COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

community that can easily be affected by revitalization projects. On the contrary, the
poor do not attend most public meetings, where development activities are discussed,
because they do not have the time to attend or the knowledge of the meetings taking
place. So the poor, therefore, do not have a “voice” or representation at Neighborhood
Association meetings.
While the middle-class often have family members living outside their
neighborhood, city, and state, the low-income often have family members living in close
proximity to them. So, while the middle-class plan to visit family during vacation or
during the holidays, the lower-income residents will visit family in their neighborhood or
in other nearby areas. These visits will often occur frequently or at the “spur of the
moment.” Likewise, the lower-income residents often shop at neighborhood grocery
stores, eat at neighborhood restaurants, and visit neighbors for barbeques and parties. In
doing so, they become familiar with the neighborhood they live in and get to know the
employees and families at grocery stores and restaurants. Over time, the lower-income
residents will usually develop long-term relationships with their neighbors that are
strengthened through reciprocity. In contrast, the middle-class often does not develop as
many long-term relationships with residents in their working-class neighborhoods.
Revitalization projects tend to have grave effects on lower-income residents.
Although many middle-class residents perceive liquor stores as “blight” in the
community, liquor stores function for the lower-income residents in other ways. They
are utilized by residents who do not have cars and the elderly who cannot drive. Even
though liquor stores are not grocery stores, they provide basic amenities for the poor,
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