Chicago Activist Rejects Negative Media Coverage

Ay-Sha Butler knows that Englewood is not the most popular neighborhood in Chicago. Crime is high, property values are low, and hope has been fading for years.

Yet, Mrs. Butler and her husband, Antoine, have been working hard to change that. 

Courtesy of Ay-Sha Butler

She was featured in a Zack's TV article last May for her work in the Englewood. 

Now, the youthful activist has written her own account of what's really happening in the embattled neighborhood. On her blog, "A New Voice From Englewood," she laments the recent coverage from local newspapers which focuses on the crime rate.  

In the post titled, "A Good Day In Englewood," Butler talks about the "tons" of good days which have gone unnoticed. 

Even with the challenges we face here, there are still many great examples of Good Days in Englewood and it does not depend on if someone was shot or killed in the neighborhood.

Responding to rumors that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel might move to the neighborhood, Butler says this: 

I wish Rahm would move to Englewood, so he could get a reality check and see firsthand how the city's resources are truly allocated to the point that they become scarce on the South Side once you travel past 35th Street.......We are definitely in the "colored" folks zone being in Englewood and I dare the mayor to live here for a day.

No word yet from "the media" or "the mayor" about Mrs. Butler's views.