Common Questions/ FAQs

Bridgeport Alliance is a grassroots organization of local people and institutions committed to engage in the decision making that impacts our community. Past successes include helping bring back the 31st St bus and helping close coal-fired power plants polluting south side neighborhoods. Our vision is to build an equitable, sustainable, thriving place that welcomes all, powered by the voices of the community.

We are a group of neighbors who want to see our neighborhood be a great place to live. Some of us have planned to be here long term, some are maybe going to be gone in a couple years. But all of us have a hope for the neighborhood.

For the person currently writing this on a Thursday night almost at 11pm while their child sleeps, it means a safe neighborhood for their child to walk around. I grew up in the city. I’m worried about cars not stopping at a stop sign or coming out of alleys. So encouraging traffic calming infrastructure to be built. Otherwise I’m giving them a brick for when they walk to school. For other members it could mean boosting the arts community, which if you have not been to a Third Friday event please do, it’s a great time. For another member it could be getting a dog park into the neighborhood. For another member it might be just to hear some great gossip about said dog park. For another member it’s a great way to just be a part of their neighborhood while they get to know their new home.

Sure. Lets know your idea and it could be the primary article or a part of it. Please send an email: bridgeportalliance@gmail.com

Yes, please check out the community calendar page. And if we are missing an event please email us or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and we’ll add it to the calendar.

We used to be called Hardscrabble. The reason the grid doesn’t exist south of 31st/west of Halsted is because it pre-dates the grid. And all those lower entrances pre-date sewers. Due to the age of everything I would highly recommend getting your water tested for lead. The city does it for free. And if you have a problem they will send over remediation efforts.
https://www.chicagowaterquality.org/home

Possibly, get it tested. Here’s a good Curious City about this bullshit: https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2021/06/24/illinois-has-a-new-law-to-remove-lead-pipes-so-now-what-happens

Potentially in the dirt or on the window sills, it’s most likely the paint, if you have an old house, or the ground. Lead was in gasoline, thus it was everywhere. Make sure if you have young children you get lead tests every year. I would recommend joining the Bridgeport Environmentalists Group. They are getting stuff done. And potentially have more answers and solutions they are working towards. Get involved and bully your local representatives to get lead removed.

The racism, Bridgeport was/is a sundown neighborhood. Black owned businesses have not had a great reception. Yes it is as bad as it sounds. This podcast will tell you a lot. https://invisible.institute/ydsnpodcast
Otherwise just google Black Business and Bridgeport. People are super racist about other minority groups too. Thankfully there are other neighbors pushing back against all of this. With the state of the world we will see how it goes.

If you are a renter, know your rights. Chicago has some good tenant laws. 
Also get radon testing done or find out if it’s been done if you spend a bunch of time in a basement.

An odorless, colorless radioactive gas that seeps up from the earth. Pretty much anyone who lives in the Midwest should get it done.
https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/toxicology/indoor-air-quality-healthy-homes/radon-faqs.html

There are tons of ways to get involved. Quarterly, alderman Nicole Lee has a community meeting. There are also CAPS meetings, City Council meetings, Park Advisory Council Meetings, or come to a Bridgeport Alliance meeting or shoot us an email and see if someone can help answer your questions. A lot of times the answer will be go to a bunch of meetings for a long time, realize Parks and Recreation (the tv show) Town Hall meetings were accurate, and then read this story about this guy: Edward Brennan a guy who had nothing to do with the city but realized the streets needed to be better laid out so people could find their way around the grid. It took 35 years and over 500 city council meetings but he got it done. The moral of the story is stuff takes time. Enjoy the journey. That’s probably a terrible moral but eh, this is all volunteer. Also that is sadly the reality of community organizing.

Truthfully a great way to be involved is to join local community groups. When you’re trying to get something done it’s nice to have people on the journey with you.

Yes, there are:

11th Ward IPO (Independent Political Organization) – “We are organizing for a vision of politics that are participatory, democratic, responsive, and accountable to the people. We are an inclusive, multiracial, and community-based political organization that operates outside of the established political structure of the ward. “
Find them at: https://www.11thwardipo.org/

11th Ward Safe Streets Union
Bridgeport Arts Alliance
Bridgeport Environmentalists
Bridgeport Kid Meet-up Group
Plowshares Community Garden
The People’s Lobby
TrashCastle.Pizza
Trash People of McKinley Park
Silkworms Book Club

That is not even getting into the businesses who host local community events and fun things to do. Once again check our community calendar.

Which to any local community group, or just group who has their meeting space in the neighborhood, and wants to be mentioned in this roundup hit us up. We’d love to include you and we’ll link to your socials. Also if you would like to send over a 1 or 2 sentence description about what you all are about that would be even better. Cheers.

Join a neighborhood group, volunteer with local community organizations, come out to a meeting, start a garden (or join a community garden), contact your local reps. https://5calls.org/is a good place to start.

We are a progressive organization, each member of our group has a different idea of how the future can look. There are so many ways forward but first speak up, get out there, get to know your neighbors, you don’t have to be friends but please be in community with your neighbors.
Illegitimi non carborundum