C., I have lived in BB for over 8 years now. My children are 3 & 4 and we live 3 blocks away from the young boy who got stabbed. While speaking to his neighbor, who has kids in 7th grade, 4 and 2nd grade, I learned a lot. For instance, once the kids go to middle school. There is a tremendous amount of racial tension. So much so that her son's friends (blacks and Mexicans) have no problem coming over to their house and hanging out with her son. But once they are in school, no one acknowledges him what so ever. He had issues with his team mates as well when playing a game. This year, he opted not to rejoin the team and the coach approached him and his parents for the answer. When he was told that no one passes the ball and it was just too racial, the coach admitted to knowing it's a problem, but then said there is little he can do.
Anyway, from what I just learned, there is no intermingling within the different races. Something I find very scary. I've already discussed the option of moving and like others have suggested, we are will be looking into Downers Grove and Woodridge. Our neighborhood is awesome and our neighbors are a mix and I can't believe once the kids enter school - even 6th grade, there would be a problem, but I really don't want to stick around and see that. Whites are a minority and I have no problem with that, (I had gone to a predominately black high school had had no problems what so ever) but I do have a problem with the fact that parents aren't educated enough to stress the importance of having friends outside your own race.
The east side does get a lot of flack, but keep in mind, the west side has a lot of bad things that happen as well, but the mayor of Bolingbrook just doesn't allow the crimes that happen on the west side public knowledge. They have more break-ins on the west side, yet it's never ever mentioned in the Bolingbrook SUN (newspaper).