LOCKSMITH IN HUMBOLDT PARK, ILLINOIS

Alexander Von Humboldt, a German naturalist and geographer, was never a resident of Chicago nor did he visit the city. However, because the first inhabitants were mostly made up of German immigrants, they chose to use Von Humboldt’s name in dedication to the park. The park was laid out in 1869 and since then became “the crown jewel” of the park district. Humboldt Park is known for its large Puerto Rican community of immigrants that started moving to the neighborhood in the 1950’s. 1966 was a turning point for Puerto Ricans in Humboldt park who faced discrimination from the Chicago Catholic Crurch that would not allow them their own parish. There was a building racial tention between residents and Chicago police, as well as housing and job discrimination. This tension exploded on June 12th to June 14th 1966. The uprising that lasted three days of severe clashes with the police is known as the “66 Division Street Riots”. In 1995 the city of Chicago and the Puerto Rican-American residents agreed to recognize the Puerto Rican roots in the neighborhood with a two 59-foot Puerto Rican flag arch all over the street symbolically ending the conflictual relationship between the city and Puerto Rican residents in Humboldt Park.