Resident Association of Greater Englewood

In 2010, Asiaha Butler and other residents from each of the six wards in the low-income Chicago neighborhood of Englewood came together to form the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.). Today, the resident-funded and led association of homeowners, stakeholders, business owners, and individuals meet monthly and host community events and forums. R.A.G.E. runs a campaign to encourage residents to vote, an initiative to implore elected officials to repurpose shuttered schools as workforce development centers, programs for youth engagement, and summer community events. In 2014, in response to Chicago’s Green Healthy Neighborhoods’ (GHN’s) request for a solution to Englewood’s more than 5,000 vacant lots, R.A.G.E’s pilot, now known as the Large Lots Program passed, enabling residents to purchase a vacant lot on their block for $1.00. The initiative garnered so much interest in Englewood that it has expanded throughout Chicago neighborhoods. People have repurposed these plots for community gardens, recreation, emotional support, etc. As of the end of 2019, Chicago had sold more than 1,260 of their approximately 11,500 vacant lots.