After 10 years, Chicago school closings have left big holes, and promises unkept

George and Gladys Smith and their son George Jr. live across the street from the now-shuttered Woods Elementary in Englewood, Ill. Members of the Smith family have lived on the block since 1883. They say the area was in decline and the population dropping before 2013, but the closing of Woods was a turning point. (Manuel Martinez/WBEZ)

George Smith Jr. looked over his shoulder every day on the walk home across the street from his Englewood school, scared of the tense environment, scared of neighborhood gangs, scared of getting jumped.

But he loved his elementary school. His band class gave him peace, his after-school programs something to do. And despite the anxiety he carried into adulthood, he was devastated when the school was one of 50 closed in 2013 by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.