A History of Blight in Rockford, IL

This morning, the Rockford Register Star published a feature by reporter Chuck Sweeny on how the west side of Rockford was purposefully engineered to be the blighted side of town.  It's a short, interesting read that gives some prospective, if nothing else, from a long-time resident.  I can't speak to any points that he brings up or whether they are entirely factual or not - I live in a nearby metropolitan area but am rarely over there.  However, I think we all need a periodic "reality check" from our residents about what they perceive is going on, and here's an excellent opportunity.