Urban Renewal

The Young Lords Organization 

Urban Renewal

Urban Renewal is the redevelopment of areas within a large city, typically involving the clearance of slums.

Urban renewal was another barrier that the YLO attempted to break because many Latinos, Blacks, and the poor Appalanchian whites were being removed from their homes because they lived near the city--a profitable city. The homes of minorities were being reconstructed to look nicer and be more expensive in order to have more rich people near the city. The minority couldn't do anything about rent going up, so eventually they had to leave and their Landlords did not pity them. Urban renewal happened so fast that the Lincoln Park neighborhood, one that was once full of Puerto Rican people, became a neighborhood full of middle class white people because of landlords siding with Mayor Richard Daley and other private companies.

A Fight Against the White

Picture of Mayor Richard J Daley (Pauli).

Mayor Richard J Daley- 

Mayor Daley was a politically powerful figure who quickly brought the city council under his wing. He did so mainly through his control over patronage—city government jobs that could be used to reward and punish the city’s fifty aldermen. Daley’s preoccupation with downtown development enhanced Chicago’s prestige around the globe, but it provided relatively few benefits for Chicago’s low-income and minority residents(African Americans, Latinos, and poor White)(Rast 566). Although some might say that Daley was revitalizing Downtown Chicago by setting forward the construction of expressways, parking garages, and docking facilities as well as by enlarging O'Hare Airport to accommodate commercial traffic, Daley's work wasn't benefiting everyone. Through the process of revitalizing Chicago's Downtown area, Mayor Daley was pushing out most, if not all of the lower-class people because they couldn't afford living in neighborhoods near the city. The jobs that were offered to minority groups like Puerto Ricans just weren't enough to pay for the places Daley wanted renovated and it wasn't fair because they weren't getting any raises in their paychecks.

Others- 

Mayor Daley wasn't the only problem that the YLO and other groups had to face against urban renewal. Alongside Mayor Daley were white landlords and private companies/developers. The Chicago Housing Authority, members of Community Urban Renewal, and members of the local Daley appointed Conservation Community Council were on Mayor Daley's side. Most officials in Chicago were under the wing of Mayor Daley, that meant that most political figures were against the oppressed and voiceless community. It makes sense that many were on Daley's side since he rewarded those who were loyal to him. Other officials might have been on his side because they feared what Daley could do with his power. Whichever reason an individual had for being on Daley's side, they still committed unjust actions towards lower-class people especially of Black and Latino communities. 

Martinez, Blanca. “Interview with Jose Cha Cha Jimenez .” 9 Jan. 2020.

  A Coalition 

The YLO and other local groups formed a Poor People's Coalition to fight Urban Renewal plans of having the Hartford Company Construct middle-income housing.

The newsletter on the left is about the Poor People's Coalition asking an architect to develop plans that would be entered as a contract bid before the Urban Renewal Board, however they weren't taken very seriously by the members of Community Urban Renewal until the local Daley Appointed Conservation Community Council favored the Coalition's bid (Poor People's Coalition). On the day that a decision was going to be made, everyone but 10 people favored the Hartford Company Construction and the Coalition's bid went to a private contractor. After this, only 15% of housing was going to the poor even though the coalition asked for 40%. Just because they received 15% of housing doesn't mean that the people were satisfied. The coalition wanted to "stop destruction", so they began writing petitions. 

The image on the right is a petition to stop the Hartford Company Construction (Stop Destruction).

    A Personal Experience

Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez stated that he would be running for Alderman of the 46th ward in 1974 as a way to represent the large groups of people who were constantly being moved out. 

Mr. Jimenez stated in his speech (on right) that by the time he was 13 or 14 years of age he had already moved houses on nine different occasions because of people who were part of groups like Community Urban Renewal or like the local Daley appointed Conservation Community Council.

Martinez, Blanca. “Interview with Jose Cha Cha Jimenez .” 9 Jan. 2020.

Although Mr. Jimenez didn't become Alderman because of insufficient votes, he did not give up. Instead, he found a new candidate to represent everyone that was suffering because of the rich and middle class white people.

Harold Washington became Mayor in part thanks to the YLO, but also because of everyone else involved in the Rainbow Coalition. The Rainbow Coalition Consisted of the Young Lord Organization, the Black Panther Party, the Young Patriots, and many other oppressed groups of people that wanted to fight against the unjust system. Washington's role as mayor was a major turning point because at that point African American, Latinos, and many others were being represented fairly. Although Washington's time as mayor was short he helped out a lot with the halt of many urban renewal projects and with creating rights that landlords had to respect when it came to prices of home and the conditions of the homes they were renting out.

A speech given by Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez and his decision to run for Alderman (Statement of Candidacy).

<<<The Last Straw: Police Brutality

Legacy >>>