2007 Photo Contest, Daily Life, 2nd prize
Photographer

Jon Lowenstein

Aurora Photos

01 February, 2006

Friends and relatives hug each other outside the house of Starkeshia Reed. Fourteen-year-old Starkeshia was shot in a drive-by killing as she was getting ready for school. Chicago South Side has long had a distinct identity, associated with the city's African American community. In the 1970s and 1980s, the once thriving industrial communities of the South Side hit hard economic times and unemployment, poverty, drugs, and gang violence became major issues. Despite their adversities, South Side residents preserve a strong sense of community feeling. But now many are faced with displacement, as upscale redevelopment of some areas means that they can no longer afford to live there.

About the photographer

Jon Lowenstein

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