Commercial Avenue: South Chicago's "little downtown"

[mazdaman1982]

i herd not to go to South Chicago unless i want to get shot lol

[Versohnung]

we have a very diverse community? all Black!!! and since when do Eastern Europeans live there?

[mell4081]

He's looking for a starbucks outside the wik center! What a joke

[DANTEG7414]

A friend of mine was murdered right at that mcdonalds.

[chudog1977]

The means streets of South Chicago. Where only the strong and the street smart can survive. If you've never been here, don't come, you won't make it out.

[ZahiraLoveable]

@chudog1977 Not really lol my cousin is from naperville and she survived for a month when she stayed with us...even though she was with me the whole time lol

[fsramirez91]

This is my neighborhood!! I really hope this neighborhood improves. I always felt that this neighborhood has had potential. The buildings are beautiful, but deteriorating. It is so close to the lake, but no parks to speak of. Hopefully the Chicago Lakeside project (from McCaffery Interests) will attract more money, but not just rich people

[ChicagoProdigy]

Leave Cocula, Capri's Pizza and the old churches. Demolish the rest. Too many criminals.

[KraXoom]

Why didn't you mention Centro Communitario Juan Diego when you passed it by? The center has been open for several years and has been a huge benefit to the community. I assumed this video was an introduction to a lesser known community but I see it more as gentrification at it's best.

[eaguir3]

I live on 88th and Buffalo and its still pretty dangerous around here but really its kind of dead. Most of the people that once lived here moved to the outer suburbs or out of the state. You don't see as many gang bangers hanging out on the corner as much as they did in the 80s and 90s but there is an abundance of abandoned homes, buildings, and empty lots.

[mypalrocco]

Real diverse...99% nigger! @ 1:23 you can see the bustling downtown and people doing business with a jungle bunny leaning into a car selling dope!

[ChavezDeLaGhetto]

O! M! G! i can go for some coculas right now

mmm mmm mmm horchata

[TGWMPE]

I love that you are trying to be the greenest neighborhood in Chicago. All neighborhoods need to think green!

[tonyskins19]

can you show the black buisness district on 75th cottage grove to 75th state st,also you can contact sonja perdue at the chicago black buisness network.com about black wall st chicago

[jimmysudar]

i'm old enough to remember goldblatt's and gassmans and angels, the weird 'toy store.'

is st. peter and paul's still there?

[thenervetattoo]

@jimmysudar

I think you're talking about Woolworth's lol. I used to live around here way back in the day. People forget commercial used to be a nice place.

[cazzo53]

WOW!! I Didn't realize how DEPRESSING that neighborhood really is!! i had a cousin who lived in 88th and Houston Ave. i don't know how it is now but that whole area was Very Dangerous.

[chicagorilla100]

@cazzo53 Lol yea that street's always been wild as fuck. Same with 83rd, 86th, 87th. Kings, Dragons, Ambrose all runnin shit out there.

[SVLN108th]

OK then to your right you see chalk outlines of where the guy was killed yesterday

[TaMiKa258]

@SVLN108th not funny

[ronnieboi82]

I love Chicago, I hate the south side of Chicago

[italobambino43]

I do not understand? This neighborhood looks very clean and diverse! Chicago once had the reputation of being polarized! It looks very stable, I am sure there are rough spots, you need to come East if you want to see real urban blight!

[chicagorilla100]

@italobambino43 they're going thru Commercial Avenue which is a very busy street over here...but if they would've turned right or left onto either side of that street, THEN you would see how rough it is around that area. Also, it looks like a week day around the time when kids are at school and most people are working.

[italobambino43]

They just installed these in Philadelphia neighborhoods, I love them!

[tuddyfruity4]

I can't believe you were able to drive down here without dying- i am black and live in south chicago and i get shot at almost every day

[MrDutchcity23]

one of da most dangerous neighborhoods in chicago!!! dont act like u dont know!!!

[kike749]

wwwttttfff thats my truck at the start lol

[FatboyBeast84]

is this during school time cuz i dont see any niggers running around

[SachaKaBoom]

Oh man COCULA! I used to go there with my mom all the time.

[agbz]

The black girl is being led by the white guy. I'm glad she said the community is local-based. Otherwise he would want his awful starbucks here. I'm glad she stuck to local-based. Just because there are several banks doesn't mean they are serving the community. A huge bank can hire local employees but that doesn't make it local. I'm glad that they haven't touched the areas from 91st to 83rd. I'm sure the white guy would hope otherwise. And the black girl wants a profit.

[tuddyfruity4]

@agbz yes, isn't it funny how we never saw their faces yet could tell that the female voice was black and the male voice was white? why is that?

[kjetil297]

wtf i think i se a sign with tnt on it

[agbz]

I saw the sing of TNT, too. This is a rather famous fixture on the south side.

[fsramirez91]

@kjetil297 lol yup. that's tnt's mexican restaurant!

[josj15]

loooks pretty dead to me

[smilenowcrylater9]

Oh no, its never dead on this street trust me. I stay 1 street away from it theres always lots of people outside. Its a neighborhood without TONS of stories to it thats for sure.

[gonboln]

what happend to the 8600 block of Commercial Ave? HYMAN'S AUTO SUPPLY CO. / ACE HARDWARE , ESTABLISHED SINCE 1927, STILL RUN BY THE SAME FAMILY!!!! one of the oldest if not the oldest still in business on Commercial. if you really knew the history of South Chicago, you would have said something!!!!!

[agbz]

I remember Hyman's. did they get bought out?

[agbz]

This is another YoChicago propaganda video. The woman makes a statement that Royal Bank has been a fixture since the 1800s. While this may be true, the spot where the new building was built has not always been a bank It was a bank a little further west. At that corner spot there was an arts supply place one point in time. In fact, there were several businesses there. We could hail the construction of a new building there, but I'd have to ask myself, how does this benefit the community?

[DORITO773]

i love South Chicago too, i was born and raised in South Chicago, and as much as i hate to mention it it does sound like it is a big target for gentrification. i've seen the prices of houses sky rocket in south chicago with out any reason for them to go up. i guess since it's right on the lake it's a perfect spot for a new affluent community. one of the benefits of not bringing the olympics here is that now they wont be in such a hurry to kick all these people out of their neighborhood

[fsramirez91]

@DORITO773 Regarding the gentrification thing. I think I disagree. Slowly but surely there are more white people moving in. I bet that in 15 years this neighborhood's ethnic makeup will change. I bet more middle-class white people and middle-class latinos will move in.

[agbz]

I grew up in this town and am happy to see the changes. However, this "ad" is sponsored by YoChicago! which is a gentrification organization. I'm glad they got a black girl to narrate it to make it more real. YoChicago doesn't seem to care about the original inhabitants. It just wants to figure out how to make the most money out of gentrification. I love South Chicago and I know there are many others who think so. YoChicago just wants to make a buck, irregardless of who lives where.

[nacocarnal]

jajaja this bitches have no idea where they at right there this is my hood GREEN?? yeahhh heres a lot of weed in this ??little down town?? LOL wtf, if you come here and just walk like at 11 you cant get out of here ALIVE!!

[2004JETTA]

That is really cool especially having no starbucks and the trash compacters were sweet as well

[delacerdaa]

LOL