Most neighborhoods don't have registered block clubs
Block clubs tackle a range of issues, from crime to development to zoning changes, and help improve the quality of neighborhood lifeFor a city that focuses heavily on neighborhood identities, Chicago isn't very street-wise.
There are only 47 block clubs registered with the Chicago Police Department, according to a RedEye analysis of data posted to www.chicagopolice.org on Tuesday morning. Most neighborhoods don't have a registered block club, and there's not a registered club in the space west of Halsted Street to the suburbs, between Roosevelt Road and 47th Street.
The police define block clubs as "groups of people who have homes and families on any given block in the city and have organized to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods." These groups often target crime issues and work with their local Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy office.
CAPS director Phillip Hampton acknowledges there may be clubs that have
not signed up with the police. The police encourage residents to
register their clubs on the site so neighbors can search for clubs and
the police can work with these clubs.
Of the 47 registered clubs,
five are in South Chicago, the most of any community area. Meanwhile,
West Town has two registered block clubs, online records show,
including the Chicago Grand Neighbors Association--which oversees the
area bounded by Chicago Avenue to the north, Grand Avenue to the south,
Ashland Avenue to the east and Damen Avenue to the west.
The
association was created informally about eight years ago "to make sure
developers didn't run amok and build colossal structures that no one
likes," president Tom Browne said. The group, which has elected
officers, meets about every two months to discuss zoning changes and
development issues but tends to leave community policing up to CAPS,
Browne said.
The group has a Web site, cgnaweb.org, but Browne said it has been difficult spreading the word about his block club.
"It's disheartening," Browne, 45, said. "It's a four-square block area. Still, people don't know about us."
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