Admit it: You’ve ridden the 31st Street bus. And you love it.
If you haven’t, you should.
It’s the neighborhood’s latest public amenity — or, as some say, necessity.
One of the CTA’s newest routes was made possible by many people and organizations. Chief among them: Bridgeport Alliance, a grassroots organization now led by Charlotte Piwowar. Want a better Bridgeport? This group makes it happen.
Its vision, Piwowar said, “is to build an equitable, sustainable and thriving place for all that welcomes all people, and is powered by the voices of the community.”
So far, BA, as her group is better known, is making that happen.
It was among the coalition of community groups that worked to shut down the coal plants in Pilsen and Little Village. It’s fought to save local public schools from closure and to improve the quality of their buildings.
BA’s latest win is the 31st Street bus, a line that runs from the Ashland Orange Line station to 33rd Place and Martin Luther King Drive. It became a permanent route last month after six years of intense advocacy and several pilots.
“It shows the importance of maintaining pressure on elected officials and on government, and that when the people speak out and find avenues to continue to push for changes that they hope to see, that change is possible,” Piwowar said.
Piwowar, a high-school civics teacher who moved to Bridgeport roughly nine years ago, said she’s noticed that people dig the mom-and-pop shop feel of the neighborhood —it’s one reason why residents like her choose to live there. And it’s what BA aims to preserve, as long as folks want it.
“When we have development driven by the community,” she said, ”we know that it's supporting the people that live here that it's reflective of what people want in it—it's just the space and the community that we all are hoping for.”
Not that development is necessarily bad, she clarified. The Ramova renovation, for example, illustrates how Bridgeport can grow yet keep its community feel.
“However, I'm looking at Amazon,” Piwowar said, “[and] thinking about how many of those jobs may be automated in the future—according to Amazon—thinking about the level of traffic that it’s going to bring, thinking about how the southwest side, according to city reports, is vastly overburdened by pollution, which contributes to other health issues.”
Maybe people want that. Maybe they don’t But when local leaders cater to outside interests without consulting residents, problems predictable and unexpected inevitable will arise.
The biggest problem is, Piwowar said, is that no one is asking Bridgeporters exactly what it is they want.
So BA is trying to fill that void. The group, which meets monthly at First Lutheran Church of the Trinity at 31st Street and Lowe (full disclosure: that’s Erika’s church), is now working to ask residents exactly what kind of development they want. The survey, a few years in the making, was delayed by the pandemic and will take a bit more time to complete.
However, so far, one thing is clear.
“I think what we're discovering is that people just want to be asked,” Piwowar said.
But, hey—we don’t want to give too much away.
Find out more Friday night on WLPN, Bridgeport’s own Lumpen radio. Stream it or turn your dial to 105.5 FM. Sign in just before 6:25 p.m to be sure not to miss this episode.
If you want to learn more about BA or join its mailing list, head over to Facebook, or email bridgeportalliance@gmail.com for more information or to be added to their list.
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Check back next week, when we talk with Brittany Matthews, owner of Haus of Melanin Beauty Bar. This is one you won’t want to miss!