Parents, students ask city to reopen their Altgeld library branch

Make this either your Christmas wish or your New Year's wish, a public library for the residents of Altgeld Gardens. You can read this article from Megan Cottrell @ One Story Up.

Excerpt from this Sun-Times article:

Fenger High School senior Kermilia Wellington wanted to spend her Christmas break at the local library, using the Internet to work on college applications -- but her neighborhood branch has been closed since March.

"I'm trying to go to college, but I don't have a computer where I can apply to college," Kermilia said.

So instead, she joined about two dozen other protesters from the Altgeld Gardens housing development who gathered outside Mayor Daley's City Hall office Wednesday to demand that Daley reopen the Altgeld Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

The same group has complained about Daley's closing their neighborhood high school, causing friction that they say led to the September beating death of Fenger student Derrion Albert.

On Wednesday, their angry chants echoed through empty halls: "We don't have a library. We don't have a school. So Mayor Daley, what do you want us to do?''

When a press secretary emerged to find out their demands, one student screamed, "Can we use your Internet?" Other protesters quickly took up that message as their new chant.

Before you start talking them down consider this and if this still doesn't satisfy you then you can comment:

Going to libraries outside Altgeld requires travel through dangerous areas, said Altgeld parent Cheryl Johnson. To get to one, at 119th and Halsted, kids have to take three buses and walk six blocks, Johnson said.

Travel is difficult for that area of the far south side. Right on the city limits with either Riverdale or Dolton.