can see the jail directly from their front yards.
Housing and Zoning:
Cook County Jail
The photo on the left is a house on Sacramento Avenue in Little Village.
The photo on the right is the barbed wire fence of Cook County Jail that can be seen directly from the front yard of this house.
Open Space
Looking at this map, we can see how little green and
park space there is in Little Village. There are
two main parks. La Villita park and Piotrowski park.
Both parks are apart of the Chicago Parks District.
Both parks are surrounded by housing and industrial
complexes.
Open Space Focus: La Villita Park
La Villita park was built on the site of the former Celotex industrial complex. For many years, residents had complained about the pollution produced by the complex. In 1993 the company left, tearing down buildings and leaving the area with a heavily polluted, 22 acre, empty lot.
It was through the work of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and the Chicago Parks Department that the area was eventually cleaned up by the EPA in 2009. In 2014, LVEJO and the Parks Department unveiled a new 21 and half acre park for the community.
The park includes a playground, basketball courts, a baseball field, a skate park, garden areas and soccer fields. Many children were playing in the park while I visited, even though it was a very cold day outside.
La Villita Park
This is an image from the LVEJO website showing the layout of La
Villita park. It should be noted that the park is completely fenced in on
all sides due to its proximity to Cook County Jail. The easternmost
border of the park is across the street from the Cook County Jail
and the tall barbed wire fences surrounding the jail can be seen
from the eastern end of the park.
La Villita Park
An image from the LVEJO website showing the empty lot of the forming Celotex industrial site in 1999. This site would eventually become La Villita Park.
La Villita Park
Open Space Focus: Industry and Park Space
Shown here is small playlot. Across the street is a large industrial complex. Semi trucks pass through regularly on the street next to the park. Infact, two semis drove through within the 5 minutes I was in the area to take photos.
Commons
La Villita park, is one of the famous common place where people play, bike,
and walk their dogs
‘’Closed” Hangouts that are popular in the community:
V Live Restaurant& Live music Entertainment is a nightclub
where people from 18 and above gather to dance variety of music
La Catedral cafe: mexican restaurant where families
and friends gather to eat mexican food
CC’s Little Village Boys & Girls Club
La Villita Park
Places that draw younger people:
CC’s Little Village Boys & Girls Club
Closed hang out places that may be unfriendly to strangers or newcomers: The Boulevard
There is gang activity in the community.
Health Status of the Community
Morbidity rates for chronic conditions:
Obesity: 41.5%
Diabetes :12.2 %
Hypertension rate: 20.5%
Chronic kidney disease: 3.5%
Adult Asthma rate: 6.1 %
Behavioral health problem: 9%
Disability: 8.07%
Stroke: 5%
Tuberculosis: between 7 to 10 cases per 100,000 population
Systemic Cancer diagnostic rate: 94.36 rate per 100,000 population
Mortality rates:
Diabete related mortality rate: 32.1%
Covid-19: 268.9 rate per 100,000 population
Stroke: 22.1 %
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 9.2%
Alzheimer’s disease: 9.3 %
Cancer: 73.4 %
Coronary heart disease: 32.1 %
Chronic lower respiration :8.3%
Nephritis and nephrotic syndrome: 10.2%
Accidents: 17.4 %
Health Status of the Community
Communicable diseases:
Chlamydia: 866.0 rate per 100,000 population
HIV Incidence rate: 21.4 per 100,000 population
HIV prevalence rate: 608.5 per 100,000 population
Gonorrhea: 228.2 rate per 100,000 population
Syphilis: 16.2 rate per 100,000 population
Covid-19: 11,240.8 rate per 100,000 population,1.7 times
the city wide infections rate
Non-Communicable diseases:
Lead poisoning rate: 2.8% of children ages 1-5
Health problems related to the environment:
Air pollution problems and respiratory infections related to the industrial and shipping
corridors
Lead poisoning related to old building construction
High risk communicable diseases: Covid-19
Transportation
Just over half of workers drive alone to work, 17.7 percent rely on public
transportation to get to work
and 19.7 percent carpooled with someone else
Pink line runs between 54th/Cermak and Downtown
from 4am to 1am on weekdays and 5am to 1am during weekends and holidays.
Little village is served by buses 52, 53,60,82 and 94
Bus 52 runs between Kedzie and Cermak from 4:50 am to 11pm weekdays
5:20 am to 10:40 pm saturdays and 6:10 am to 10:40 pm sunday
Bus 60 runs between Blue Island/26th and Harbor Dr/ Randolph
from 4am to 11pm on weekdays and 5am to 11pm on weekends and holidays
Bus 53 runs between Pulaski/Peterson south to Pulaski/31st
from 3:55 am to 11 pm on weekdays and weekend
Transportation
Bus 82 runs between Devon/Kedzie south to lawndale/ 31st from from 4:50 am to 9:05 10:05 am and 10:05 pm to 12:30 am weekdays ,5 am to 9:30 am and 8:55 pm to 12 am saturday; 7:15 am to 10:35 am & 7:25 pm to 11:15 pm sunday
Bus 94 runs between Rockwell/Addison South to 74th /Damen from 4:30am-11:35 pm weekdays, 5 am to 10:50 pm saturday and 5:55 am to 10:20 pm on sunday
Major Highways are I-55, I-90 and I-290
The closest airport is Midway airport
Safety
As of November 2021, there have been 549 assaults 327 robberies, 265 burglaries, 1,117.5 thefts, and 322 motor vehicle thefts in the past 2 years with 21 murders in the year of 2021.
Quotes about safety from residents of Little Village: It can be dangerous at times but it has a nice sense of community (August 2021), Little Village is my horrible dangerous home. People get shot, attacked, kidnapped, and sexually harassed. This is not a welcoming place. Im in fear of mine and my family’s life everyday. Don’t move here (November 2021), Crime is high- we’re moving because the area is becoming ratchet and I’m not raising a newborn around here. Has potential but they can do way better (September 2021), The past 3 years it has become more unsafe and a lot more crime has been occurring around the neighborhood (August 2021), What I like about Little Village is the hospitality and respect of the people. Everyone there is just so friendly and no matter what, they are always willing to help you (March 2021), I love the neighborhood feel of Little Village. I love when I walk down the street and see families and neighbors talking to one another (May 2021).
Safety
Adam Toledo was a 13-year-old Mexican child who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer, Eric Stillman in the neighborhood of Little Village on March 29, 2021 at 2:38 am. Adam was running from Officer Tillman and dropped the gun he had in his hand before turning towards the officer and being shot and killed. Many protested for Adam and for the firing and jail time of Officer Stillman. Adam’s death was connected to the pattern of police violence against the Latino community. It was released that Officer Tillman had 3 complaints for misconduct within the 5 years of being in the Chicago police department. As of today Officer Stillman was stripped of his police powers and the criminal investigation leading to his jail time is still ongoing.
Safety
Schools
Little Village Academy Elementary School: Rating 3.9 out of 5
Little Village Lawndale High School High School: Rating 4.3 out of 5
Community Links High School: Rating 3.9 out of 5
Telpochcalli Elementary School: Rating 4.1 out of 5
Eli Whitney Public School: Rating 3.0 out of 5
Gary Elementary School: Rating 3.4 out of 5.
Madero Middle School: Rating 4.3 out of 5
Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy: Rating 4.3 out of 5
Grace Christian Academy: Rating 5 out of 5
Epiphany Catholic School: Rating 4.2 out of 5
Stores, Services, and Service Centers
The terracotta arch over 26th Street is the gateway to the community. The sign reads “Bienvenidos a Little Village”. It is the neighborhood’s main attraction that welcomes residents to one of the busiest shopping districts in the city of Chicago.
Little Village stretches approximately two miles and is home to almost 500 businesses with about 1800 employers. There are international grocery stores, bakeries, eye-catching murals, and storefronts known for traditional Mexican costumes such as quinceañera dresses, huipil, and leather Western attire.
There are many restaurants and taquerias in the community. These restaurants would be considered fast food and does not offer many healthy options, but it is authentic to the Mexican culture.
If you’re rushing and in need of a small bite you can grab an insalubrious snack from a passing paletero (pushcart vendors selling food).
Due to the lack healthier food options 33% of adults in Little Village are obese, with the national obesity rate of 29.5% the community is advancing higher than the nation . 15% of adults in the neighborhood have been diagnosed with diabetes, in comparison to 9% of U.S. adults. There is a food insecurity in the community with 50% of residents receiving food stamps participants in the community made a connection between poverty or low-wage employment and diet. “A head of lettuce costs $4—that makes it more difficult to eat salad” stated a participant in a community survey.
The community is limited on recreational resources and entertainment options. Near the community there is only one local YMCA, that is technically not home to Little Village, but services are offered to the population and others in the surrounding areas. For entertainment locals visit Apollo’s 2000 which is an event venue that is available for hosting concerts, performances, other entertainment.
57% of the population tried to lose weight within the past year with there being a lack of recreational area and vegetation compared to other communities it makes it harder for the community to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Research has shown that the Little Village, neighborhood has been identified to have some of the worst air quality in the state and has only about 1 percentage of green space in the community. It has taken 75 years for the community to create a project in Little Village that has doubled the amount of open/green space available to residents. Resulting in La Villita Park, which ranks the community 70 out of 77 for green space in the city.
La Villita Park
Case Management
The community of Little Village brings the heritage of Mexico but also complicated challenges to health and wellbeing such as methodical racism and xenophobia that forces residents into low-income jobs without insurance, concerns about immigration enforcement and control that prevents them from accessing services that are a necessity to a healthy life.
Sinai Community Health Survey 2.0:
44% of adults reporting “fair” or “poor” health
34% of adults having no health insurance coverage
Hospitals/Clinics in the community:
Oak Street Health Little Village
Esperanza Health Center
Access Servicios Médicos La Villita
Medical fees are covered with Sliding Fee Scale, Medicaid, Medicare, or Private Insurance.
Community Leaders/Organizations that works to provide a better community:
Marshall Square Resource Network
Delta Institute
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
According to Environmental Issues in Chicago “Environmental Protection Agency has been coordinating with residents, community organizations, and representatives from the City of Chicago Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on a number of projects in Little Village neighborhoods to monitor air quality standards, projects, assessments, and implement appropriate plans for the wellbeing of the community”.
Strengths of the Community
Little Village has two main strengths:
There is strong sense of community in Little Village. As was stated earlier, 26th street is the second highest grossing shopping district in Chicago after the magnificent mile. This means that people in the community are supporting the local businesses. There are many community lead organizations in Little Village that are there to help those in need.
Another strength is the community’s strong resilience in the face of adversity. Many in Little Village live below the federal poverty levels. Covid rates in Little Village where almost 2x higher than the rest of the city. Many are undocumented. Even with all this the community is still a vibrant cultural center.
Potential Community Risk Factors (Weaknesses)
There are many risk factors facing Little Village. Here are 5 potential community risk factors:
Environmental pollution. Little Village has a large industrial corridor that sits directly next to residential properties.
Access to health care. According to Chicago Health Atlas 22.52 % of residents in Little Village are uninsured.
Poverty. CMAP reports that 34.4% of residents make less than 25,000 dollars a year.
Crime. Little Village has crime rates higher than the city average.
Language barriers. Many in Little Village are recent immigrants. CMAP reports that 76.2% speak Spanish only at home and that 36.2 % speak English less than “very well.”
Community Resources to Address Weakness:
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
A major weakness in Little Village is its proximity to heavily polluting industries. The LVEJO was formed in 1994 by parents in the community who were concerned about their children being exposed to toxic particles while their elementary school was being renovated. After convincing the school to perform renovations at night while the children were not there, the LVEJO turned their attention to other environmental concerns in the community. Pictured here are LVEJO protesting outside the former Crawford Coal Power Plant.
Community Resources to Address Weakness:
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
The circled area is Little Village. This infographic shows that Little Village bears a heavy environmental burden compared to other areas of the city. The LVEJO has been active in organizing the community to address this environmental burden.
Community Resources to Address Weakness:
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
From the Chicago Health Atlas, an infographic showing that there were 1,008 ED visits for asthma for every 10,000 residents in the Little Village community area. Comparatively, the community area of just south of Little Village had 335. The LVEJO claims that the heavy industry in the area is a cause of the ER admission rates for asthma.
Community Resources to Address Weakness:
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
The LVEJO has had many success stories in their fight to bring environmental justice to Little Village. In 2012, along with PERRO, an environmental justice organization in Pilsen, LVEJO was successful in retiring the Crawford and Fisk coal power plants in Chicago. LVEJO worked with the Chicago Parks Department and the EPA to clean up the site of the former Celotex industrial complex and build La Villita Park.
Community Resources to Address Weakness:
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
There have been set backs. The Crawford plant was demolished in April of 2020. Unfortunately, the smokestack was improperly imploded causing dust to blanket the surrounding neighborhood.
In 2018, the city of Chicago accepted a proposal by the owners of the Crawford plant to turn the site into a logistics center. The LVEJO claims that this is trading coal for diesel fumes and will be just as detrimental to the health of the community.
The photo on the left was taken by the Chicago Sun Times and shows a resident of Little Village walking through dust pollution after the Crawford demolition.
References
Air pollution linked with higher COVID-19 death rates. News (2020, May 5). Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://www.hsph.havard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/air-pollution-linked-with-higher-covid-19-death-rates/
Chicago health atlas. (n.d). Retrieved November 21, 2021, from
https:// www.chicagohealthatlas.org/neighborhood/1714000-30?place=south-lawndale#
CMAP Community Data snapshot | South Lawndale-illinois.(n.d). Retrieved November, 21, 2021 from
https// www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/10180/126764/South+ Lawndale.pdf.
Draft little village framework-city of Chicago. (n.d). Retrieved November 21,2021, from https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Publications/draft-little-village-framework.pdf.
Pink line info (route info, Alerts & Schedules). CTA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21,2021, from
https:// www.transitchicago.com/pinkline/
References
Ali, T. (2016). How every Chicago neighborhood voted in the 2016 presidential election.
Environmental Issues in Chicago's Little Village & Pilsen Neighborhoods https://www.epa.gov/il/environmental-issues-chicagos-little-village-pilsen-neighborhoods
Little Village Leaders Invest in Residents’ Success https://liveunitedchicago.org/stories/little-village-leaders-invest-in-residents-success/
24 hours in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood https://www.choosechicago.com/blog/dining/what-to-eat-drink-and-do-in-chicagos-little-village-neighborhood/