JUSTICE
Abandoned Communities Arrange Black/Brown Truce
Chicago residents quell racial divide in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests BY JACQUELINE SERRATO
W
hen the bridges to downtown Chicago went up, public transportation was cut off, and Chicago police were deployed to wealthy areas of the city, the message to residents in the South and West sides was clear: amid protesting, looting, and expressions of rage at the state-sanctioned killing of Black people, neighborhoods residents were on their own. 24 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY
¬ JUNE 10, 2020
PHOTO BY MATEO ZAPATA
The social unrest in Chicago following the police murder of George Floyd originally targeted the Loop, where political and corporate power is concentrated, but was soon redirected to neighborhoods already in crisis from high rates of COVID-19 and unemployment arising from the governor’s stay-at-home order. In some areas, the pivot resulted in the creation of impromptu selfdefense groups and the visible emergence—
and sudden social acceptance—of longstanding Latino street gangs. Some gang members set out to protect storefronts, and some inadvertently exposed their racism as well. The first business that was looted in the predominantly Mexican neighborhood of Little Village was a shoe store called Fresh Kickz that is regularly patronized by young people from all over the city. Early
Facebook footage from Sunday, May 31, showed people running out of the store with boxes of sneakers in their arms, as passersby stood around watching or taking video. When word spread, Latin Kings from the next block showed up to flex, and as is usual in this neighborhood, the police were the last to arrive. Video footage showed CPD arresting some suspected looters, all of whom were Black, but no gang members
