Chicago's Pilsen Community

Once known as the second most dangerous place to live only second to East L.A, the Pilsen community is turning a new leaf in the 21st century.



This Mexican-American dominated area had been taken over by drug dealers and gangsters. Residents of the Pilsen community feared to walk the streets. “They [drug dealers] use to hang out in the hallways. It always smelled like marijuana,” resident Juanita Nunez said.



Nunez was born and raised in Pilsen. She recalls one officer in particular who had absolutely no tolerance for drug dealers, the late Officer Alex Mendoza. Mendoza had no problem calling out any foul play or suspicious activities.



Since her death about four years ago the police patrol in the community has increased drastically. Nunez said she feels very safe in her environment. “People should have been scared in the 80's, but not now,” Nunez said.





Local business owner Marlon Mernandez said Pilsen is a very historic community and has a lot of different things it brings to the community to make it what it is. He wanted to be apart of such historic greatness and felt this was the perfect place to open a hip-hop record store. Despite the occasional drunk outside his storefront he’s had no serious problems in his year at Revolver Records. Hernandez aggress that things have gotten better in Pilsen over the years, because police are constantly arresting the trouble makers.



He does admit that the craziness outside occurs more so as the weather heats up. When school starts up it normally calms back down.



Jane Alejandre, secretary of the 12th district Resurrection Project, says that outside her window she watches the school kids past as they go to and from school. “The gang bangers are at the park s waiting for them,” Alejandre said in belief that this was unsafe for students.



Although the park is one of the most secure places according to Officer P.Edwards. There are surveillance cameras running at all times and cops patrol those areas frequently.



Pilsen is a very youthful community and these scary drug dealers from the 70's and 80's are becoming the innocent children of tomorrow. Gangs are growing younger each year. “The complaints are mostly about teens ages 12-18,” said Edwards.



Assistant Principal Richard Gelb of Benito Juarez high-school says that there have been times when students have brought drugs into the school. “It is in any high-school. It is in every community in the United States. Is it a major issue? No, not here more than anywhere else,” Gelb said about the possession of drugs in the school. Benito Juarez H.S. along with other Chicago Public High Schools has uniformed officers on the premises. The Students Connection Survey, giving to all high-school students last year, said that 81% of CPS students felt safe and protective in their school climate. Gelb made it clear that you wouldn’t find anything there that you wouldn’t find in any other public high-school.



Today schools have stretch measures to certify student safety. They now use metal detectors. Gelb says that in all his years in the school system today is nothing compared to 1972, when he taught in Albany Park. He states that it was far worst than today.



Despite Pilsen’s bad reputation, police enforcement along with other neighborhood officials are taking back the neighborhood. “The 12th District is one of the safest in the whole city,” Officer A. Errum said.