COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

individuals. The poor would ultimately be displaced when new development or taxes
were implemented. They believed the only way to improve the quality of life for the
poor was through educating them about policies and laws that were not in their interest.
In general, they believed the only way to improve the quality of life for the poor and
make it possible for them to improve their economic situation was if the government
distributed resources evenly among individuals. They argued the poor are poor because
of inequities in the political economic system. Therefore, they organized the poor in
hopes of empowering this group to take leadership positions and make policy changes
that will affect their situation.
The Labor Association often had “differences of opinion” with city
representatives and these differences of opinion could sometimes lead to confrontational
disputes. They picketed for service worker’s rights at the State Capitol, lobbied to
oppose legislation they felt would negatively affect the low-income, wrote a monthly
publication that included articles on issues that affected low-income services workers,
canvassed low-income communities to recruit new members, and searched for
organizations that would sponsor or provide free donations/services to their organization.
They did not support the revitalization of Oak Park and organized their work towards
confronting revitalization agendas.
Non-profit organizations in the community had their own agendas to improve the
quality of life for lower-income residents. They created programs to serve the needs of
the poor on an on-going basis and provided basic needs to individuals in the community.
The individuals operating these programs perceived their programs as having a long-term
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