An event that took place in the hood earlier
during the year. [don’t forget}
When the lights went out on the south side.
A Black-out.
Ms. Beauty Turner
Com Ed drops the ball and the city fumbles
Electricity didn’t flow for almost two days in a high rise on the south side doing the most
Intensive heat wave that this city have ever seen since 1995.
In 4048 South Lake Park families as well as the elderly was without electricity denying many of the low income residents that reside there the sweet swift gentle breeze of an (AC) Air Conditioners.
I don’t know what the Mayor was thinking when he un leached what many of the residents who are predominately Black think was a fraud plan to evacuate by using Hitler or slave catcher tactics to make them leave their apartments.
Doing the intensive sweltering heat wave the city sent out the fire departments, police officers and the Department of Human services.
Many people who was just looking on might think that this was a good thing,
But there was one slight problem that upset a few of the residents that lived there; it is what they consider the other side of darkness.
On television what the city was doing looked like a good thing right? After all they was looking out for the welfare of the people or were they?
“The police and the fire department went door to door .knocking with some type of battle ramp,” Larry Turner a long time resident said.
The department of Health would yell out is somebody home and if no body would answer they would have the police and the fire department break the door off of the hinges after they had already evacuated the residents down to the street knowing that now nobody was home, Turner said.
I yelled out to the people that was doing this; why are you breaking into the people homes, instead of getting the pass key from management so that they can accompany you all to the residents apartment, Turner asked.
Why are you breaking in to those people homes? Turner asked angrily.
“We have order from the Mayor to do this if you have any complaints take it up with the Mayor office,” a Caucasian police officer said.
Turner notice that across the street in the perfectly new mixed income Lake Park Crescent homes that the residents was not being treated the same as the ones in the low income subsidized buildings instead they received Com Ed generators to supply them lights.
The Lake Park Crescent homes are in a gentrifying community that holds a healthy hearty luxury price tag that was also without lights the police department and the Health department wasn’t breaking their locks and entering their apartments without permission..
"I believe that our civil rights has been grossly violated," Turner added.
Maple Hardy who has health conditions who is also a long time resident of 4048 South Lake Park
was informed by Turner that her apartment has been broken into by city officials.
"I think that it is wrong for the city to break into people apartments," Hardy said.
"I do believe that they should have gotten in contact with the management company and used their several pass keys that they often used when I wasn’t at home before, Hardy said.
Turner and Hardy feel that the city executed a poorly thought out plan concerning the poor.
A lack of generators and lights created a safety hazard conditions for the elderly as well as others when the city are making people walk down dark hallway stairs when it is pitch black and they can’t see their hands in front of their faces, Turner and Hardy said.
I believe that the city should have treated every body on our block equally the same because the same threat that we faced in our building exited for the people in the luxury high price buildings across the streets but they were given generators while we was forced to leave, Turner said.
And still yet no one have informed me when will I be able to go back home, Turner added.
I paid my rent on time but yet I have no where to stay! Turner went on to say.
I work hard every day of my life, plus I vote and I’m a tax payer and this is how I ‘m being treated this is not right, Turner added.
Tatanisha Phillips a single mother of three and a long time resident of 4048 South Lake Park was evacuated out of her apartment at 4:30 am in the wee hours of the morning she was taken to the Crown Plaza hotel on the west side of Chicago.
After finding out that her apartment door lock had been knocked off the hinges even after she told them that there were no one else in her apartment which at the time she could have easily show them through her apartment if they had asked her but instead they let her walk down the dark stairwells and still knocked her door off the hinges after they watch her close it..
"I have kids so how long do they expect for us to stay in a hotel," Tatanisha Phillips said.
"We don’t have our clothing, we don’t have our important papers, I don’t even have underwear on," Phillips added.
The officer told her in a sarcasm type manner go to the store and buy you some.
Commander Martinez from the twenty first district told me that what the city is doing are doing well being checks and evacuation to keep people safe.
"What are my babies suppose to wear? Phillips said.
"I don’t have money like that," Phillips added.
Cletris Davis told me that she was on her way to work when the city official came in but found herself locked out from her apartment when she got back from work.
“I’m disappointed in the way the city played us because I’m tried and I can’t even enter my apartment now; since I didn’t go with them early this morning people like me don’t have any where to go, Davis said.
“This is the first time I ever witness anything like this they treated the residents here like they did in hurricane Katrina, “Rufus Jackson
Latoya Artis who works in management said that the electricity should be on by twelve o clock tonight at least that what 311 said
Out of 63 apartments only 27 of them was broken into.
The people that lives in this building is not news worthy at least that is what the city thinks I have been though many of these things and nobody cares, a janitor that was wearing the name tag reading Rambert said.
I called East Lake management company and spoke to the President of the company Leroy Bannister.
"I don’t know the extent of the damages that have occurred in this building but we have been informed by police officers not to allow any body back into the building," Bannister said.
We are trying to make sure that we can make the building as secure as possible and as for people doors being broken into we don’t look favorable on that! Bannister added.
