I'm going to put this letter on our town's local website but not quite sure how to respond to it yet?! This is the first letter I've seen someone say; Let's get up and leave. See end of letter


Letters to the Editor

November 1, 2007
Waukegan Springfield Chicago

His kind of town

"WOW! Waukegan" is the marketing slogan for the city's development scheme. Wow, was also the word that came to mind as I walked Genesee Street on an average October night.

The bright lights of the Genesee Theatre flickered as the street buzzed with anticipation. "MORRISEY" it exclaimed in bold black letters. Again I wowed. Morrissey in my town.

I was so overwhelmed by all this that I went past the CLC Lakeshore campus, my original destination, and went into a very nice, almost upscale bar, called Bistro 17. The owner asked me what I thought of the place and all I could say was, "Wow."

To understand my astonishment and my mini-celebration, you must understand where I came from and how far Waukegan has come in the past decade. I moved here from Wheeling in 1994. Even at the ripe age of nine I could tell that Waukegan was not the best of places. It had a corroded element to it.

This was very evident when I first saw the John-Manville plant, which overlooks the polluted lake and the highway to nowhere. "What the heck were my parents thinking?" was my sentiment throughout that first year. In perspective, they were doing all they could to house a growing family on a very tight budget which is a strenuous exercise.

So like many growing Mexican families, they found refuge in a town on its downside. Back then the downtown was an eyesore. There was no Wal-Mart Supercenter, Jewel or Target on the North Side, not very much of anything positive going on. Yet, Waukegan grew on me like it did on so many others.

As Mexicans, Waukegan is our kind of town. It is gritty, real and hard working. Slowly, but surely, Waukegan begins to progress and a lot of its "new" citizens started to invest in small grocery stores, shops and other small businesses.

Waukegan no longer carries the same stigma it did 15 years ago thanks to a lot of hard- working citizens, legal and illegal, that stuck by Waukegan through the thinnest. Today, we live in a town we can all be proud of and the fat cats at City Hall are not only taking credit for the revitalization, but also painting us a road out of town with such referendum as 287(g) and other ordinances.

The concept behind the laws I can accept. The timing and subconscious spite behind them I cannot. The dirty work has been done to resurrect a dying community. Yuppies from the city and North Shore want a stake in Waukegan.

It pains me that I can't blame the yuppies; besides, Waukegan is a very charming town with great access to two major cities. Mayor Hyde and his cronies are the ones who suffer from amnesia. Downtown Waukegan is looking nice, but at what cost?

I got an idea if we're not wanted, let us not wait for doomsday. Let's get up and leave. We don't deserve this persecution.

Close your eyes for a second and imagine Waukegan without Hispanics. Is that how you dreamed it up? Wow!

Marco Arteaga
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com