The Hidden War: Crime and the Tragedy of Public Housing in Chicago

by Susan J. Popkin, Lynn Olson, Dennis Rosenbaum

Since the late 1970s, the high-rise developments of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) have been dominated by gang violence and drugs, creating a sense of hopelessness among residents. Despite a lengthy war on crime, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the CHA has been unable to reduce the violence that makes life intolerable. Focusing on three developments-Rockwell Gardens, Henry Horner Homes, and Harold Ickes Homes-Sussan Popkin and her co-authors interviewed resident, community leaders and CHA staff. The Hidden Wars offers a vivid portrait of what life is like among gunfire, graffiti, and broken plumbing.
Most families living in these developments are headed by African American single mothers. The authors reveal the dilemmas facing women and children who are often victims or witnesses of violent crime, and yet are dependent on the perpetrators and their drug-based economy. The CHA-plagued by financial scandals, managerial incompetence, and inconsistent funding-is no match for the gang-dominated social order. Even well-intentioned initiatives such as the recent effort to demolish and "revitalize" the worst developments seem to be ineffective at combating crime, while the drastic changes leave many vulnerable families facing an uncertain future. The Hidden War sends a humbling message to policy makers and prognosticators who claim to know the right way to "solve poverty."

"The Hidden War is a masterfully documented story of the interactions between good intentions and misguided policy implementation..." - Fay Lomax Cook, director, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University.

"The Hidden War vividly documents what it means for families and children to live in America's most distressed public housing..." - Margery Austin Turner, director of Metropolitan Housing and Communities, The Urban Institute.

234 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super comprehensive although timeline could've been polished a bit more

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

appears to be written for a thesis, but a great learning tool for the disaster of the housing projects in Chicago.