COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
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poverty. They and their comrades work to organize lower-income residents and educate<br />
them about laws they perceive to not be in the interest of the poor.<br />
In addition to community groups, non-profit organizations are also prevalent in<br />
the neighborhood. Many of the non-profit organizations in the neighborhood have been<br />
present for many years and the services they provide have been utilized in different<br />
capacities over time, in tune with a changing economy. They regularly provide services<br />
and resources to the poor, and unlike many community groups, they are largely invisible<br />
to the residents who do not use them. While driving near these organizations, a person<br />
sees long lines of people waiting to receive food or clothing. And unlike the community<br />
group workers, participating in public forms of activism, non-profit workers participate in<br />
an institutional form of activism. Large cities often have many non-profits and social<br />
service organizations that provide a quality of life to the unequal social and economic<br />
stratification that’s present in largely populated cities. In Oak Park, many non-profits are<br />
present to provide services to the large amount of poor people in the area. As the<br />
community becomes further gentrified, non-profit organizations are becoming more of a<br />
social “crutch” to the poor, allowing them to keep their residency in the neighborhood.<br />
Non-profits serve a similar role as community groups in Oak Park, in that they help<br />
relieve the effects of inequality.<br />
Community Groups and Non-profit Organizations<br />
Community groups and non-profit organizations can be found in many<br />
communities, especially lower-income and downtown regions of cities. Marwell<br />
(2004:286) states, “Non-profit community-based organizations are key players in an<br />
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