'A great opportunity'

WASHINGTON PARK | Stadium site's neighbors have high hopes

Standing at what could be the epicenter of the world for two weeks in 2016, Latrice Williams clutched her 1-year-old son, Brandon, and smiled.

While little Brandon didn't know it, the playground in Washington Park where they stood is one step closer to becoming the site of the main stadium for the 2016 Olympics. That excited Williams, even though she often uses the park for barbecues, family events and to play with Brandon -- things that might be a little harder if a massive stadium is built there, as planned.

"It's a beautiful park," Williams, 26, said Saturday. But the Olympics "will bring jobs to the people who live down here, and it will make the neighborhood look better.''

Her friend Natasha Mackey, 29, hoped, if the United States is chosen as the Olympic site, that increased security would make the area "less violent, with less drug trafficking and more police.'' Both women agreed the park can be dicey at night.

Ald.-elect Willie B. Cochran said having the Olympic stadium would be "a great opportunity" for the 20th Ward. "We believe that Washington Park will be a site that will be remembered for eternity," he said.

Erick Roberson, 32, had mixed feelings, questioning if leaders should focus on something nearly a decade away. "Hopefully it will improve the economy of the city, but there are a lot of things that need immediate attention,'' he said.