Hood(s) | Bridgeport; |
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Location | 31st Street on the north, 32nd Street on the south, Halsted Street on the east, Lituanica Avenue on the west |
Lifecycle | 1943 – 1944, Construction; |
Controlling gangs | Satan Disciples; |
These projects began construction in the year 1943 and were completed in 1944. These 2 story row houses have 141 units and were originally designed to assist the all-white Italian, Lithuanian, Irish and Polish community with affordable housing for the many impoverished residents in this community and these were the last projects built in Chicago with the intentions of only being for white residents.
These projects did not allow African Americans when they were first constructed and remained all-white until the late 1950s when construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway brought a small number of African Americans into these projects which flared up racial tensions in and around these projects as white residents lashed out violently against the new black residents in public housing.
During the 1960s decade the African American population remained very low in these projects and by the later 1960s Mexican families began moving into the projects. In the 1970s decade the projects became a mix of African Americans, whites and Mexicans and this is when gang activity started in this complex beginning mainly with Latin Kings against the Black Gangster Disciples.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the worst times in these projects as Latin Kings, Satan Disciples and Gangster Disciples fought for control of these projects and the buildings began suffering deterioration and were in bad need of repairs. The Gangster Disciples were at their strongest point in the 1990s in these projects but by the 21st century they were replaced by the Satan Disciples. The projects were renovated in the 2000s decade and are still open.