Lexington Hills: Peoria’s little pocket of dystopia
From today’s Peoria Journal Star:
About 1:50 a.m. Saturday, a 19-year-old Peoria man was shot at 3445 W. Sunset Lane in Lexington Hills Apartments. Police said he suffered gunshot wounds to the face and leg. They described his injuries as serious but not life-threatening.
Is it even news anymore when someone isn’t shot or getting shot at Lexington Hills?
It’s not like the Journal Star isn’t aware of how dangerous it is. A friend of my father lives there and says he paid in advance for home delivery, but the PJS returned the money because they can’t find anyone willing to risk life and limb delivering there.
Dad’s pal says he doesn’t feel safe outside the apartment from about 4 p.m. until morning. Too many people running around “showing their ass” in public.
It’s sad. About 25 years ago, I used to deliver pizza to Lexington Hills — as well as to nearby Pierson Hills Apartments. Both were nice places. These days … I wouldn’t want to venture into either one.
The only place we wouldn’t deliver was to Harrison Homes. These days, I have a hard time getting the same joint to deliver to my door, and I live in a historic home a half block away from the home of a former Peoria City Council member.
Crime stats seem to be showing that things are getting batter. But lets not fool ourselves into thinking there aren’t parts of this town that look and feel like scenes from some urban dystopia.
There’s a public official — who I don’t want to embarrass — who once quipped within earshot — that as long as the hoodlums are shooting each other, he wasn’t too worried. Trouble is, the non-hoodlums are moving to across the river or into the northern hinterlands.
And that’s the attitude we have to combat. Moving away isn’t the answer, because the people who cause ther problem will move to better hunting grounds, too. And reducing the amount of police officers on the street isn’t the answer, either.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
“Trouble is, the non-hoodlums are moving to across the river or into the northern hinterlands.
And that’s the attitude we have to combat. Moving away isn’t the answer, because the people who cause ther problem will move to better hunting grounds, too. ”
Completely Agree. I’ve lived in Peoria for 10 years and during that time the areas most locals consider blighted and unsafe has nearly doubled in size. Unfortunately as families and the more affluent spread out to neighboring communities and the fringes of Peoria, the urban blight grows, eventually reaching the backdoor of those who left.
I don’t see an end to this cycle until Peoria tackles it’s two biggest issues, the school system and the dearth of living wage jobs.