Gentrification Hurts Latino Businesses in Pilsen

Pilsen is changing.

The Latino community, which began outnumbering the Bohemian immigrants in the ’50s and ’60s, is losing ground to the wealthier white population who are taking advantage of the affordable rent and close proximity to downtown.

Specifically, non-Latinos are moving into East Pilsen, considered safer than the gang-ridden West Pilsen neighborhood, said Montsserrat Hernandez, Pilsen resident and museum educator at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Now local businesses find themselves competing with other businesses catering to the new residents, and many families have decided to move to the suburbs.

The Changing Face of Pilsen from chicagoloopster on Vimeo.

2 Comments    Topics: Immigration
  • MC

    The fact of the matter is that Latino businesses have been leaving the community since the late 80′s to neighborhoods like Little Village, Cicero and Berwyn where there was and continues to be greater demand for their products, services and restaurants. In the 50′s and 60′s when Latino’s were moving into the community in droves, I’m sure Bohemian and Polish business owners also complained that these new residents were not shopping in their stores and therefore moved their businesses to the southwest side and to the burbs.

    Across the state, Latinos have been moving into the suburbs and they do so out of their own free will not because some white guy moved in next door or because the local store doesn’t sell tortillas. They, like most Americans are looking for affordable homes with big backyards and better schools; unfortunately, that is typically not found in any major city. NEWSFLASH MEDILL: White people also move to the suburbs for better schools and larger homes.

    New residents have moved into the community for the same reasons that Latinos moved into it 40 years ago. Why should this surprise anybody and should we be upset that somebody (regardless of race or income) wants to be your neighbor? The notion that whites are the enemy is ridiculous! They too love Mexican food, the local grocer and even the carnitas place on Cermak. We should seek to build bridges with all people regardless of race or income rather than putting up a fence around Pilsen (i.e. Arizona).

    Neighborhoods change! I know its’ hard for some people to accept but it’s true! I can’t think of a single community that has not experienced some kind of demographical change in the last 30 years. It’s a fact of life for everybody but some choose to be nostalgic about their community rather than engage new residents and seek new business opportunities and friendships with new neighbors. I find that the majority of the new residents that have moved to Pilsen have done so because they love the community for what it; a working class neighborhood with a rich culture, great people and delicious food…accessibility to the universities and downtown is just a bonus!

    I’ve seen plenty of vacant storefronts for years and some for even a decade, I’m just glad to see any business open in the community (which your article failed to highlight). Perhaps you should do another story on how Polish businesses are having to move because no one is buying their Pierogis in Berwyn.

  • Hummingbirdlover61

    Its true that Chicago neighborhoods change over the face of time. But what must be looked at is the fact that Chicago is notorious for its race-based politics that have historically resulted in displacement, marginalization, and sometimes poverty for communities of color. When we examine scenarios like the gentrification of Pilsen, it ties not only into race-based politics that push out people of color, but also class issues considering the fact that the new residents of Pilsen predominantly make up as white upper middle class-upper class. So the argument is not that the white folks moving in are “enemies”, its the reality that property values increase so high that working class families of color are forced to leave.  I hardly see accessibility to the Universities and downtown as “bonuses”. They become assets to the neighborhood which is developing primarily for the economic establishment and mobility of the white community.