Betty Welch Thompson and Robert Scott

00:02 My name is Robert Scott. My age of 75 today's date is Tuesday, January 28th, 2020. My location is Chicago, Illinois.

00:14 The name of my interview partner is Betty my wife.

00:19 Relationship to my partner is the love of my life.

00:26 My name is Betty and Welsh compson. I just turned 65 years old. Today's date is January 28th, 2020. I live in Chicago, Illinois the name of my interview Partners. My husband my friend my spouse Robert Scott and relationship to my partner. He's my butt.

00:55 So darling

00:58 We want to start with this.

01:04 Number one who been the most important person in your life. And can you tell me a little about him or her?

01:14 Who's the most important person in my life?

01:18 Right now

01:20 It's me.

01:23 I am that person at 65 still growing and I'm still learning.

01:30 And I'm paying attention to a lot of the things that I am as a person should be doing to make me comfortable. So that would be is me myself and I now Robert always include you in there, but I am the most important person to me now to be a better person for you.

01:52 You know what I think of you.

01:57 Elliot and Miss Annie. I probably the most important people to me right about now you are.

02:06 What keeps me centered keep me from doing you know, a little crazy things that's because I have to work on is because I've loved him from the day. I met him when he was a baby and then Miss Annie because we became we we we we've got an understanding over the years about things that went on in my earlier years that I did not understand that now I kind of

02:39 I'm at peace with it. That's that grow that we talked about and that's why I say with me. I'm still growing and and it's becoming one of those are like, I'm not trying to be a selfish person. I'm just trying to be self-centered and as I continue to learn because living with you is always something and I have to learn that huh. You need to give him that space or you need to give that talk with you need to give them that touch of whatever the case may be but be able to do it where as I still give you the respect and love that I have for you. Well, you tell her you going through some stuff right about now, you know, that's that old statement is that you should learn something everyday cuz when you stop learning that says at the end the end of life is

03:39 Come so there's there's something to be said about learning something every day every day because you know just sitting there talkin talkin to Crystal a few minutes ago is so much that that knowledge that she has to give that won't nobody sit down with her and talk to her about and it I like I told her we need to talk. There's so much change and Avenue and I will talk about everything and that was one of the things we was just talkin about earlier today about

04:14 How we need to actually listen, but you can't listen if you always know you can't listen if you always talk and you can hear what everybody is saying. I noticed that all the time but we talked about that and we talked about it because sometimes it's pointing case. I don't want to hear what she talked about because it's just a different time.

04:38 What is the same thing as went on before time? And we just said a different time and different players now, so if that would be a good conversation that we really should do that. So when you want to plan on doing something like that, well, you know, we still got to figure out when we going to have breakfast but I am I'm thinking about and I'm laughing because I've learned that when you start talkin, I really have to learn to stop and listen and you know, I do it in meetings when you're Talkin at make sure everybody else. Stop stalking and then I've got to learn to stop talkin with me and you're talkin to one another and you trying to say something I'm always butting in and it's not necessary. That's not a form of as a form of disrespect in in one instance. And then I think it's my train of thought is I'm going to forget it. So I need to get it.

05:38 Right there in their butt.

05:43 We Will We Will working on it every story every narrative has a beginning a middle and an end and when when you are not if we start talking about the situation in this city

05:58 I'll go back and I'll tell you this history or I'll tell you that one and that's a researcher. I'll tell you this that and the other so every story that I have is best if weird and different meeting Community meetings. It's a beginning a middle in the end. So as you and Leslie told me the other day. I told me this on my perfect that my stories are too that my stories are too long but is because there's always a beginning middle and an end.

06:29 So it takes time to do have to listen, but I'm learning. I'm learning to share my stories when I can't remember why we down in Bloomington what I told you I told

06:41 What's the name of Jenny Jenny? We don't need a dissertation. That's 45 minutes long when you got 2 minutes, bring it down to a minute-and-a-half. You can say what you need to say in a minute and a half instead of 35 minutes cuz people people are getting tired of your ranting and I understand where you coming from about with me and Leslie told you about cut it short with me. So but it wasn't it wasn't meant maliciously and whatnot. I know but that I had the LabCorp daughter was thinking the same thing. I was thinking up like would you please get to the point if you want to eat it or not?

07:31 But you know, I'm I'm thinking in it and it says so.

07:35 Who will one of the kindest persons in your life and I think I got the I got to get give you that props.

07:44 I really do love you. I just thought about it. I said, you know what she one of the kindest person I've ever met get on my nerves sometimes always trying to be a peacemaker. I'm like in shut up, you know Robert Scott and I've never thought about that and I appreciate that. Thank you so much who would have thunk it I don't know how will you know?

08:15 Like we always say you can't see what I see and I always tell you that when when when I tell you I said better you you're very photogenic. I don't take a good picture where you can see what I see and then once you see a picture of you and I together you like. Oh, that's pretty good picture. I can't stand you either. You do take a nice picture. It just bugs me when I tell you something. It's like oh that is pretty good. I'm like I told you in the first place. Why don't you just chill why I had to see it. So when I see you at I'm like, oh, yeah you posing quite handsomely on that. Well, it's true.

08:57 You always tell me about Melvin your father. Tell me a little bit about him my dad.

09:07 My dad is true gentleman.

09:12 He was

09:14 The kind of guy that he's a guy's guy and he's a woman's man. He raised the boys the way he wanted them to be as men and he raised the girls away one of those to be as ladies.

09:29 He will give us this little bitty quips of encouragement light. I turned 17 and we was out at 114th and 40 South Indiana and I was on my way to

09:47 The skating rink, and we were going to a movie and my father told me he says now.

09:54 A lady never comes home drunk never a lady never is drunk outside her home he knew that we was going to have drinking at the skating rink because that was the first time that the skating rink at open up with alcoholic beverages and it was a Shirley Temple for all that was for those that was turning 17 years so that they just passed the 16th birthday and I took that in and live that live that advice in still share that with my daughters and with my kids and every female that I made that it was something to tell me as a lady you got always be a lady.

10:41 And he always wanted us to be ladies.

10:45 Now he would he would he never really spoiled or spoilt us but he always always make always made us feel different cuz we all would definitely got 10 kids in the house and my dad could always make you feel just that one person out. You can always make you feel like you that only person in the house. I love it when he would come home and I know what he's going to stand out here come in and if you take off his his shoes and his socks he going to be a while if you just take off your shoes and I got to go then he'll be gone someplace. It was running two stores and then he had the what was that it was what was that National Guard person go away, like that a guy like Winnie home cuz my mom was crazy as a road lizard and it was like she was just frustrated all the time, but my daddy was always

11:42 The good guy that special guy, you know what 10 kids in the house at what 10 different personalities plus he is plus your mom's so someone had to have some semblance of Civility, you know, I think about

12:02 We always you know, I always talk about Maurice Maurice reminds me of my Uncle Melvin and Edmund and

12:13 Because they looked out for me they looked out for me on like you, you know, I don't know who that was. And so they replaced dad was Melvin Edmond and Oliver dealing with my three protectors. So and then I think about Maurice cuz he reminds me of Edmond, you know, he always has some kind of quit for me, but it when it comes to anything that looks suspicious. He's looking out for me, you know an inn in like you always say he is my buddy, I think about in relations to what are week where we where we live and what we do as volunteers you on the family side and me on the senior side and I think

13:10 Most seniors

13:12 I live in just above the poverty level.

13:17 And I don't know if it's

13:23 The word I'm looking for. I don't know. I think we me and you talked about it earlier and you saying it's hereditary or that's that that's the bad set of the individuals that we was talking about, you know, and I liked it so much the mindset. I think it's has to do with the quality of life and what they do what they garnered in in and lived and worked for and at the end of their working working life. It wasn't what they thought it was going to be because 90% of the people I send senior housing.

14:03 Didn't have a choice to be there.

14:05 You think so, you know, I'm just about positive because like I said that just above the poverty level.

14:15 In my case, my union screwed me up reason why I haven't come to senior housing because they lost that money to The Syndicate and the government is still trying to get that money back. I don't think it's ever going to happen.

14:29 And in that cause me not to have a pension.

14:33 In one senior housing

14:38 Excuse

14:45 I think so. No, I don't have anymore.

14:50 Thank you.

14:53 So yeah, I think I think that

14:57 When it's all said and done.

15:01 The system was set up so that

15:05 When when you finish doing your working life and you go into retirement?

15:14 You whenever you would never afforded the opportunity to make

15:21 Enough to really retire on unless you was a Tradesman, you know Carpenter ironworker plumber gave those type of job where you made $70,000 a year and you had a pension program other than working for Oscar Mayer or

15:47 Working in other job that that pay scales system set. Well with you. Bye said, I don't think it was a mindset. I think it was I think it was physically set up that way systematically set up your dad's been but you make a good point on that dispense leave now new senior housing.

16:19 As well as housing and then send affordable housing which is what it was supposed to be. That's the title of it, but it is only knew certain times.

16:34 When you want to use that term or corn that preys affordable housing.

16:39 What senior housing property is for anyone who can move into senior housing no matter what he or she can afford and he or she should be able to choose his or her location. But because this system in this city is the second gate.

16:59 They systematically make sure that they put a system in place and it's not just with housing is with employment as you pointed out. You're not allowed to work this job.

17:17 So as you say Robert is true.

17:21 In fordable housing in the senior housing.

17:25 I believe that a lot of I'm just looking at now as the volunteer that we do.

17:33 The system is in this city. There's a white elephant always in the room. And because the white elephant is never talked about in the white elephant is

17:48 Separatism segregation discrimination

17:53 Without actually using the terms so when we do something like

18:00 So when we do something like senior housing.

18:04 I remove Oak into senior housing take a note of the people that have moved into senior housing and when we take notice of and then I'll music cuz I'm in family housing and I was telling you today and Crystal just like you have seniors that are now moving into senior housing with their children because they feel safer when moving and seen your house with your children, but it supposed to be for seniors only but you can't discriminate but you can so you gotta move on me and whereas

18:38 It they're being told that no, you can't move the kid in that but the policy is written. Whereas what is is not the policy of a cop is written whereas you could move into senior housing. If you have an appropriate age or the right age of is 55 or 63, whatever age it is for that particular building you can move in and then you got to have two heartbeats to room got that but then you have families that have to raise their grandchildren. So they're moving from family buildings and two senior properties as in your problem. You can't tell them that they can move in there. So now the Dynamics of that scene building has changed especially if it ain't everybody in there was 55 and older as opposed to 63 and older because you got Betty that's got a five-year-old and then you got Robin has got a 7 year old.

19:35 Play You Got Crystal has got a two year old and we are living in the senior building. So now we got to change the building but you can't change the building because it's a c h a property in the c h a property says we can't do we can't move you out of here because we're not in the business of making you a homeless got it. But then what about the other 72 people that in that building they moved into that building for The Quiet peaceful enjoyment of his or her life, even though they know that it is a building and everybody in there is not a millionaire or billionaire, but they can appreciate being in that building knowing that there by then it got a little something something something.

20:22 There's no destruction going on not a little something something that they get every month or every two weeks. I ever they get a little money. They're watching the building that they live in been destroyed and they can't fix it or they can't get it fixed because the chha won't fix it because it's not something that these have to fix it because this is a poor property. So, you know, it's a it's a bunch of things that go on with that when you say is you're right. It's not a mindset. It is a systematic set at that destroys individuals. So when we talk about stuff like that it starts getting to me.

20:58 Because it shouldn't be that way. It's all wrong that as all wrong, but you're right. It is not a Maya said it is a systematic set.

21:11 All I know is is is

21:15 Some has changed we have to start looking at practicality. We have to be practical about situations and family housing and in senior housing and we as the leaders that's that's volunteers volunteers Gilbert we even though we are volunteers there's a lot that can be said for volunteer is when you act as a 1in instead of

21:57 20 different entities now you talking about us coming together. So so I said all the time I tell you all the time, you know, we were just talkin about it.

22:09 Pen to paper keep a paper trail all the time because when you come to these

22:18 Committee meeting buddy Chan, you use talk about things resident means that you're almost done. They don't hear one voice, but they'll hear 50, you know, so you so we got it. We got to organize as a group to come down to plead our case with one voice.

22:41 It might be you standing up.

22:44 Seeing what needs to be said but you got 50 of us standing behind you while you talk that's supposed to be anyway, so we have to put other people in that mindset that this is how we going to make change now when you use the term is he now we getting ready to go to mindset. I can't make you feel like I feel about the community volunteer and see I can't make you feel like we're all humans in this community. I can't make you feel that the that the cleanliness of the neighborhood that we're in is because you have volunteers cleaning up outside as well as the homeowners. I can't make you feel that is a comfortable place to live.

23:29 Because we have some folk. They really don't want to live the way I may want to live but that's my individual way. So, how do I think I can I make you or share with you that this is a this an idea.

23:44 That we need to come together with when only thing I know in my life.

23:50 Any activity that I've always done always has been a negative activity because I never had anything positive growing up for so here's here's what the problem is.

24:03 Even though even though that might be true for you you have the younger generation.

24:11 That

24:13 You might be able to instill those values that you feel because

24:20 I didn't have that don't mean that I don't want my kids to have that guy. You know, I'm going to disagree with you cuz you know, I have set up here in that watch these folks where I live at only Park not only did the generation of generation go through the systematic destruction of a family unit because it was systematically destroying the unit, but it was put in place so that those that were supposed to be the parental units became part of the system to destroy the family unit and we didn't even go back as far as what was that movie called him in the sixties the welfare man come up.

25:04 Let me know know know know the husband couldn't come up to the house because the welfare woman was coming by.

25:12 Remember that with James Earl Jones at her all day. But but what was happening and I'll use when we lived in Robert Taylor my dad and my mom when they moved and Robert Taylor you had to be a family unit. You had to be before you move in Robert Taylor. So you had her husband and wives so you don't have that problem later on down the road. When was that? We was talking about that yesterday Vietnam. They open up public housing new affordable-housing to the returning veterans.

25:47 And the families were able to move and affordable housing now in a systematic city that was not segregated or is prejudiced as this city is you should have been able to move wherever you wanted to move, but they couldn't because it would if they were black they had to come to a certain part of the city. If you are attacking you moved to another part of the city. That's how you got loose wavy in Village which is soft which is Northwest. But if if you if you fought for this country you should have been able to come back to where you wanted to move to what they put those families the wives and the children and the public housing and that's when it became a project when it became known as a project. They stop investing money into the property because you didn't have families that will work it that was in the building you had the federal government that was supposed to been thing.

26:47 The rent for the family of the service man that are serving over there in Vietnam. You supposed them paying they rent but what would the government say they were in was what $2 for a four-bedroom. How you going to run up a 16-story building 10 apartments on each floor with $2. So when you start seeing the destruction of the building, that's what my dad moved but then they started going up on the rent. They went up on the rent month to month with my dad. That's when he said no I can move and we did but that was a systematic destruction.

27:24 So I'm looking at these same families go through this now.

27:29 At Lake Park Place

27:31 They went through this original plan for transmission, which was supposed to start what mm mm and it's been extended with how many times send it to 20 twenty-something 2028. I think it is before it ends. How many years is that? 18 20 28 when your years and in the first ten years that I moved in the building you can see that you have mixed income in there, but you have mixed income and Robert Taylor to but when you had the influx of service families moving in you sound a down where spiral that wasn't rapidly going into those buildings here now.

28:19 You got Lake Park Place residents that are being displaced because the Chicago Housing Authority has not finished building the replacement units that they tore down. So now you can make people into the properties. So this is why we got seniors moving into family Builders and families moving into senior buildings to find a safe place for them to try to raise them live and raise who they got a raise your procedure goes back to what you saying about destruction of property and chal. The rule is that we we are in the business for housing right not making you home. It's right then, you know, I'm I'm I'm one of those crazy person that my things that everybody don't need a roof over their head and I do enjoying my property. I need you to be out at any cost. I don't care because now it's going to cost me $100,000 cash back to rehab that apartment at dick that you tore up at the time.

29:19 Moving you to another place that they are it up that's been another hundred thousand dollars. That's what they have until five apartments. And then when we go to 3939 we can rent these apartments cuz we don't have money to fix these apartment. But baby still living in an apartment. Wait a minute now see AJ embedding destroyed five Apartments. Why is she still in Warren and we can't even fix the other five make sense to me you got to do something. But then we're not in the business of making you among the homeless. I got that but that's the system. See now the system is saying if we don't rent what if that apartment building becomes vacant what 75%

30:10 For what a certain length of time below 90% below 90% for a certain. Of time when you just take that that's lakefront property.

30:19 You didn't destroy fabulous and Betty still destroying the sixth unit and the only reason she can destroy decision because you don't have another apartment the transfer, but you came without them five.

30:32 So that building could literally go down that says systematic destruction. It can literally go down to that where you call it that vacancy 90% vacancy and you can take that property when you take that property that was one of the properties that was in the plan for transformation. That was a nationwide model.

30:52 And then I might wait a minute. How do you manage to do this? But it just wasn't the family's it was the system and the families work in Tangent, but the families don't have enough sense or some of them didn't understand that this is where you supposed to be in the plan for transformation based on the way. They had it written was not important The Way It Was Written had to be in for some way because it was working in New York. Where is still works in New York, but that's because New York is not running by politics. This city is rent about politics.

31:27 In New York, they listen to their constituents in the people that vote them in here. That's why Georgia control is still what is it still on the in the court dockets know it would settle your girl was.

31:42 South Newkirk Groucho WhatsApp that came about last year when it went to the court and you write in friends in their finished talkin about that one and she did make a statement about it. But gautreaux is not complete because you still cannot move to where you want to move in this state. You still can't live where you can afford to live because the chha is showing that but not building the affordable housing in the areas where they said it was going to be a replacement Audi. This is why we still 25 thousand units. Shy because you can't build in some neighborhood and highs that well. Yeah take Lathrop. What's that over there on Cicero Avenue where they done told on the whole every every building over there with Claire. It's messing up what you want build over there, but developers are coming over that because of me.

32:42 I want to expand airport really see politics play. This CD is ran by politics and discrimination straight out. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it and until that is ever address an open Forum or on a regular basis and Community meetings at building meetings. Whatever it is that there is a group of folks if that is never discussed or put out on the floor. It's not going to get right. It just won't get right. I'm like we would have worked in New York because in New York is not ran by the 1%

33:22 Or the 10% it is in the people that are discussing their vessels that are discussing making changes in these communities that are housing or that have public housing built on them. All God. It's just it's just it's scandalous. It's just scandalous the way they're doing it. We're discussing now the mixed-income concept and then we're talkin about communities that are being separated because developers can come in to build say on Cabrini-Green.

33:58 And every time they try to build over there, they got to go through the l a c and then when they try to build over there, they got to challenge the developer to make sure the developer is building what they're supposed to agree to but they ain't build over there and how long

34:14 It's been a couple years now. They open up a new building over there a couple years ago right next to the police station. And when was we don't still have anything being built now on the Southside we got that one project the song What 45th and Cottage Grove that's only going to have what I think is 70/76 units that ain't that ain't even a drop in the bucket of the 25000 use both been replacing rest of it going to go. Where are you going to build at? That's the same thing. I've been fighting with about them putting that family housing in between those two senior buildings, cuz I know they going to have a problem over there with those seniors over there with them little kids run around that property is going to be hell to pay over there. I'm going to just tell you it's going to be a mess cuz you know, you got some seniors that really ain't friendly till they own grandchildren though. I know they're not going to be friendly to

35:14 Grandchildren who told you that you could do this c h a

35:21 Why did you take that that stands to do that that when you had all the other properties on the Southside that you could have rebuilt on field tennis Robert. Are you selling them to the community? Cherry Way Garden, come on. Now if you well they got all kind of vacant land that they can rebuild on like they said it was supposed to but the politicians are selling it as what's that girl's name? What's a woman named the big tall was Pat down.

35:53 Asking she selling it only wants to know about your Alderman. That's not mine. That's what it is is is is federal property how you managed to do that? And then rezone it?

36:15 I don't know. Oh, yeah politics is politics ain't no joke in this city and they got a plan for what it is that they're doing.

36:25 These politicians have a plan for this city and it don't include popo. Well, you know what? I kind of like this new man. We got cuz she said some standards and she's she's bumping heads with folks and she's getting some things done. I'm just waiting.

36:47 What's new you heard about her lately Robin? I read something in the paper the other day.

36:53 He was on Facebook or it was on messenger, but that's okay. I saved it. I'll let you then on my phone. You know, I'm always saving something and you do have to save it on your phone for me to see it cuz I might cuz I'm a paper that's three pages long. I just not going to do it has been kind of quiet know. She stopped a billion dollar project over there on that north side that mayor Rahm was trying to build with

37:27 Over there that I know the name of it. No, not the casino thing where Lincoln yards. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but she stopped at yeah, she did but how long ago was that? She just took off his last year. So where you say how long it was? I mean you just got power so she was able to stop it well, but she just took off his last year. Now, you got to remember before that. She was a citizen.

38:08 She was head of the police board. She was trying to stop that movement with me and Ron before she became mayor she had already put up in the paper now. And so when she became mare she got power Dam. Let me shut it down completely at you. Did your every time I go through there still just think it all the buildings that were down. Here is tore down but is bacon fenced-off say, yes, you got the powers. She didn't I ain't mad at the little lady.

38:48 Well, like I said, I want to give her a chance. I think she can do some things.

38:55 For the city. I'm hoping she can you know what, but let's see what's going to happen by chance to everybody. That's a politician argument. Just like I got a choice your vote counts don't like you don't relocate and move out of this thing. I'm not going I'm not going. Yes we can.