Chicago’s most notorious neighborhood on the rise

Audio Slideshow: Englewood not always up to no good

By Matt Bailey and Rashanah Baldwin

Frustrated with the lack of programs and outlets for youth in Englewood, life long neighborhood resident Asiaha Butler started working to change the impression of her neighborhood with a program that gives young people an opportunity to express themselves with words rather than gunfire.

Asiaha Butler begins the dialogue (Picture by Matt Bailey)

“I’m not an anti-violence activist. I’m a peace activist,” Butler said.

Beginning last April, she started a series of documentary screenings, in donated spaces, followed by open-floor debates of issues raised in the films, called, “So Fresh Saturdays: Docs and Dialogue.”

This monthly gathering of people between the ages of 12-20, provides an opportunity to have “a fun, safe and educational space, in the heart of a place that people call so violent,” Butler said.

Butler acknowledged that Englewood has its problems, but feels that the media portrayal of Englewood lacks balance. The media picture of the community “is horrible. We’re the worst on Earth, we’re considered the most dangerous community in Chicago,” she said.

“Why is that [the negative] the only thing that is being shed light on?” Butler asked. “Why focus on the night when you can focus on the shiny things that are happening here?”