Changing Faces: Are Pilsen’s Changing Demographics Transforming the Culture of the Neighborhood?
Walk along any street in Pilsen and you can still see paleteros wearing traditional Mexican sombreros and a horde of Latino children playing by a hydrant on hot summer days. The sidewalks still play host to taco and fruit stands, and the air is filled with the proverbial notes of Spanish.
But while the Mexican presence still holds strong in the neighborhood, over the years it has seen an influx of non-Latino residents—a younger, hipster-like crowd that has been moving in.
While many believe that this new influx of newcomers is gentrifying the neighborhood, others believe it is adding diversity and making Pilsen a more interesting and culturally diverse community.
New neighbors
Once a predominantly Czech neighborhood, Pilsen became a magnet for many Mexican immigrants during the 1960s. Back then, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) had begun to expand its campus throughout Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street, displacing the many Mexican families that lived in that area.
Now the neighborhood is transforming again. Relatively cheaper rent has helped attract white college students into the area, as well as business owners who grasp at the opportunity to open vintage shops, art galleries and furniture stores.
Pilsen’s affordable rent and lively community charmed Jamie Roelofs and Jen Thomas. After living in the neighborhood for five years, they decided to open a vintage shop on 18th and Loomis Streets called Comet.
“We saw what the neighborhood was doing and wanted to move faster and be part of it,” said Roelofs. “It’s turning over. There used to be a lot of vacant storefronts and failed businesses. It’s definitely turning into something else but it’s still a community.”
Roelofs does not believe that businesses like hers are the cause for gentrification, pointing the development on Halsted Street, just south of the UIC campus.
A divided Pilsen
An active art community, Pilsen is home to the National Museum of Mexican Art, a number of small and independent art galleries, and the Chicago Arts District—the art development strip on Halsted Street created by the Podmajersky Family.
According to their website, the third generation Pilsen family created the strip in order to make the neighborhood “the creative and cultural center of the city.”
But some believe the development aids in the division of Pilsen.
“There’s a big division between the arts communities here and it almost seems like it’s divided in color by the Latino artists and the white artists that are occupying a lot of these galleries,” said Carlos Velasquez, a Pilsen resident and communications manager for the Illinois Humanities Council.
Nelson Sosa, executive director of the Pilsen Alliance, a community organization that has advocated for referendums to limit the height of neighborhood buildings and the creation of a zoning committee to interact with local elected officials, said the issue of gentrification is far more complex than racial differences.
“Residents that are coming in are not only not Mexican but are also better off and that’s an unequivocal sign of gentrification,” he said. “You also have to consider the fact that unemployment basically doubled in the last 10 years in Pilsen.”
According to the 2010 census, Pilsen had a decrease in Latino residents from 88.9 percent in 2000 to 82.4 percent in 2010 and an increase in non-Hispanic whites from 8.1 percent to 12.4 percent.
“There are good and bad things [about gentrification] but the key factor is this, are people who want to stay here given the chance to stay or are they pushed out because of economic barriers? We think that that’s the case,” said Sosa.
Can’t we all just get along?
Whether economic barriers are the cause for gentrification or it’s due to the creation of new development; the fact is Pilsen is changing. The question now becomes, can these two groups learn to live together while keeping the flavor that once made Pilsen the home away from home for many Mexicans?
To help answer this question, a collective of both Latino and non-Latino artists, activists and residents came together for a conversation on Pilsen’s changing face on Wednesday, Sept. 5. The forum took place at Human Thread, an art gallery on 18th and Ruble Streets and was part of WBEZ’s Race: Out Loud series—a reporting initiative tackling issues of segregation and gentrification in Chicago’s wide-ranging ethnic neighborhoods.
A central piece in the dialogue was a recent story written by Linda Lutton, a WBEZ reporter, which highlighted some of the tensions between both groups. She interviewed both Latinos and white residents in the neighborhood and described some of the ways Pilsen is changing.
Yet, while many agreed that the neighborhood is changing, some said that the tensions are overly exaggerated.
“I don’t feel the tension,” said Fernando Diaz, a Pilsen resident and editor of Hoy newspaper. “I go to the local grocery store and people respond to me in English thinking that I’m white. I don’t think the issue is race, I think it’s a socioeconomic thing.”
Diaz pointed to the recent closure of the Fisk coal plant, which he said will help increase rent even more in the neighborhood, displacing many families that will no longer be able to afford to live in Pilsen.
Changing the conversation
While gentrification was the focal point at the meeting, residents like Amanda Cortes said, “the conversation should really be about how we should invest in our neighborhood to make it better, not who owns or rents what part of the community.”
Sosa agrees.
“There’s a larger debate of whether [gentrification] is a natural thing, is it unstoppable, are there any merits? Especially thinking of a community like Bridgeport, is it better to have a diverse Bridgeport than the one 30 years ago,” he said. “The key for us is how do we create policies to protect the community from continuing to be displaced. We want to make sure that 40 years from now we still have an affordability option here in Pilsen,” he added
Cambio de Rostros
Están los Cambios Demograficos en Pilsen Transformando la Cultura del Vecindario?
Camina a lo largo de cualquier calle de Pilsen y aún puedes ver a paleteros usando tradicionales sombreros mexicanos y a una horda de niños latinos jugando cerca de un hidrante en los días cálidos del verano. Las banquetas aún son la sede de puestos de tacos y frutas, y el aire está lleno de las proverbiales notas del español.
Pero aunque la presencia mexicana aún es fuerte en el vecindario, con el paso de los años ha visto una afluencia de residentes no-latinos—un grupo mas joven y quizás mas hip que se ha ido mudando.
Mientras que muchos creen que esta nueva afluencia de recién llegados está gentrificando el vecindario, otros creen que está añadiendo diversidad y haciendo de Pilsen una comunidad más interesante y culturalmente diversa.
Nuevos vecinos
En su tiempo, un vecindario predominantemente checo, Pilsen se convirtió en imán para muchos migrantes mexicanos durante los 1960s. En ese entonces, la Universidad de Illinois en Chicago (UIC) había comenzado a expandir su campus a lo largo de Roosevelt Road y la Calle Halsted, desplazando a las muchas familias mexicanas que vivían en el área, dirigíendolas para mudarse a Pilsen.
Ahora el vecindario se está transformando de nuevo. Las relativamente baratas rentas han ayudado a atraer a los estudiantes universitarios anglosajones al área, además de los comerciantes que aprovechan la oportunidad de abrir tiendas de artículos de época, galerías de arte y mueblerías.
La renta asequible de Pilsen y la alegre comunidad cautivaron a Jamie Roelofs y a Jen Thomas. Después de vivir en el vecindario durante cinco años, decidieron abrir una tienda de artículos de época en las Calles 18 y Loomis llamada Comet.
“Vimos lo que el vecindario estaba haciendo y quisimos mudarnos más rápido ser parte”, dijo Roelofs. “Está cambiando. Había muchas tiendas vacantes y comercios fallidos. “Definitivamente está convirtiéndose en algo más pero todavía es una comunidad”.
Roelofs no cree que comercios como el de ella sean causa de gentrificación, señalando el desarrollo en la Calle Halsted, justo al sur del campus de UIC.
Un Pilsen dividido
Una comunidad artística activa, Pilsen es el hogar del Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano, un número de pequeñas e independientes galerías de arte, y el Distrito de las Artes de Chicago—la franja de desarrollo artístico en la Calle Halsted creada por la familia Podmajersky.
Según su sitio de internet, la familia de Pilsen de tercera generación creó la franja con el fin de hacer del vecindario “el centro cultural y creativo de la ciudad”.
Pero algunos creen que el desarrollo ayuda en la división de Pilsen.
“Hay una gran división entre las comunidades del arte aquí y casi parece que está dividida en colores por los artistas latinos y los artistas anglosajones que ocupan muchas de estas galerías”, dijo Carlos Velásquez, residente de Pilsen y director de comunicaciones para el Concilio de Humanidades de Illinois.
Nelson Sosa, director ejecutivo de Pilsen Alliance, una organización comunitaria que ha abogado por los referéndums para limitar la altura de edificios en los vecindarios y la creación de un comité de zonificación para interactuar con funcionarios electos locales, dijo que el tema de la gentrificación es mucho más complejo que las diferencias raciales.
“Los residentes que están llegando no sólo no son mexicanos pero están mejor y esa es una inequívoca señal de gentrificación”, dijo. “También tienes que considerar el hecho de que el desempleo básicamente se duplicó en los últimos 10 años en Pilsen.
Según el censo del 2010, Pilsen tuvo una reducción de residentes latinos de un 88.9 por ciento en el 2000 a un 82.4 por ciento en el 2010 y un aumento de blancos no hispanos de un 8.1 por ciento a un 12.4 por ciento.
“Hay cosas buenas y malas [sobre la gentrificación] pero el factor clave es éste, ¿a la gente que se quiere quedar aquí se le está dando la oportunidad de quedarse o está siendo desplazada debido a las barreras económicas? Creemos que ese es el caso”, dijo Sosa.
¿Nos podemos llevar todos bien?
Ya sea que las barreras económicas sean la causa de la gentrificación o se deba a la creación de nuevos desarrollos; el hecho es que Pilsen está cambiando. La pregunta ahora cambia, ¿pueden estos dos grupos aprender a vivir juntos mientras mantienen el sabor que alguna vez hizo de Pilsen el hogar lejos de su hogar para muchos mexicanos?
Para ayudar a responder a esta pregunta, una colectiva de artistas latinos y no-latinos, activistas y residentes se unieron para una conversación acerca del cambio de rostro de Pilsen el miércoles 5 de septiembre. El foro se realizó en Human Thread, una galería de arte en las Calles 18 y Ruble y fue parte de Race: Outloud Series de WBEZ—una iniciativa de reportaje que aborda los temas de la segregación y de la gentrificación en la amplia gama de los vecindarios étnicos de Chicago.
Una pieza central en el diálogo fue una reciente historia escrita por Linda Lutton, reportera de WBEZ la cual destacó algunas de las tensiones entre ambos grupos. Ella entrevistó a residentes latinos y anglosajones del vecindario y describió algunas de las maneras en que Pilsen está cambiando.
Aunque, muchos acordaron que el vecindario está cambiando, algunos dijeron que las tensiones son demasiado exageradas.
“Yo no siento la tensión”, dijo Fernando Díaz, residente de Pilsen y editor del periódico Hoy. “Voy al supermercado local y la gente me responde en inglés creyendo que soy blanco. No creo que la cuestión sea la raza, creo que es una cosa socioeconómica”.
Díaz se refirió al reciente cierre de la planta de carbón Fisk, el cual dijo ayudará a aumentar las rentas aún más en el vecindario, desplazando a muchas familias que ya no podrán darse el lujo de vivir en Pilsen.
Cambiando la Conversación
Aunque la gentrificación fue el punto focal de la reunión, residentes como Amanda Cortés dijeron, “la conversación debería tratarse de cómo debemos invertir en nuestro vecindario para hacerlo mejor, no de quién es el propietario o quién alquila cada parte de la comunidad”.
Sosa está de acuerdo.
Hay un debate mayor de si [la gentrificación] es una cosa natural, ¿es imparable, hay algunos méritos? Especialmente pensando en una comunidad como Bridgeport, es mejor tener un Bridgeport diverso que el de hace 30 años”, dijo.
“La clave para nosotros es cómo creamos políticas para proteger a la comunidad de que siga siendo desplazada”. Queremos asegurarnos de que dentro de 40 años todavía tengamos una opción accesible aquí en Pilsen”, añadió.
October 2, 2012 - 1:59 pm
I’m Mexican and live in Pilsen, and it kind of irks me when articles like this say that the only new residents coming in to the area are “non-Mexican”
No, I did not grow up in the area, and my parents are not immigrants or working class.
I’m one of those college educated young people who move to the area for it’s vibe and walkability (and affordability), and try to contribute as much as I can to the area’s diversity.
Yet, only the new residents who happen to be white are credited with diversifying the neighborhood. My fellow non-white “hipsters” and I are pretty much non-existent in articles like these. It’s almost as if people cannot fathom non-white professionals changing urban neighborhoods.
Instead of differentiating the new residents based on their race, why not just leave it at education level or income? You don’t need to be white to get a degree, move to Pilsen, and shop at the vintage boutiques. I did those things, but when people look at me they assume I’m only here because I can’t afford to leave, and not because I choose to be here.
October 4, 2012 - 5:26 pm
I agree that the tensions are outrageously exaggerated. I have lived in Pilsen for about 2 years now, (I grew up in Bridgeport) but I have been around Pilsen since the 2nd grade – attending J.C.Orozco Academy. I have even had the amazing opportunity to intern at Pilsen Alliance.
I guess that takes care of my “street-cred” to validate the forthcoming comment.
Two quick observations; articles like this diminish the realities that urban communities like Pilsen face and it fuels pundits to make very misinformed comments like, “the closure of the Fisk plant will raise rents therefore driving out the Mexicans from Pilsen.”
A few college kids looking to live cheap, move to Pilsen so they don’t have to take out loans or work 40Hr weeks just to get by. Gentrification? Maybe not. A developer making sweetheart deals with aldermen to build a luxury 300 unit building on 18th Street. Gentrification? Probably so. The issue remains that weather Pilsen is 88.9% or 82.4% Mexican, those who fall through the cracks of the social safety-net will always have issues with living wage jobs and decent affordable housing. There is no easy fix to urban blight. And as a first hand observer of the changing tide of Pilsen for the past 20 years, I would opine that this trumped up “US vs THEM” debate does more harm than good.
Developers can bifurcate Pilsen all they want with their “East Pilsen” this and “West Pilsen” that non-sense. The fact of the matter is that out of the nine elementary schools in all of Pilsen all but one is designated as not-meeting satisfactory performance levels, a gun shot at Dvorak Park does the same damage as it does at Harrison, and few gringos here and there isn’t going to fix or hinder the issues surrounding the lives of the Latinos in this vibrant urban community.
Better time would be spent dialoguing with the new neighbors in the community, whether they are “non-Mexican” (whatever that means) or returning sons of early Latinos who decided to move away from urban blight years ago. You can meet me at Camino’s, Harbee’s, or Martin’s Corner, all karaoke sounds the same when you share a few chelas with your oldest (and new) friends.
October 10, 2012 - 6:04 pm
PILSEN! THE WHITE MAN WANTS IT
PILSEN! THE WHITE MANS TAKING IT.
October 25, 2012 - 1:09 pm
i just saw an old newspaper article from the sixties describing the “changing face” of certain neighborhoods and the ‘concern’ over all the ‘new faces,’ and how people felt others were taking over “their neighborhood.”
i grew up in Pilsen and in a recent attempt to patronize a new restaurant, had some friends meet us there. Don’t worry, atazcados, not enough has changed. As usual, the scumbags of all ages, drunks and gang members were out in full force east of ashland right on 18th, blocking sidewalks with their passed-out, soiled selves and hard looks. I thought to myself, “this is why that poor little Latina-American Girl doll had to move to Des Plaines.
If it wasn’t for the new faces, you’d have nothing but liquor stores and tire shops.
You can tell the police have gone hands-off, blinders on because of all the Al Sharpton wannabes thinking they are doing anybody favors with lawsuits that protect violent, criminal behavior.
How ’bout we pass a city ordinance to preserve the abuelitas out front scrubbing down their sidewalks with brooms soaked in pine sol, tending to their flowers and statues, but finally remove the idiot losers and drop-outs who are stuck in the early 80′s doing their ridiculous gang seizures and spasms every time a car rolls down the street.