Checkpoints and choppers: How some residents are getting by inside the DNC security perimeter
Living inside the security zone of the Democratic National Convention sounds like a drag, with its security checkpoints, low-flying helicopters and roaming protesters.
But some residents of the Henry Horner Homes, adjacent to the United Center on the Near West Side, are choosing to look at the brighter side of living in the restricted zone of the four-day convention that ends Thursday.
"I wish they would never leave," said Trevathan Godron-Reaves, a retired social worker who lives in the housing complex.
"It is so pleasant to live over here now. It is extremely quiet. We don't have any craziness in the building. The tenants are basically on their best behavior."
She acknowledges that getting around has become less predictable. She missed a doctor's appointment by half an hour this week.
But she's used to the unpredictable travel times since she moved into the neighborhood near the United Center. She already avoids traveling to or from her home after a game when street traffic grinds to a halt.
"The United Center basically dictates our life schedules," she said.
Another resident, Martrice Allen, said she called off from work the whole week.
At first, getting in and out of the area was "hectic," she said. "But it's OK" now."
Rita Martin, 66, also took off the week from work. She has been preparing for the DNC for months.
She put in her vacation request Jan. 1. She's stocked her pantry and fridge, and she doesn't plan to leave the complex until after the convention.
She was lounging in a lawn chair on the front lawn of the complex Wednesday afternoon, listening to music.
She said she was "partying."
"I don't have to get up early. I don't have to wait for my bus to come. I can sleep late. I can have my coffee outside," Martin said.
She said some residents have complained about parking restrictions. No cars are allowed in the complex's parking lot or adjacent streets. They must park in a designated parking lot nearby.
But she said it's a small inconvenience for what the building residents got in return.
The city improved many aspects of the housing complex, but it was mostly cosmetic, she said. The city replaced the parking lot, revamped the basketball court, repainted much of the complex and even hung flower pots from the light poles, something she's never seen in her six years at the complex.
"I will not let it burden me or get me down and get me depressed. This is the once-a-lifetime thing. It might not be better for another 25 to 35 years," Martin said.
She doesn't mind she lives so close to the convention but is not allowed inside.
"That's why I got a TV. I got a front-row seat," she said.