The Southwest Collective

05/23/2026

We had a great ride with our neighbors in Brighton Park this morning—and with our friends 💙

Next Saturday will be our ✨last✨ Archer Ave. bike ride for the month of May. We’ll be back at McKinley Park for one final 10am ride (9:30am meetup).

Hope to see you there!

05/21/2026

Very sad news regarding the house fire in West Englewood. If you have family in the area, please ask them to share any surveillance footage they may have.
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Noticias muy tristes sobre el incendio de una casa en West Englewood. Si tienen familiares en la zona, por favor pídanles que compartan cualquier grabación de vigilancia que tengan.

The Cook County medical examiner's office said the four died of burn injuries and carbon monoxide injuries due to the fire.

05/21/2026

Check out our next Archer Ave. bike ride this Saturday!

We’re kicking off from McKinley Park at 10am, and this week we’ll be joined by our friends at Chicago, Bike Grid Now.

They’ll share their vision for a *connected* grid of walkable, bikeable, rollable streets that encourage Chicagoans to use active transportation—and that prioritize safety for our neighbors who don’t own a vehicle.

05/20/2026

Don't forget to gather up your gently used kids' clothing and gear! Our next Freebies for Families event will be May 30th, and donations will be accepted from 10:30am until 11:30am.

Once all donations are sorted, the event will then take place from 12-2pm, at Vicinity Credit Union, in the south parking lot.
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¡No olviden reunir la ropa y los artículos infantiles que estén en buen estado! Nuestro próximo evento «Freebies for Families» se llevará a cabo el 30 de mayo, y se recibirán donaciones desde las 10:30 a. m. hasta las 11:30 a. m.

Una vez clasificadas todas las donaciones, el evento tendrá lugar de 12:00 p. m. a 2:00 p. m. en Vicinity Credit Union, en el estacionamiento sur.

05/20/2026

🎉

Thank you to everyone who took action and made this possible. Today, the stop Super Speeders bill passed the full Senate by a super-majority. The bill now awaits action from Governor JB Pritzker.

The bill lays the groundwork for use of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology, which uses GPS and onboard sensors to prevent the most dangerous drivers from exceeding posted speed limits.

Research shows that a small number of “super speeders” are responsible for a disproportionately large share of deadly crashes. These drivers are several times more likely than typical motorists to be involved in deadly collisions, and traditional enforcement—such as license suspension—has proven largely ineffective. Nationally, 75 percent of drivers with a suspended license continue to drive.

We are enormously grateful to the many House and Senate members who voted in support of the bill, and especially to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Martha Deuter of the 45th District and Senator Julie Morrison of the 29th District, who worked diligently to craft and pass this meaningful legislation.

We extend a special thanks to our supporters who took action in recent months by filing witness slips and contacting their legislators.

05/20/2026

Huge thanks to the Edwards Elementary 8th graders!

Their graduation service project, “Spread Awareness, Stop Hunger,” filled up the fridge on Pulaski today, during a time where food is most needed and hardest to keep it coming into the community.

Big ups to rising freshmen Natalie Reyes, Kimberly Perez, Jessica Zarco and Katharine Lara - as well as Mrs. Reyes & Principal Bermejo! 🎉
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¡Un enorme agradecimiento a los alumnos de 8.º grado de la Escuela Primaria Edwards!

Su proyecto de graduación, titulado «Difunde conciencia, detén el hambre», llenó hoy el refrigerador de Pulaski, justo en un momento en el que los alimentos son más necesarios y resulta más difícil asegurar su llegada a la comunidad.

¡Un gran reconocimiento a las futuras estudiantes de primer año Natalie Reyes, Kimberly Perez, Jessica Zarco y Katharine Lara, así como a la Sra. Reyes y al director Bermejo! 🎉

05/20/2026

The way that we vote, and treat each other, matters. When we vote to defund things like safety nets, or sanctuary, this is the ripple effect. Do we prefer to have folks living outdoors, or having their basic needs met? Why do we look upon social services with jealousy, instead of being glad that, if needed, we can make use of these services as well?
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La forma en que votamos —y en que nos tratamos unos a otros— importa. Cuando votamos a favor de recortar fondos a elementos como las redes de seguridad social o las políticas de santuario, este es el efecto dominó que se produce. ¿Preferimos ver a las personas viviendo a la intemperie o que tengan cubiertas sus necesidades básicas? ¿Por qué miramos a los servicios sociales con recelo, en lugar de alegrarnos de que, si fuera necesario, nosotros también podamos hacer uso de ellos?

Homelessness rates increased among Latinos in Illinois in recent years, exacerbated by the influx of migrants bused to Chicago by the governor of Texas, according to a new report.

05/19/2026

Need to think through a business idea with someone? Want to start a business, but need advice? Come see us at Discount Mall on May 21 or 28.

Reserve a spot at the link in our comments. Hugo will reach out to you to discuss.
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¿Necesitas ayuda para desarrollar una idea de negocio? ¿Quieres emprender, pero necesitas asesoramiento? Visítanos en Discount Mall el 21 o el 28 de mayo.

Reserva tu plaza en el enlace que encontrarás en los comentarios. Hugo se pondrá en contacto contigo para hablar del tema.

05/19/2026

It’s been a rough week, and a rough spring, when it comes to traffic safety on the southwest side.

Hit and run crashes can be especially devastating for families who have to struggle with not only the open wounds of sudden and tragic loss, but also the fact that the drivers who killed their loved ones are still at large.

We need justice for Damian Gomez, Marcela Herrera, Enrique Nieto, Jiekun Xu, Charlie Mills, and countless other neighbors who have been seriously hurt or killed in hit and run crashes.

Our neighbors deserve safe streets 💔

05/16/2026

We had another great ride through Brighton Park this morning with our neighbors—and with our friends from Working Bikes.

We’ve been riding the parts of the Archer Ave. protected bike lanes that are finished, and using the side streets to get around the water main construction between Pershing and Sacramento.

If you’ve been wanting to check out the new lanes in a group, this is your chance. Hope to see you next Saturday at McKinley Park!