COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

ig black sunglasses, khakis, and a black coat on, sat comfortably across from
each other on two couches. The Latino male was humming lightly to the Rolling
Stones soundtrack playing in the coffee shop. An elderly black man walked by
him and said “Hi, what’s up?” The Latino male replied, “just hanging out and
listening to good music.” The African-American man with big black sunglasses
got off the couch and quickly walked outside. He yelled “Hi” to another African-
American man riding a bike who stopped quickly to talk to his friend. Afterwards,
the African-American man with the big black sunglasses walked back into the
coffee shop.
Currently, while newcomers flow into Oak Park to secure inexpensive housing
and enjoy the multi-cultural and trendy environment, some are simultaneously working to
improve the quality of the neighborhood through participation in neighborhood activism,
as a way to address social problems. Social problems are defined differently for different
community groups, and these groups envision different solutions to address social
problems. The variety of community groups and community-based organizations in the
neighborhood reveals the array of perspectives people bring to social problems. While
some groups want to “beautify” the neighborhood through revitalization projects, others
want to provide resources for women and children, some want to organize the poor, and
others want to provide the poor with basic necessities, such as food and shelter.
While these community groups help unify people in the neighborhood, they also
signify that people have different and sometimes conflicting perspectives of their
community. The neighborhood is characterized by contradictions and conflicts that arise
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