Chicago’s South Side is drowning in excuses, dependency and decay
Pastor Corey Brooks, founder of Project H.O.O.D., reflects on his return to Chicago's South Side after a cross-country walk, expressing concern over persistent dysfunction, dependency on government, and community resistance to change. He argues that internal choices, not systemic racism or external forces, are primarily responsible for ongoing struggles in the community. Brooks criticizes what he sees as a culture of excuses and low expectations, calling for self-reliance, faith, and personal responsibility as paths forward. Despite the challenges, he remains hopeful for transformation through individual and collective effort.
- ▪Corey Brooks is the founder of Project H.O.O.D. and a pastor who recently returned to Chicago's South Side after a cross-country walk.
- ▪He attributes the community's struggles not to systemic racism or white supremacy but to internal cultural issues like dependency and low expectations.
- ▪Brooks criticizes the glorification of victimhood and calls for rejecting excuses in favor of personal responsibility and faith.
- ▪He is working to build a Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center to provide youth with skills and safe environments.
- ▪Brooks emphasizes hope and change through individual action, citing his own efforts and biblical inspiration.
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Opinion Chicago’s South Side is drowning in excuses, dependency and decay Rooftop Revelations: There is no external force orchestrating our destruction from the shadows By Corey Brooks Fox News Published April 28, 2026 10:00am EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Rooftop Revelations: My walk across America reveals the cure for chaos isn’t more government Corey Brooks, Project H.O.O.D. founder and pastor shares the lessons he learned in Mobile, Ala. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! As I recover from foot surgery in Chicago, my break from the Walk Across America has given me time to do more than reflect. I’ve seen so many things on my walk so far through small towns, big cities, ghettos, suburbs, open-air drug markets, posh farmers markets and even the occasional country market. Throughout it all, I’ve seen Americans of so many stripes, and they’re all moving forward, moving with a sense of purpose in their work and in their belief in God. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb2', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban1', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban1', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } And when I returned home to the South Side of Chicago, I was struck by the stillness I felt here.It pains me to say this, but it was as if I had never left. The same problems remained. People complained about the same issues they complained about the year before, and the year before that, not recognizing that fateful pattern of doom. Although my team has greatly reduced violence in our immediate community, it remains high on the surrounding blocks. Herds of teens continue to raid the Loop, wreaking havoc and destroying what others have built. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('desktop', 'lb2', 'desktop-desk-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } The pattern is obvious and undeniable. On my Walk Across America, I saw people moving toward something better, no matter if it was one step a day or 20,000. They moved forward in the faith of a good life and an eternal reward. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban2', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } THE REAL CRISIS BEHIND AMERICA'S UNREST BEGINS IN THE CLASSROOM if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb3', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb3', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } Here on the South Side, while many do struggle toward something better, the current moves overwhelmingly in the wrong direction.My time away revealed something I had grown too close to see clearly: how fiercely we protect the dysfunction around us. The current moves toward dysfunction, not potential. Toward dependency on government, not self-reliance. Toward violence, not two-parent households. Toward the…
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