Harvey Mayor: Soaring Property Taxes Could Turn Black Suburbs into ‘Ghost Towns’

Mayor Christopher J. Clark warns that predominantly Black communities like Harvey are at risk of becoming ghost towns due to financial pressures. The six-square-mile Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois, has a robust history rooted in Christian values, home ownership and temperance. Its founder, Turlington W. Harvey, was influenced by the Christian teachings of Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Church. As a Temperance town, it was conceived, bankrolled, and populated by residents who adhered to a movement that promoted alcohol abstinence.& But Harvey underwent a profound transformation, as the African American population surged from 7 to 66%, and racial tensions flared. Amid the upheaval, Harvey lost its economic base when it bled jobs like other “Rust Belt” towns when steel and other related industries consolidated. Crime, unemployment, drug use and poverty surged—a familiar American tale.& As of 2022, the South Suburban city—once a haven for Black families seeking its greener pastures over urban living—had nearly 33% of its residents living below the poverty line, making it one of the poorest towns in the state.& With the August 1 deadline for the second installment of property tax payments looming, Harvey and 14 other communities have the highest median increases for...