Subtitle: Crime And The Tragedy Of Public Housing In Chicago
Author:Susan J. Popkin, Victoria E. Gwiasda, Lynn M. Olson, Dennis P. Rosenbaum, and Larry Buron
Subject: Urban Studies/Public Policy
Paperback ISBN 0-8135-2833-X
Pages: 256 pp., 15 b&w illus.
Description: A portrait of life for those caught in the crossfire in some of the worst neighborhoods in the United States---Chicago's notorious housing developments

Foreword by Rebecca M. Blank, dean of the School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

"The Hidden War vividly documents what it means for families and children to live in America's most distressed public housing projects, providing critical insights for public policy, not only in the housing arena, but in welfare reform, community building, and crime prevention as well."-Margery Austin Turner, Director of Metropolitan Housing and Communities at the Urban Institute

"The Hidden War is a masterfully documented story of the interactions between good intentions and misguided policy implementation. The authors illuminate better than any others what day-to-day life is like in high rise public housing. This is a must read for anyone concerned with social policy in general and housing policy in particular."-Fay Lomax Cook, director, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University

"They shot somebody on the streets yesterday, and they shot at the policeman and the fireman, because they didn't want them to help the boy. They wanted the boy to lay there and die. And if anybody tried to help him, they said they was gonna shoot. So, he laid out there a long time."-From The Hidden War: Crime and The Tragedy of Public Housing in Chicago.

Since the late 1970s, the high-rise developments of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) have been dominated by gang violence and drugs, creating a sense of hopelessness among residents. Despite a lengthy war on crime, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the CHA has been unable to reduce the violence that makes life intolerable.

Focusing on three developments-Rockwell Gardens, Henry Horner Homes,and Harold Ickes Homes-Sue Popkin and her co-authors interview residents, community leaders, and CHA staff. The Hidden War chronicles the many failed efforts of the CHA to combat crime and improve its developments, offering a vivid portrait of what life is like when lived among bullets, graffiti, and broken plumbing.

Most families living in these developments are headed by African American single mothers. The authors reveal the dilemmas facing women and children who are often victims or witnesses of violent crime, and yet are dependent on the perpetrators and their drug-dominant economy. The CHA-plagued by financial scandals, managerial incompetence, and inconsistent funding-is no match for the gang-dominated social order. Even well-intentioned initiatives such as the recent effort to demolish and "revitalize" the worst developments seem to be ineffective at combating crime, while the drastic changes leave many vulnerable families facing an uncertain future. The Hidden War sends a humbling message to policy makers and prognosticators who claim to know the right way to "solve poverty."

Susan J. Popkin is senior research associate at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Victoria E. Gwiasda is deputy director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.