Jun 22, 2009 5:17 pm US/Central
Bronzeville Dubbed 2nd Most Dangerous Neighborhood
Residents Say Area Is Quiet Since Robert Taylor Homes' Demolition In 2006
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Bronzeville residents say their neighborhood is generally quiet since the demolition of the Robert Taylor Homes public housing development.
CBS
A new study says a small eight-block area in Chicago is the second most dangerous neighborhood in the country. The story was posted on AOL.com Monday.
As CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports, homeowners and neighbors in Bronzeville find the title surprising and troubling.
"I don't think it's right, putting that label on it," area resident Roger Williams said. "It's not that bad. It's a shame."
There's not a lot standing at the center of the area deemed the second most dangerous neighborhood in the U.S. The area is only four blocks long by four blocks wide. CBS 2 counted four small apartment buildings in that region, and less than a dozen homes that were occupied.
Yet according to the story that appears on AOL, a research group called Neighborhood Scouts.com concluded this neighborhood is so violent that anyone walking through the area has a one in four chance of being the victim of a crime.
Third Ward Ald. Pat Dowell called the label appalling.
"This is crazy. I don't know what they're doing.They must be counting the number of ghosts that live in here," Dowell said.
Researchers say their data is based on national crime statistics between 2005 and 2007. Chicago police weren't able to provide CBS 2 with its stats for those years, but officers call the area quiet. They say there's been little trouble since most of the high rises at the Chicago Housing Authority's Robert Taylor Homes were demolished by 2006.
Residents agree.
"When the projects left, that's when the trouble left," one woman said. "Everybody that live around here now is old. There's no teenagers."
But the headline is still there for all to see.
"This really portrays the community negatively at a time when we are trying to bring business into the community."
CBS 2 did a little homework of our own on the company that came up with the list of the most dangerous neighborhoods. It seems to be a real estate company that sells information about crime in neighborhoods around the country.
For example, when we tried get the breakdown of the crime stats in Bronzeville we were directed to a Web site that asked for $29.99 for a one-month subscription.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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