Gangs and Changeover Problems in Edgewater

CHICAGO - Gang-related crime and high community changeover are two of the biggest problems that face residents and officials of the 48^th Ward in Edgewater, according to Doug Fraser, Alderman Mary Ann Smith’s chief of staff.

Gang activity, Fraser said, has become increasingly sophisticated and increasingly harder to prevent. While the alderman’s office relies heavily on local police as a quick fix for most gang activities, Fraser said the long-run solution is in the hands of local residents. Consistently reporting gang activity to the police and lobbying landlords who rent to drug traffickers are essential to curbing these criminal organizations, he said.

The 48^th Ward has also undergone tremendous changes in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic status and land ownership.

“It’s gotten whiter, richer, and [has] many more homeowners,” Fraser said.

Fraser explained that this change is disruptive to the efforts of the local government. As different people from different backgrounds move to the 48^th Ward, there is often a discrepancy between the way these newcomers think governance works and the way governance actually works.

“We all think we know how to play tennis, but we don’t necessarily know the new rules of the conversation,” Fraser said.