When the West Side Burned - A Chicago Stories Documentary

[@Mrluckki]

This channel keeps blessing me with these documentaries

[@ChicagoGirl75]

My mother was raised on the West side (St. Louis street) in the 50s & 60s. I was raised on the South side in the 70s & 80s. PBS/WTTW has always been on the cutting edge of telling our important cultural stories. Thank you for this series! #ChicagoStoriesWTTW #BlackLife #Chicago

[@bobbuergermeier8022]

St Louis is the south side

[@ChicagoGirl75]

@@bobbuergermeier8022 The 1400 block of south St. Louis Ave is in North Lawndale. That is considered the West Side.

[@ronque23]

My mom and her siblings grew up on the west side (16th and Kedzie). They were kids when this happened (my mom was 12 yo), and it never made sense to them that our people would destroy our own neighborhood. Roosevelt Rd used to be like State Street for shopping. I was shocked when they would tell this story cuz I couldn’t imagine Roosevelt being like that from my memories as a kid.

[@VenaMediaLLC-dz9lr3iz4f]

I heard the stories too...How Roosevelt Road once had stores, shops, and thriving businesses..

[@10InchSnow]

What an incredibly important story! Thanks for making it free

[@TerriKnight-x3s]

I will never understand burning. It was so horrific. Many cities burned after King was murdered. 😓

[@happypuertorican]

I met sol almost 20 yrs after the riot at his store on cermak. The whole neighborhood loved him. He was famous for adjusting the prices, he gave lollipops to kids. and gave people jobs. we need a story on him .

[@mariekatherine5238]

School kids need to see this.

[@georgedavis6119]

I was born and raised on the West Side. I was 8 years old when the riot happened. I was horrified seeing all of this. After everything was over I knew the West Side was doomed. Nothing was done to rebuild the community. I could see how this took all the hopes and dreams away from our community. Everyone was shaken by this. The West Side never recovered.

[@DreamersDisease88]

you think people would automatically know and not to destroy their neighborhood but it happens all the time

[@VictorLopez-ff1mf]

And then then crack epidemic hit in the 80's and after that the Heroin and fentanyal now. Who knows if it will ever recover.

[@Rocks_Dad]

Now these neighborhoods have absolutely nothing because nobody will invest where the people may burn your store down.

[@jaimetorres3113]

Unfortunate events. A crumbling community destroyed further by their own community, hurting their own community businesses. The destruction still hasnt been repaired. The same destructive mindset repeated during COVID.

[@Ghost_Rider_786]

Living in slum housing and burning your shopping areas down on hind sight probably was not the brightest thing to do

[@autumnsmom1117]

Thanks WTTW for this Chicago story. I was quite young to remember just heard stories from my parents and other relatives.

[@seanberthiaume8240]

And what did it accomplish? 0!

[@toaster8436]

@@seanberthiaume8240 they don't care , as s long as they get to tear up stuff and steal things they could care less . Look how they treat their own people and environments . But they expect other races of people to treat them differently. Smh

[@chiefvirgobleu6744]

Amazing documentary 👏🏿 Thank you! Proud to be a Westsider... Austin Community

[@Jasminez708]

Happy to be here to learn very important history of my home state.

[@debradoernbach5548]

I lived on Hirsch Strret across from Lowell School. I was there when this occurred and look forward to the documentary. Thank you for all you do.

[@rooseveltmason9379]

Great documentary. Sad to see that in 2024 people will destroy there own neighborhoods out of anger. Nothing has been learned.

[@DeeDeeKarol]

It wasn’t their neighborhood and never was

[@dtyallen9864]

SELF HATE AND JEALOUSY

[@michaelsinclair3321]

Destroyed Roosevelt Road and a good majority of the beautiful west side and it hasn't recovered since, to the beauty and splendor it once was, today is a different time people and generation nothing is like it used to be

[@outlawm4]

When this Happened, I was 4 yrs old Living just 3 blocks away from Madison and Pulaski now what i remember was Looking out the window for my mother who was Sicilian (white) working Downtown and hoping she would be safe because living on Congress i could see the expressway (known as 290) they were pulling white people out of their cars and beating them women included. Now i really didn't understand at that time just looking out of that window when i heard my oldest sister tell my brother to take everything back i was worried about my mother i really don't know if it was an hour or more but i heard my other Sister scream Mama's home now with her she brought 10 people who were getting beaten my father came home at around 5:30 pm from work he was not mad at my mother for helping those people he was mad because she came home alone. I remember when the National Guard was deployed in my Neighborhood, we knew about the curfew, but we were 4,5,6 yr old kids playing Marbles in front of our house the next day when the National Guard came and pointed rifles at us and told us they could shoot us for Curfew well i was both Scared and relieved that my father was home because my sister Linda told my father came out on the porch with his service rifle I guess they recognized the weapon any way he as who was in charge of this unit then he told him you need to call somebody before it gets bad well i don't know what was said all i know was we played Marbles till 10 pm that night even today when i go back to the old neighborhood some of the people my mother gave food to or Drank with my Father still remember me this Special really brought me back down memory lane thank you WTTW and PBS

[@ming60640]

Dude you need to use some punctuation

[@mariocisneros911]

Doesn't make sense to me that they destroy their neighborhoods, take away what they need, and than cry that they don't have anything.. Look at themselves, not at others , why their lives are so bad , or not getting better. GET AN EDUCATION. A DIPLOMA. How can others , immigrants from everywhere else get better?? They don't destroy what they need

[@lethalmfg1]

I was born and raised on the Westside in the 80s. The west side never recovered from this and it still shows that now. Always will be home ain't nothing like it

[@blackacresofthegambia]

I was only 1 year olds at the time , he stayed in my father’s building Alford Alfonso he was the chief of vice lords at the time

[@Joseph-s2f4g]

Why did these once nice neighborhoods become slums because of the people who lived there that's why

[@Joseph-s2f4g]

These were not slums when these people moved in but it definitely was after

[@DeeDeeKarol]

Lack of resources

[@chicagorhtours]

I grew up and returned to a University integrated community here on Chicago's South Side. Many famous people, Black, White and other chose/choose to make it their home. Mohamed Ali and the NOI Nation of Islam, Barack and Michele (raised in then middle class near bye Chatham) Obama, Mayor Harold Washington etc. Unfortunately Michele and Barack Obama have dined and dashed from here on the South Side, choosing to live in elite Washington DC diplomat neighborhood, Hawaii and their $14 million country estate on Martha's Vineyard where there are no as in 0% poor Blacks or any poor people of any kind. With these Black elites it's "Do as we say not as we do". We neve had Black race riots in 1967-68 like the West Side did.The West Side of Chicago like big parts of Detroit, Newark NJ have never recovered from these terrible Black race riots in the late 1960s. The 2020 BLM riots, organized looting here and in places like Portland OR, Minneapolis were also very destructive. Folks. Shoplifting, looting, car jacking, assault, armed robbery, murder - these are in no way "Civil Rights". They are Civil Wrongs. It's wrong to steal, kill, lie etc. I hope that clear things up.

[@Michael-mc3oe]

I was still a gleam in my father's eyes. But in 68 he was on his porch n said it's time to gtf out of the chi. Gurnee here we come.

[@Heyu7her3]

If you're still in the US, you're still dealing with this, essentially

[@lavellsmith8613]

🎯🎯💯✅ great documentary

[@trollndatrollaz9743]

The westside still recovering from the riot ….

[@lethalmfg1]

The west side never recovered I grew up wondering why it looked like this and my family told us about this

[@carolmirelez170]

I used to work for the Chicago Housing Authority on Cermak and State and they closed and sent us home early! I lived on Cullerton and Ashland and they blocked the viaducts on 16th and Ashland with fire trucks and the National Guard were patrolling the streets and there was a 6pm curfew and everything closed! It was really scary and I couldn't believe they killed this amazing man! We could see the smoke from our house. Everyone was armed! Horrible situation!

[@TheChicagoJunkie]

Wow! Reminds me of my experiences driving through the Floyd riots in 2020. Thanks for sharing, so you worked for CHA when Dr King was assassinated?

[@dougtheviking6503]

Never understand why you destroy your own neighborhood? After its robbed and looted? Fast forward 55+years . Same stuff.

[@camilleanderson7755]

This is an amazing documentary. I am currently writing a script based on a story. My grandmother was living on the West Side during this horrific event.

[@AnnNottingham]

I lived in Cleveland, and remember my father's boss calling him, saying don't come in the next day. I don't believe we had the same rioting, but it was tense.

[@Heyu7her3]

Adding the snippets of MLK's speeches for juxtaposition was a 👌🏽 nice touch

[@drod645]

the neighborhood is still a dump. almost 60 years and no one does anything to make it better keep making excuses

[@DeeDeeKarol]

They took resources away. That can happen anywhere

[@HistoryNPolicy]

Yes to this documentary.

[@jodimcdaniel7224]

I remember hearing about the Chicago riot

[@Krayzo093Bosspimp]

Sad thing is you had black gangs killing each other around this time too.Crazy

[@aelson7658]

Nothing has really changed

[@clarencebanks1953]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN WE LEARNED HOW TO TALK TO EACH HUMAN BEING....NOT THROUGH COMPUTERS

[@michaelphelan5892]

The west side of Chicago is a toilet today.

[@beaniemac]

Great documentary🫡

[@DeloWillis]

God bless🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@AngeloMartinez6]

I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to pause for a moment and give thanks for the great contributions of the black community to our society. Their peaceful and generous nature makes them ideal neighbors, lending testimony to their exceptional family values and parenting skills unrivaled by any other culture. Their child-rearing practices and skills mixed with their unparalleled work ethic are second to none. Their rationale and logical thought toward circumstances coupled with their innate capability to de-escalate situations is to be envied and coveted. Their commitment to academic excellence enriches our schools and serves as an example to all who hope to achieve prominence as a people. Real estate values are fueled by the mix of African-Americans into an area due to their caring and respectful nature of these communities, an example of all they have achieved through their enthusiasm for self-improvement, hard work and a self-reliant nature. Without their industrious and creative drive, we would be poorer as a nation.

[@mito88]

MAGA comedy

[@jega157]

Well said....they are NOT savages generation after generation. Fine productive citizens.

[@fratzogmopars]

@@jega157 Uhhhh, I think that comment was meant to be tongue in cheek.

[@jega157]

@@fratzogmopars so was mine.... tongue in cheek.

[@fratzogmopars]

@@jega157 I guess Im the dense one here. 😁

[@louisbertaux5193]

🇺🇲 I remember riots, burning, and the unrest from the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, as well as from the Democratic National Convention in Chiraq. I was only 5 yrs old, a lucky little white kid, on the far West side when I saw some of this

[@soniatatum9205]

I was 2 years old

[@pamparker4047]

And don’t forget the south side

[@trollndatrollaz9743]

@@pamparker4047 was some areas on the southside destroyed?

[@DeeDeeKarol]

@@trollndatrollaz9743yes

[@seanberthiaume8240]

About @ the hieght of Vietnam.

[@Ghost_Rider_786]

God doesnt make men like Dr Martin King any more .....

[@gailmike2001]

Yay to bad he was constantly cheating on his wife, oh yeah didn’t know that did you 😮

[@Ghost_Rider_786]

@@gailmike2001 No one is perfect

[@gailmike2001]

@ tell that to all the people who think he walked on water 😜

[@Ghost_Rider_786]

@@gailmike2001 Im no expert but u are getting him confused with Jesus ... You probably sick the day they taught u religion at your school ....

[@dtyallen9864]

Jesus warns of putting trust in men. There are millions of men of honor of all colors, but bias causes many to be blind sided

[@cameronking3551]

Excuses, excuses,excuses for why the area turned went downhill.No accountability just blaming whitey.

[@ming60640]

It’s always someone else’s fault. Guarantee you the Venezuelan migrants who have nothing today will be operating their own businesses in ten years while the west side will still be blaming people.

[@BrianOlson-wd40]

I had never heard of this before, but it amazes me that a century had passed after slavery ended, and blacks were still fighting for basic rights.

[@MichaelOSullivan-l8g]

I REMEMBERED THIS DAY WE LIVED ON POTOMAC NEAR CICERO. COPS EVERYWHERE

[@rolback5055]

Another democrat party success story.

[@fratzogmopars]

Maybe the black community is finally waking up and discovering just what the democratic party thinks about them after they let in and then catered to the illegals.

[@blackacresofthegambia]

lol my city where I grew up on the west side

[@charlespiper9291]

Bosco and Pookie don’t want anyone to have anything nice to say

[@DERRTYCHYBO]

Westside got the best dope 🤗

[@turboredcart]

I did some serious partying in all parts of the city. Fun times. But I had to grow up, or die. Most of my friends are now dead. I have some good memories. But cant go back in time. Also- it is so much more dangerous today than in the past. One wrong pill can kill. It is a shame.

[@jameschanin]

The Eisenhower= The heroin Highway.

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

I video on this subject has been done before

[@April-e8w]

I lived that as a teenager, southside too, especially 63rd they burned down every store that was owned by " JEWS"!.😢😢😢😢😢.

[@dtyallen9864]

Black and white business also suffered. Nobody should have had their businesses burn down.

[@lotsofhats3224]

Another victim video

[@turboredcart]

next up- how we all will die of climate change, by Wednesday.

[@ssbohio]

How would you describe the folks who rose up, other than as victims? Of legalized discrimination, orf ghettoization, of substandard housing, of predatory landlords and lenders. Were any of those acts victimless? That they victimized others doesn't change whether they themselves were victims.

[@CyberChud2077]

@@ssbohioThey came to the city. There were no riots before they came. They burned the city. They claimed they should be allowed to do that. When the national guard stopped them, they claimed they were victims and did nothing wrong. Afterwards, they claimed that they “rebuilt.” They have built nothing. They rebuilt nothing. This is why people flee. This is why people run from them.

[@jbell7105]

@@ssbohiobest comment I’ve read so far. These people clearly don’t get it because they don’t want too. Sooo many reasons why things like this happen

[@DeeDeeKarol]

They lured folks to the north from the south then shut the jobs down.

[@ming60640]

I thought only MAGA had conspiracy theories but then I forgot about Louis Farrakhan and his followers

[@josephjohnson9805]

I think if Dr King had lived this would not have happened...

[@dorisdixon7929]

They burned it down because he was assassinated

[@johnayala5366]

​@dorisdixon7929 yeah makes sense.

[@fratzogmopars]

If he was still alive I don’t think he would be very happy about how things have devolved.

[@dtyallen9864]

Poor government leadership caused this riot. National Guards were not given direction to protect the business owners.

[@barbarabuford3921]

If you got something negative to say about this documentary. Don't watch. This is being shown for the struggles black people had to endure. Period

[@osmanjeffrey]

The narrator said Palm Sunday is the start of Easter Week. Um, no. It's the start of Holy Week. I expected better from PBS.

[@Heyu7her3]

... it's the week of Easter

[@toaster8436]

I'm confused on what MLK did that was so great or anything that brought about change? 🤔

[@DeeDeeKarol]

🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

[@toaster8436]

@DeeDeeKarol you can smack your face all you want but I bet you can't name nothing he did that actually brought change , making speeches and having a dream doesn't change anything nor did it .all he did was get people beat down with his turn the other cheek bullshit.

[@toaster8436]

@DeeDeeKarol making speeches and having a dream didn't change anything, I don't remember seeing MLK in the field putting in work , no he was always being paraded around like some hero who hasn't saved the day on anything.

[@DeeDeeKarol]

@ I don’t argue with pookies. That man led the civil rights movement, you need therapy.

[@dtyallen9864]

It is the responsibility of each individual to develop THEIR OWN GOALS AND PERSONAL GOALS. Education, development in skills and talents, avoiding bad association, joining social groups who share your vision.

[@chinesefood777]

They'll never make a video about The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. 🤔

[@gailmike2001]

Animal behavior, something’s never change

[@scotthabshi843]

You people can't take responsibility for your actions. 👌

[@michaelphelan5892]

But why would they burn down their own neighborhoods?

[@dtyallen9864]

SELF HATE AND JEALOUSY. There are hateful lazy people who don't want to go through the hard-work and sacrifice but very eager to destroy someone's hard work. EXAMPLE, the man who drove the car through the store window, a bystander who was A TEACHER was confused and left the vehicle because he found no sense in the mind of this fool. The teacher INVESTED in himself and had too lose and higher values.