As many of you have no doubt heard, committeewoman Sandi Jackson resigned from her seat as 7th ward alderman. Citing personal and family issues, the seat that only just weeks ago she so defiantly denied ever daring to leave, she has vacated. Her resignation has closed the chapter on the Jackson family political dynasty and other flowery framing that Chicago local media will give to this story. But the bigger issue is the current state of the ward she leaves behind to care for her family in Washington D.C.
I moved to South Shore nearly ten years ago. I grew up in the suburbs so this was to be a big step for me to own property and live in the city of Chicago. South Shore was marketed as one of those up and coming neighborhoods. Growing, changing, flourishing and thriving with young urban professionals wanting space, to be close to the lakefront and still relatively close to downtown while living in a true Chicago neighborhood. Back then, small businesses were opening up and as an new home-owning tax payer, I was excited to be a resident of South Shore. Then, the neighborhood took a turn for the worse. My condo building alone experienced more than 10 break-ins over the years. We started hearing about shootings at intersections near us. Small businesses began closing up shop and new ones were not taking their place. The beauty of the neighborhood started to deteriorate with foreclosed homes being boarded up and a not so safe element hanging around after dark. With all this negative activity taking place, residents got concerned and got organized. There are several small groups but the one that formed with my neighbor at the helm made task number one to evaluate what was happening with government leadership in the community. The group unmasked that we had severely absentee representation. With that knowledge, the group set out to execute a campaign using grassroots organizing, traditional media, social media and other methods, to push Sandi Jackson to evaluate her priorities and ability, or inability, to do her job.
Having lived in Chicago and read/heard about how “the machine” that is politics works, I’m sure there were some back door conversations had to convince Mrs. Jackson to reconsider her position on vacating the seat. However, I’m sure the media interviews, change.org petition, planned rallies, and social media traffic generated by the #sacksandi campaign did not go unnoticed. How do I know this? I work in public relations. I know the biggest of companies respond to the one or two Tweets that have a negative word to say about their brand because brand image is paramount in this street fight of consumers’ dollars and loyalty. So, respect is definitely due to the group of concerned residents of South Shore who want to reclaim the community for all. In my humble view, the community could be the next Fort Greene (Brooklyn), filled with artists, activists, professionals, musicians, historians, and the next generation of leaders in our city. Have you seen the most beautiful city owned building, the South Shore Cultural Center? It is smack dab in the South Shore community.
The fight is not over. We still need to secure committed, smart and action-oriented leadership for the 7th ward to begin its rebound. I feel better knowing the wheels and gears are set in motion. Don’t let a hash tag fool you. There is more work to be done.
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