Kelvyn Park Needs ‘White People’ So Chicago Can Take Care Of It

When someone goes to any park recognized by the city or state, there usually is a list of rules, regulations, and allowances patrons are allowed to do while visiting. However, a controversial “addition” has been added to a sign in one of Chicago’s parks. What is this controversial addition that was penned in? Apparently, in order for a park to be taken cared of by the city of Chicago, “white people” need to play in it.

According to a local article by CBS Chicago, the description of Kelvyn Park seems to have all the amenities you would expect to find in a Chicago Park District facility, such as field house, fitness center, auditorium, meeting rooms, tennis courts, walking paths, baseball field, soccer field, and even a small kitchen. All of these accommodations are spread out on 8.5 acres in the 4400 block of Wrightwood in the Hermosa (Spanish for “Beautiful”) neighborhood.

Then comes the addition, written on the park’s sign by an unknown person, that the one thing the park doesn’t have is white people, because their presence will make the city take care of the park (which can be remedied if the park holds Lollapalooza or maybe a Garth Brooks show).

Statistically, the Hermosa neighborhood is largely Hispanic with crime ranking in about the middle of all Chicago’s neighborhoods. The next closest park is Logan Square to the east, and it is about 50 percent white, which means if the “white people” thing is to be taken seriously it gets more city care.

In a follow-up article by The Blaze, the picture was posted up Friday on the Chicago subreddit, and the comments are just loaded with citations to racism. One of the comments on the board even read the following pertaining to racism:

“I don’t know how long you have lived here or how well in tuned you are with our fair city’s history, but [Chicago] has always been a historically (and, really, let’s be honest, presently) miserably racist city. The simple act of being born white buys one a lot more juice with local civic institutions than it really should.”

For some who commented, Kelvyn Park isn’t as bad as the picture makes it out to be. One comment read that the park is pretty nice, while another commented that the park got brand new swings just two weeks ago. And there are those who commented sarcastically in regards to filling one of the positions for “white people” even asking for pay and benefits.

In conclusion, one of the comments reads that to whomever penned the note won’t have to wait for white people to show up because it seems wealthier residents (which is sarcastically linked to white people) are moving in as explained in the following comment:

“With the direction of gentrification towards the area, they’ll get their wish soon.”

[Image via Chicago subreddit]