CHICAGO STORY – AT 12:41 P.M. ET:   A tragic city, poorly run, and seemingly based entirely on racial politics.  But the demographics are changing.  From CBS Local: 

The face of Chicago is changing.

New census statistics show the Hispanic population grew by 17,000 in a one-year period. For the first time, Hispanics are the second-largest ethnic group in the city.

Meanwhile, the African-American population is shrinking, with 42,000 moving out.

In Little Village, it’s not hard to spot the influence and heritage. At Dulcelandia, a candy store, sales and the number of customers have increased since the business opened in 1995.

This would seem to reflect new U.S. Census data showing the Hispanic population in Chicago jumping from 786,000 to 803,000 between 2015 and 2016.

This means about 30 percent of the Windy City’s population is now of Hispanic or Latino descent.

“It represents an increase in our purchasing power so that helps to better the economic conditions of the area,” says Eduardo Rodriguez of Dulcelandia.

Subtracted from Chicago’s numbers – more than 42,000 African Americans, who left the city.

Shari Runner of the Chicago Urban League says this trend began about a decade ago. She thinks lack of economic opportunity and crime and high taxes are pushing African Americans out of Chicago.

COMMENT:  Okay, we know why African Americans may want to leave.  But why are Hispanics coming, and what does that mean for the future of Chicago?  Remember, it really was Cuban immigrants who did so much to save Miami. 

Having gone to the University of Chicago, I feel I have some kind of stake in the city.  I want to know what happens next. 

September 16, 2017