Street Lights Out for Weeks in Roseland, Neighbors Raise Safety Concerns – NBC Chicago
Senior citizens living on one block in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood assert their street lights have been out for multiple weeks, and they worry the problem will cause a crash or lead to more crime. For multiple weeks, the 113th block of Wallace Street has looked pitch black at night, except for the glow of some porch lights.
Angela Myrick, who has lived on the block for 25 years, says going out at night is limited, and nighttime visits from others are, too.
“I walked last night, but one house had a gap, you could not see at all,” she stated.
While lights on the 113th block are out, residents say if you go one block over – to the 114th block – street lights there do function. Some residents say they’ve called the city’s 311 hotline so often about the issue, dispatchers know their names.
“I have called so many times, they say, ‘ok, well get to you,’ I say ,’when,'” said resident Joseph Garrett.
“We have exhausted all of our means here, that is why we turned to NBC 5,” stated one resident.
NBC 5 reached out to the city’s Department of Transportation, which is responsible for maintain and repairing street lights, and is still awaiting a response. Ald. Carrie Austin, who represents the city’s 34th Ward, which includes the block, said she has done everything in her power to get the issue resolved.
“This is 35 days it has been going on, but not on our end, it is on 311, it is on the department’s end,” Austin said.
Until the lights are fixed, some residents say they’ll just rely on their porch lights and pray nothing happens.
“Roseland has a reputation, and it is well known, and the city is putting us in jeopardy, and I don’t like [it],” one resident said.
