Profiles in Predjudice
...our hearts speak

A safe neighborhood is an oxymoron

by Michelle Ryan

The Tinley Park murders should finally put an end to the naïve, and condescending statement (and idea) of “This sort of thing doesn't happen here.” Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki was criticized for saying, “It was just our turn.” His response was realistic. He didn't go into denial. Many people won't admit to crime happening in their neighborhood, yet it's something we cannot escape. It's everywhere.

Oak Forest recently had a family murdered in an apartment fire, when a Hindu man disapproved of his daughter's husband. An alleged honor killing, it was still a crime that left many innocent people homeless. Mayor Jo Ann Kelly said something like, “This doesn't happen here, this is a quiet place.” That is not only denial, but a slap in the face to surrounding communities. Officials should know better. New Lenox had an infamous situation where 2 police officers were shot in a high school parking lot. Shocked residents exclaimed, “That isn't suppose to happen here!” Media reports revealed that the shooter was depressed after several devastating incidents in his life, including bankruptcy. He came back from New Orleans and wanted to die, so he deliberately shot at police to initiate an SBC (Suicide By Cop).

Frankfort had a situation last year involving a young couple with an immaculate home exterior. Inside, however, revealed a drug operation and squalor to the point that both children, and pets were taken into protective custody. Neighbors were photographed huddling outside saying, “This isn't the kind of neighborhood this happens in.”

Somewhere near the Homer Glen area, a family was in disbelief last year when an expensive, custom made wheelchair for a child with disabilities, was stolen. The parents left the wheelchair at the end of the driveway so their child could conveniently get onto the special school bus, first thing in the morning. The father exclaimed, “If we had known this could happen here, we would have stayed in the city.”

Oak Lawn residents had a murder awhile back when an employee got mad at another worker for not covering his shift, so he shot him. Irate residents could not fathom this, along with other reports of gangs and drugs in their neighborhood. Finally, a police officer wrote into a local newspaper and set everyone straight. He reassured residents that Oak Lawn was still a nice neighborhood, but it also had drug and gang issues [and an occasional murder], just like everywhere else.

If I had a dime for every time I heard that “not in our neighborhood” phrase, I would be up to 60 cents by now. Hopefully, I won't hit the dollar mark anytime soon. There is hope. Shortly after the NIU shootings, a student was interviewed on the news saying she was thinking of transferring to a different school, but didn't know where she could go where something like that couldn't happen.

I have asked several people what kind of neighborhood comes to mind when people say, “This isn't that kind of neighborhood…” Responses were 'white neighborhoods', 'people with money', and 'people who think they are better than others'. People who think their area is safe are actually easier targets because they don't expect things to go wrong. They become lax in their actions and criminals know this.

What all towns have in common is people. People cause all kinds of problems. They can be black, white, and every color in between, but what really divides us is good versus bad. Neighborhoods that went from white to black, usually always have some whites who stay. Many of those whites experience racism, but not from blacks. It's often from friends or relatives who prejudge the changed neighborhood as 'one of those places …', and it causes strife. So, where is a safe neighborhood?