Val Warner Strolls Through Austin: The Neighborhood Walk

The extensive West Side neighborhood of Austin, which stands as Chicago's third most populous area with more than 100,000 inhabitants, embodies deep-rooted history, intricate difficulties, and steadfast toughness.

The area is thoroughly familiar to Benny Lee. Having been a prominent figure within the Vice Lords street gang in the past, he has reinvented himself as one of the city’s foremost street counselors, now devoted to helping ex-convicts rebuild their lives.

In a new episode of ABC7’s “Our Chicago - Neighborhood Walk,” reporter Val Warner accompanied Lee on an enlightening stroll through the areas that molded his life, providing audiences with a distinctive view into both the individual behind the story and the neighborhood where he remains actively involved. Throughout their tour, enriched by heartfelt stories and historical insights, they brought to light the rich history and current landscape of Austin, along with the resilient character of its inhabitants.

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For Warner, this experience allowed him to connect with an "Austin legend."

“I’m in the Austin neighborhood with an Austin icon. His name is Benny Lee. It’s great to see you,” she started, setting up a tour led by a man who has witnessed the intense transformation of the area firsthand.

Lee's ties to Austin trace back to 1966, when his family relocated to what was then mostly a white neighborhood.

"Lee mentioned they faced numerous challenges," he said to Warner.

During his time in Austin, Lee got entangled with the Vice Lords, one of Chicago’s toughest street gangs. His position as a leader ultimately resulted in imprisonment, during which he was wrongly implicated in sparking a disturbance at the Pontiac Correctional Center in July 1978, an incident that led to the deaths of three officers. However, he was cleared of these accusations later on.

Nonetheless, Lee’s release from jail during the latter part of the 1980s represented a significant shift. Instead of harboring resentment, he surfaced with a deep-seated mission: to steer others away from the mistakes he had made and assist them in reconstructing their lives post-imprisonment.

Lee is highly regarded as a professor at Northeastern Illinois University and is frequently invited to speak due to his compelling speaking skills and capacity to engage various types of crowds. This was notably demonstrated through his participation in TEDxNAPERVILLE, where he discussed ways to break free from patterns of trauma and violence. He stresses concepts like transformative forgiveness, recovery, and reconstructing communities internally during these presentations.

His work with former inmates has become formalized through the Sankofa Center, located in Lee's Austin office where he began his journey alongside Warner.

Lee pointed out that their work involves teaching previously imprisoned men and women how to present themselves as convicted felons. They aim to demonstrate that life can continue beyond incarceration and help these individuals not feel caught between seeing themselves one way and believing society views them differently.

SEE ALSO | Val Warner and Karen Jordan take a stroll through Evanston on their ' Neighborhood Walk '.

From the Sankofa Center, a hub of hope and second chances, Warner and Lee walked to a corner imbued with deep personal significance for Lee: the block where his parents lived, a street now bearing his mother's name. "Well, because it's named after my mother, Miss Ruby Lee," Lee

explained, a touch of pride in his voice. "She at one time was the block president. Now, these young guys around here still today call her grandma."

Lee mentioned that young individuals still lower the volume on their radios when driving through the 5900 block of North Pine, where his mother resided. He states, "'Because they can hear Grandma saying, ‘Son, turn down that music,’' they adjust it accordingly." This demonstrates the influence she wielded.

The tour subsequently moved to Austin High School located at 231 N. Pine St., which happens to be Lee's former school, although his tenure there was abruptly ended due to the racial unrest that swept through both the city and the country during the late 1960s.

Lee shared, “I had enrolled in a program named Clerical Office Procedures with plans to complete four years of study. The aim was to graduate ready for employment in various office environments. However, I couldn’t finish my first year due to events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. It brought about significant racial tensions since we were in an area predominantly inhabited by white people. There was trouble at our school where all Black students faced suspension following some violent incidents; meanwhile, no action was taken against White students. Apparently, they labeled me as the leader because back then, I held a position within the Vice Lords.”

Lee ended up being sent to the Illinois Youth Detention Center in St. Charles, which began a long period of him being in and out of correctional facilities.

This raw account highlights the systemic issues and the volatile environment that shaped Lee's early life, providing context for the choices he made and the path he ultimately took. His suspension from Austin High wasn't just an interruption of his education; it was a reflection of the broader societal fractures that often pushed young Black men to the margins.

The path Lee took from being branded a "ringleader" to eventually emerging as a respected figure within the community showcases his strength of character and ability to change.

Not only did he transform his personal journey, but he also committed himself to making sure others received the backing he perhaps lacked. Guided by his past struggles, his efforts carry a genuine and believable edge that many cannot replicate. He has created programs aimed at preventing and addressing violence, guided countless people through tough times, and worked alongside police departments and neighborhood groups to promote harmony.

Following their visit to Austin High, Warner and Lee made their way to Columbus Park. Spanning an impressive 135 acres, this picturesque space is widely regarded as the masterpiece of renowned landscape designer Jens Jensen. Among U.S. parks, it stands out uniquely as a National Historic Landmark.

Lee similarly remembered the racial tensions at that park after his family relocated to Austin during the mid-1960s. At that time, the region surrounding Columbus Park was predominantly white. "African Americans resided on the eastern part of Austin," Lee recounted. "We needed to go through a white community, struggle to reach our neighborhood, battle for access to the swimming pool, and then face further challenges returning home."

The last destination on Warner and Lee’s tour of Austin was an iconic dining spot: MacArthur's Restaurant located at 5432 W. Madison Street. This establishment boasts numerous famous patrons who have left their mark; photographs of these notable guests adorn the walls, including President Barack Obama, Governor Pritzker, ex-Mayor Richard J. Daley, activist Jesse Jackson, basketball player Dwyane Wade, and several others.

MacArthur's is legendary," Warner declared, evidently looking forward to the occasion. "It’s my inaugural visit here, so I’m extremely, extremely, extremely thrilled—and hey, is that peach cobbler?!! I think I should ask for more than just two sides.

The vibrant ambiance at MacArthur's, a cherished destination for soul food, made for a cozy conclusion to their stroll. Just before digging into their meal, Warner conveyed her appreciation: "I can’t speak anymore; I’m exhausted from all the chatter. Let’s enjoy some delicious soul food instead. Benny, thanks immensely."

You can watch the complete Austin episode of "Our Chicago - Neighborhood Walk with Val Warner" in the video located at the top of this page.