A “field trip” to Back of the Yards.

A shot of downtown in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

As a welcome change from our monotonous routine of Friday lecture, our class was taken on a pseudo-field trip to the Back of the Yards– a community on the southwestern side of the city. The dreary weather and quiet streets did little to hide the hard life of many of the community’s residents.

Upon arrival we were greeted by Father Bruce. A veritable denizen in the town, Father Bruce is a priest at the Holy Cross church and a community leader. He told us, in extraordinary detail, about the town’s issues with gangs, violence, and poverty. But the walking tour, and the locals we spoke with, did more explaining than I could have imagined.

Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” is based on the stock yards there. A predominantly Mexican-immigrant community, Back of the Yards has the attitude of a town that is an arguable world of its own. The town is made up of quick and cheap manufacturing of tenement housing, the sidewalks, Father Bruce included, used to be make of wood planks. Everything appears clean and new, and only is maintained due to burgeoning relations with local gangs and the church.

A cross on display in the Catholic Charities food bank.

Holy Cross church may be unlike anything I have ever seen in the U.S. The widest church in Chicago without column support, the dome is 60 ft. high and ornately designed. Sunday mass brings over 1,000 attendees and I got the sense that the town really was more of a compound: The church at the center and the town surrounding.

Father Bruce explained that though “hard-core” gangs only make up about 3-4% of the population, local teens feel very different. Within the first five minutes of us walking into the church, he received a phone-call from a gang member, asking who the Northwestern van belonged to–what we were doing there. He was on his way to Harold Washington University to enroll in college courses, a great success story.

We were taken on a tour of second-chance schools and homes, and explained the work the church and others were doing to prevent future generations from falling prey to gangs. Entering one classroom, our group got the chance to speak with some students. Father Bruce asked the newest student what he hoped to accomplish in 2012–the boy incredulously expressed that he did not think he would be alive by then. He said he was 16. Another made mention that wearing certain colors of clothing is enough to get you shot. Only wear dark blue and black, he said.

It was all hard to hear, the stories kids told. Next we were taken out to the courtyard and met a group of young men who were employed by the church for four months, the sand and varnish the pews. The work was keeping them out of gangs– one young man’s brother was recently shot and killed on a nearby street by a rival gang.

As we walked, Father Bruce pointed out landmarks where someone was beaten up the night before, shot a couple of days earlier, etc. At one point I cursed myself for being a little uneasy–I was only in town a few hours, the residents were forced to deal with the unease every day.

The food bank is raising awareness of the 24th Annual Hunger Walk on Saturday, June 20 in Montrose Harbor. All procreeds go to supporting food programs in greater Chicago.

We were taken to a food bank, where a Sister explained that each week the bank gives groceries to over 300 families. Much of the food was donated for free by the USDA, but specialty goods like peanut butter had to be paid at retail price. With the majority of the neighborhood living below the poverty level, she said the bank has seen an enormous jump in people requiring assistance in the past year.

Last quarter I spent some time at the South Side bureau in Chinatown. Many of my classmates and I spent time in Woodlawn, Bronzeville, Pilsen..and I was shocked to hear that people were dissuaded from visiting these communities because of the old stigmas of South Side neighborhoods. The Back of the Yards is in need of help. We were told that police are apprehensive of patrolling and the community has become almost lawless. There are approximately 150 children on each street and they all live with a cautionary look over their shoulders. Though I am not one to promote religion as a solution to societal issues, but Father Bruce is doing good work. From what I witnessed, he had a wonderful report with residents and an ongoing dialogue with many gang members. He is trusted and respected, and gives the community a lot of hope.

If you have the opportunity, Back of the Yards is worth a visit–why not look beyond Pilsen for “authentic” Mexican food, at the very least.

-Ileana