The best news from last night's CAPS meeting at Chavez was that someone was arrested on Monday in connection with the car break-ins that have been taking place near 50th and Wood.
Sadly, the great sergeant who came last time has been replaced. The new sergeant did not seem to have any grasp of what had gone on at the previous meeting and was much less cheerful and welcoming to the community. He didn't even introduce himself or the other officers before starting the meeting. I hope I have time to call the district and complain this week. It was pretty frustrating.
The 5000 block of Marshfield is having problems with fights, drug sales and prostitution. Two or three families who don't come regularly made a point to come last night and ask for help. It was decided this is the top priority from now until next meeting. Other hotspots are on Hermitage and up along 48th between Paulina and Hermitage.
Ald. Cochran's representative was there again. Ald. Thompson has yet to send a representative. I heard that Ald. Thompson will be at Holy Cross for a meeting at 7 p.m. this Thursday night. If you live in the ward and can attend, please do. I'll be working, unfortunately.
Next meeting for Beat 931 is Monday August 20th, 6 p.m. at Chavez. City services will be discussed at 6, and Emilio Carrasquillo from NHS will be speaking on home ownership. The police will arrive at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
CAPS meeting tomorrow
Beat 931 will hold its monthly CAPS meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Chavez Elementary School. Sure hope the person posting about car break-ins can make it!
Big Picture in the Reader
In the last week of June, a group of students from Big Picture attended "One Week, One Neighborhood," sponsored by DePaul Universitiy's Chaddick Institute. They learned about neighborhood planning by taking a close look at Back of the Yards. If you haven't seen Ben Joravsky's piece this week about what they learned, check it out here.
There's a suggestion in the piece that the city use some Loop TIF money to pay to buy the Goldblatt's building at Ashland and 47th and turn it into a community center. I believe I wrote a year or two ago about an effort to get the Chicago Public Library to buy it and use it as a branch. (That didn't get far, obviously.) I thought I heard a rumor that some big chain was going to move in there, but I haven't seen any evidence of that. Also, on the TIF point--Back of the Yards does have its own TIF. From what I've heard, there's not much money in it (surprise, surprise), but I just wanted to observe that it does exist. Some day I could write a long post on TIFs and how they've been abused, but Ben does that so much better than I do, I'll leave it to him. I would guess that a Back of the Yards TIF could be one of the better examples left in the city of what a TIF was supposed to be: a pot of money pulled from the general tax pool to help revive a struggling neighborhood. I don't know which alderman or aldermen control this TIF, either, which would be good to know.
There's a suggestion in the piece that the city use some Loop TIF money to pay to buy the Goldblatt's building at Ashland and 47th and turn it into a community center. I believe I wrote a year or two ago about an effort to get the Chicago Public Library to buy it and use it as a branch. (That didn't get far, obviously.) I thought I heard a rumor that some big chain was going to move in there, but I haven't seen any evidence of that. Also, on the TIF point--Back of the Yards does have its own TIF. From what I've heard, there's not much money in it (surprise, surprise), but I just wanted to observe that it does exist. Some day I could write a long post on TIFs and how they've been abused, but Ben does that so much better than I do, I'll leave it to him. I would guess that a Back of the Yards TIF could be one of the better examples left in the city of what a TIF was supposed to be: a pot of money pulled from the general tax pool to help revive a struggling neighborhood. I don't know which alderman or aldermen control this TIF, either, which would be good to know.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Postcard from Oregon
For readers who've been looking for new posts, my apologies. I'm on vacation in Oregon and took a real vacation from everything, including this blog. But now it's time for a couple of comments:
First, to respond to the neighbor who commented back in June about car break-ins, thanks for your comment and for alerting others to the severity of the problem. The next CAPS meeting is Monday July 16, 6:30 p.m. at Chavez Elementary. I hope you can make it and talk with the officers about your experience. Right now there is a new sergeant, Sgt. Whitney (I think), and he took careful note of problems raised at the last meeting and promised he would report on what the police did in response at the next meeting. I believe that is standards CAPS practice and I've seen meetings in another beat (in Woodlawn) where they really did it that way, but this is the first time I've seen it in our beat.
Second, in honor of Independence Day, I just wanted to reflect briefly on a conversation I overheard in the Holy Cross parking lot before I left town. After Mass, two young men were talking about the USA/Mexico Gold Cup championship game and who to root for. One was for the US, the other for Mexico. Just a couple of quotes:
Mr. USA: "Don't we owe everything to this country? If our parents had stayed in Mexico, we would never have had all these opportunties."
Sr. Mexico: "Yeah, but don't we owe something to where we came from? Especially when this country has done so much to weaken Mexico?"
Here in Oregon, we toasted over dinner on July 4 to "the United States, still the best country in the world to live in despite everything." I've been reading a book out here about immigrants to the US, in which someone said, "America is everyone's second country." With the recent immigration debate, it seems like many people want to blow out the lamp lifted by the door at the same time we've made it even harder for people to live peacefully in their own home countries. It just seems to me we can't have it both ways--strong-arming countries to do our economic and political bidding, then complaining when their people leave for economic and even political reasons of our making and come here looking for a better life. Ironically, if the US were a more responsible world citizen, we'd have many fewer people sneaking over fences and overstaying visas to live here. Happy belated Fourth of July!
First, to respond to the neighbor who commented back in June about car break-ins, thanks for your comment and for alerting others to the severity of the problem. The next CAPS meeting is Monday July 16, 6:30 p.m. at Chavez Elementary. I hope you can make it and talk with the officers about your experience. Right now there is a new sergeant, Sgt. Whitney (I think), and he took careful note of problems raised at the last meeting and promised he would report on what the police did in response at the next meeting. I believe that is standards CAPS practice and I've seen meetings in another beat (in Woodlawn) where they really did it that way, but this is the first time I've seen it in our beat.
Second, in honor of Independence Day, I just wanted to reflect briefly on a conversation I overheard in the Holy Cross parking lot before I left town. After Mass, two young men were talking about the USA/Mexico Gold Cup championship game and who to root for. One was for the US, the other for Mexico. Just a couple of quotes:
Mr. USA: "Don't we owe everything to this country? If our parents had stayed in Mexico, we would never have had all these opportunties."
Sr. Mexico: "Yeah, but don't we owe something to where we came from? Especially when this country has done so much to weaken Mexico?"
Here in Oregon, we toasted over dinner on July 4 to "the United States, still the best country in the world to live in despite everything." I've been reading a book out here about immigrants to the US, in which someone said, "America is everyone's second country." With the recent immigration debate, it seems like many people want to blow out the lamp lifted by the door at the same time we've made it even harder for people to live peacefully in their own home countries. It just seems to me we can't have it both ways--strong-arming countries to do our economic and political bidding, then complaining when their people leave for economic and even political reasons of our making and come here looking for a better life. Ironically, if the US were a more responsible world citizen, we'd have many fewer people sneaking over fences and overstaying visas to live here. Happy belated Fourth of July!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Dawn Hits the Road Less Traveled
Well. ladies and gentlemen, Dawn made it to O'Hare today. Gracias a Dios. She and her mom told me she was up all last night packing. I got up at 5:30 a.m., splashed off, got dressed and was just grabbing a couple of granola bars when she called saying she was ready to go.
Her mom and her little bitty brother and I all went with her. Her mom handed me the keys and said, "You driving?" Sure. I knew I would be. I have driven to O'Hare before, but I'd never had to park there. Traffic on the Dan Ryan was terrible at 6 a.m. I got off at 43rd and went over to King Drive to get downtown and pick up 90/94 from there. It was slow to the airport from there but not terrible. We got there just a little after 7 a.m. for an 8:55 flight. She had to check bags, so I went in with her and she said goodbye to her mom and brother at the car in the parking lot (Cubs level). She and her mom gave each other two or three big hugs.
I was nervous about airport security since she only has her school ID. She's only 15 years old, for God's sake. She was asking me about bag claim and how that works as we were going on the moving walkway under the terminals. She'd never been to O'Hare before. "It's big," she said, wide-eyed on the escalator into the terminal.
"Welcome to O'Hare," I said as we came up to the bag claim level. She laughed. I went to the counter with her while she checked luggage and stayed in line with her right up until she was going to security. I promised I would watch until she was going to the gate. She smiled when she spotted me as she was waiting to go through the metal detector. When she was done and had her carry-on back, she gave me a big wave. I waved back. She headed to the left--the right way for the gate, and gave me a last wave and a big smile before she went out of sight. Yay!
Dawn's mom and brother and I stopped for breakfast on the way back. We went to Cafe Selmarie in Lincoln Square and we ran into the sister-in-law of someone from our block! I went and said hello to her (she speaks more English than Spanish). Dawn's mom was saying she is really happy Dawn is doing this trip and hopes she will learn a lot from it. She really looks to her daughter as the one who will go places and do things her own parents stopped her from doing. She wanted to continue her education in Mexico past upper elementary school/junior high but her father said no.
I gave them a quick tour of Uptown, my old neighborhood, after breakfast. "This is our trip," I said. She asked how much houses cost up there and was shocked when I told her my house would cost at least double in Uptown compared to what it cost in our neighborhood.
There's no trip news yet, but check "Ridges and Rapids I" on the link for how her trip is going, if you are interested.
Her mom and her little bitty brother and I all went with her. Her mom handed me the keys and said, "You driving?" Sure. I knew I would be. I have driven to O'Hare before, but I'd never had to park there. Traffic on the Dan Ryan was terrible at 6 a.m. I got off at 43rd and went over to King Drive to get downtown and pick up 90/94 from there. It was slow to the airport from there but not terrible. We got there just a little after 7 a.m. for an 8:55 flight. She had to check bags, so I went in with her and she said goodbye to her mom and brother at the car in the parking lot (Cubs level). She and her mom gave each other two or three big hugs.
I was nervous about airport security since she only has her school ID. She's only 15 years old, for God's sake. She was asking me about bag claim and how that works as we were going on the moving walkway under the terminals. She'd never been to O'Hare before. "It's big," she said, wide-eyed on the escalator into the terminal.
"Welcome to O'Hare," I said as we came up to the bag claim level. She laughed. I went to the counter with her while she checked luggage and stayed in line with her right up until she was going to security. I promised I would watch until she was going to the gate. She smiled when she spotted me as she was waiting to go through the metal detector. When she was done and had her carry-on back, she gave me a big wave. I waved back. She headed to the left--the right way for the gate, and gave me a last wave and a big smile before she went out of sight. Yay!
Dawn's mom and brother and I stopped for breakfast on the way back. We went to Cafe Selmarie in Lincoln Square and we ran into the sister-in-law of someone from our block! I went and said hello to her (she speaks more English than Spanish). Dawn's mom was saying she is really happy Dawn is doing this trip and hopes she will learn a lot from it. She really looks to her daughter as the one who will go places and do things her own parents stopped her from doing. She wanted to continue her education in Mexico past upper elementary school/junior high but her father said no.
I gave them a quick tour of Uptown, my old neighborhood, after breakfast. "This is our trip," I said. She asked how much houses cost up there and was shocked when I told her my house would cost at least double in Uptown compared to what it cost in our neighborhood.
There's no trip news yet, but check "Ridges and Rapids I" on the link for how her trip is going, if you are interested.
Monday, June 25, 2007
What Will It Take?
What Will It Take? is the Chicago Foundation for Women's campaign to make Illinois the safest state in the U.S. for women and girls. That's where the ad on the Orange Line came from. You can see the ad here.
Elsewhere on the site you can view stats on different kinds of violence against girls and women, find hotlines for important services, comment on discussion boards and even sign up to volunteer. They even have a men's initiative that is hosting a forum tomorrow on whether art and media cause violence against women and girls.
The project continues all year, so check back to their site for more events if you are interested. They've made a real effort to connect to this community, speaking at Peace and Education meeting and holding an event at West Side Tech that was well-publicized to groups here.
Elsewhere on the site you can view stats on different kinds of violence against girls and women, find hotlines for important services, comment on discussion boards and even sign up to volunteer. They even have a men's initiative that is hosting a forum tomorrow on whether art and media cause violence against women and girls.
The project continues all year, so check back to their site for more events if you are interested. They've made a real effort to connect to this community, speaking at Peace and Education meeting and holding an event at West Side Tech that was well-publicized to groups here.
Cornell Park Soccer
...wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Joey was the only one who showed up, though some other kids had already registered. They gave us a registration form and he and I filled it out together, except for the part for a parent's signature. There was a pickup game going on at the far end of the park, so I suggested he go play.
While Joey was playing pickup soccer since the official soccer wasn't happening, I had to get on a conference call for something work-related. So wow, I'm a fake soccer mom! On a conference call in the park while the kids play soccer. Whoda thunk you'd see that in Cornell Park? Joey did a pretty good job as goalie, then they let him play forward for a while.
The unfortunate wrinkle about playing from 2:30 to 3:30 is it is sunny and hot. Joey got a little wiped out from the heat and sun, so he bowed out and lay down under the tree where I was listening in on my call. I didn't have much to say on this call, so I could go get him water. I just hope they didn't hear all the kid noise when I went in the field house to get a cup.
Apparently Cornell Park has two gyms for basketball and such, but no weight room. It has a pool, too. Swimming lessons are free. I should ask if Joey wants to do that. He wants to box but it's full at Davis Square and Cornell doesn't offer it. I asked him if he wanted to do karate, but he said no. Shoot.
While Joey was playing pickup soccer since the official soccer wasn't happening, I had to get on a conference call for something work-related. So wow, I'm a fake soccer mom! On a conference call in the park while the kids play soccer. Whoda thunk you'd see that in Cornell Park? Joey did a pretty good job as goalie, then they let him play forward for a while.
The unfortunate wrinkle about playing from 2:30 to 3:30 is it is sunny and hot. Joey got a little wiped out from the heat and sun, so he bowed out and lay down under the tree where I was listening in on my call. I didn't have much to say on this call, so I could go get him water. I just hope they didn't hear all the kid noise when I went in the field house to get a cup.
Apparently Cornell Park has two gyms for basketball and such, but no weight room. It has a pool, too. Swimming lessons are free. I should ask if Joey wants to do that. He wants to box but it's full at Davis Square and Cornell doesn't offer it. I asked him if he wanted to do karate, but he said no. Shoot.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Holy Cross Goes High Tech
Today after the 10 o'clock Mass, about half a dozen Holy Cross/IHM college and high school students set up their laptops on tables in the church parking lot and helped parishioners send emails supporting immigration reform to Illinois senators and representatives. Afterwards they estimated about 100 people had stopped by the tables. They're going to do it again next Sunday.
There's a handy list of action alerts about recent issues and legislation on the National Council of La Raza web site. If you want to do what they did today, click on the third one down: "SENATE VOTES TO DERAIL IMMIGRATION REFORM."
There's a handy list of action alerts about recent issues and legislation on the National Council of La Raza web site. If you want to do what they did today, click on the third one down: "SENATE VOTES TO DERAIL IMMIGRATION REFORM."
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
"I Need a Vacation"
That's my new code phrase with Dawn. She showed up on my doorstep Sunday night and asked if she could stay over. "Sure," I said. Then I thought twice and asked, "What's up?"
"I did something bad," she told me.
"Go work it out with your parents and come back," I said. She didn't come back. Not for a whole day. Ouch. I will spare us all the drama associated with that.
Tonight we sat for a good long while on my back porch talking. She explained some of what happened over the weekend. More teen pushing-the-envelope stuff. Nothing really all that earth-shaking in the grand scheme, but as we talked about last night, we live in a neighborhood (and a time, and a world) where small mistakes can have much bigger consequences than anyone could imagine.
I suggested we need a way to make sure I get it when she needs me as much as she did Sunday night.
"So I should just tell you, right?" Dawn said.
"Yeah, but that's hard to do when you're stressed out, right?" She nodded.
"So, how about a code phrase? Like, if you come over and say, 'I need a vacation,' then I'll know I should just drop everything and let you in." She laughed. It seems like she liked it. Hope it works if there's a next time. Better yet, I'm really hoping there's not a next time, at least not quite like this last one.
We also talked about the other problem that made me hesitant to open the door last night. I asked my tenant to leave today. I think I posted earlier that he seemed like less trouble than Hurricane Alberto. Well, he was, except he drinks. A few hours before Dawn showed up on my doorstep, my now ex-tenant had been sitting there too drunk to move. He came in the house eventually and wanted to chat. Pretty quickly I had a sense of deja vu so strong I just snapped out with, "I grew up in a house with a drunk. I swore I'd never live that way again. You have to move out!"
"Oh, wow," he said, and left me alone.
Although I was pretty sure he was sleeping it off by the time Dawn showed up, it was the only night I've been here that I wasn't sure it was safe for her to be in the house. He left today. I had actually given him a month's notice through a note this morning, but he just went ahead and took off.
I need a vacation. Seriously, no code about it. And I'm leaving for one pretty soon. I was hoping to have someone in the house while I was gone. There's been a rash of break-ins around the neighborhood recently. My other next-door neighbors were broken into this afternoon. Well, one good thing about knowing neighbors is there are a number of eyes on the house when I'm not here.
"I did something bad," she told me.
"Go work it out with your parents and come back," I said. She didn't come back. Not for a whole day. Ouch. I will spare us all the drama associated with that.
Tonight we sat for a good long while on my back porch talking. She explained some of what happened over the weekend. More teen pushing-the-envelope stuff. Nothing really all that earth-shaking in the grand scheme, but as we talked about last night, we live in a neighborhood (and a time, and a world) where small mistakes can have much bigger consequences than anyone could imagine.
I suggested we need a way to make sure I get it when she needs me as much as she did Sunday night.
"So I should just tell you, right?" Dawn said.
"Yeah, but that's hard to do when you're stressed out, right?" She nodded.
"So, how about a code phrase? Like, if you come over and say, 'I need a vacation,' then I'll know I should just drop everything and let you in." She laughed. It seems like she liked it. Hope it works if there's a next time. Better yet, I'm really hoping there's not a next time, at least not quite like this last one.
We also talked about the other problem that made me hesitant to open the door last night. I asked my tenant to leave today. I think I posted earlier that he seemed like less trouble than Hurricane Alberto. Well, he was, except he drinks. A few hours before Dawn showed up on my doorstep, my now ex-tenant had been sitting there too drunk to move. He came in the house eventually and wanted to chat. Pretty quickly I had a sense of deja vu so strong I just snapped out with, "I grew up in a house with a drunk. I swore I'd never live that way again. You have to move out!"
"Oh, wow," he said, and left me alone.
Although I was pretty sure he was sleeping it off by the time Dawn showed up, it was the only night I've been here that I wasn't sure it was safe for her to be in the house. He left today. I had actually given him a month's notice through a note this morning, but he just went ahead and took off.
I need a vacation. Seriously, no code about it. And I'm leaving for one pretty soon. I was hoping to have someone in the house while I was gone. There's been a rash of break-ins around the neighborhood recently. My other next-door neighbors were broken into this afternoon. Well, one good thing about knowing neighbors is there are a number of eyes on the house when I'm not here.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Big Picture Graduation
Big Picture graduated its first class tonight, with 23 students crossing the stage in a room full of cheers and tears, starting with the first grad to file in. She entered to "Pomp and Circumstance" with tears running down her cheeks.
It's a Big Picture tradition that instead of one or two student speakers, each student takes the microphone for a few words. Here are some of them:
"I want to say thank you for letting me come to this school."
"People here trusted me."
"I know I was always complaining, 'Mayra this, Mayra that,' but she really pushed me."
"I want to thank Nambo, my six-years teacher."
"Gracias a mi mama."
"Thanks to my parents, who always believed in me."
"I didn't always think I'd be on this stage today."
"Thank you to the people who treated me like a daughter and stayed with me when I didn't think I would make it."
"I want to thank my first advisor, who gave me a lot of advice and encouraged me to stay in school."
One student choked up so much he couldn't say part of his speech, so Theo said it for him: "I will miss all the friends I made here."
"I want to thank the universe. I know that sounds weird. ... Thanks to my parents, and to God."
"Gracias."
The graduation speaker was Nancy Serrano. Nancy grew up in Back of the Yards, north of Holy Cross Church. She was one of eight children whom her mother raised alone. She graduated from DePaul University and came back to Seward Elementary, her old grammar school, where she taught for seven years. She taught some of the graduates when they were 7th- and 8th-graders. She was featured in an article in the Chicago Reader a few years ago. She now mentors beginning teachers for Illinois State University.
Nancy took the mike off the podium, walked over to the graduates and addressed them directly. She talked about her experiences, especially the struggles she faced when she first started college, then challenged the graduates to follow her example and come back to the neighborhood once they have college degrees: "You have to represent us. The only way Back of the Yards is going to change is if you come back to the Yards. ... I want to come back in four or five years, when one of you is the graduation speaker, when you are leading trips with students from this school."
The class of 07 at Big Picture has two Golden Apple scholarship winners, one going to Dominican, one to Illinois State. Another grad is going to U of I to study animal science. About ten are going to City Colleges of Chicago. One will enter Washburne Culinary Institute. One of the great things about a small high school is everyone can cheer for each of their grads as long as they want. And we did.
Afterwards, many in the audience went to take a look at the autobiographies the grads wrote about themselves. One woman (I'd guess a grandmother or aunt), commented while leafing through a bound autobiography, "I'm going to fight for this school now. This is what we need here. It's crazy to close this down."
It's a Big Picture tradition that instead of one or two student speakers, each student takes the microphone for a few words. Here are some of them:
"I want to say thank you for letting me come to this school."
"People here trusted me."
"I know I was always complaining, 'Mayra this, Mayra that,' but she really pushed me."
"I want to thank Nambo, my six-years teacher."
"Gracias a mi mama."
"Thanks to my parents, who always believed in me."
"I didn't always think I'd be on this stage today."
"Thank you to the people who treated me like a daughter and stayed with me when I didn't think I would make it."
"I want to thank my first advisor, who gave me a lot of advice and encouraged me to stay in school."
One student choked up so much he couldn't say part of his speech, so Theo said it for him: "I will miss all the friends I made here."
"I want to thank the universe. I know that sounds weird. ... Thanks to my parents, and to God."
"Gracias."
The graduation speaker was Nancy Serrano. Nancy grew up in Back of the Yards, north of Holy Cross Church. She was one of eight children whom her mother raised alone. She graduated from DePaul University and came back to Seward Elementary, her old grammar school, where she taught for seven years. She taught some of the graduates when they were 7th- and 8th-graders. She was featured in an article in the Chicago Reader a few years ago. She now mentors beginning teachers for Illinois State University.
Nancy took the mike off the podium, walked over to the graduates and addressed them directly. She talked about her experiences, especially the struggles she faced when she first started college, then challenged the graduates to follow her example and come back to the neighborhood once they have college degrees: "You have to represent us. The only way Back of the Yards is going to change is if you come back to the Yards. ... I want to come back in four or five years, when one of you is the graduation speaker, when you are leading trips with students from this school."
The class of 07 at Big Picture has two Golden Apple scholarship winners, one going to Dominican, one to Illinois State. Another grad is going to U of I to study animal science. About ten are going to City Colleges of Chicago. One will enter Washburne Culinary Institute. One of the great things about a small high school is everyone can cheer for each of their grads as long as they want. And we did.
Afterwards, many in the audience went to take a look at the autobiographies the grads wrote about themselves. One woman (I'd guess a grandmother or aunt), commented while leafing through a bound autobiography, "I'm going to fight for this school now. This is what we need here. It's crazy to close this down."
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Too Much at Once
A collection of random thoughts today:
Check out the billboard at the Ashland Orange Line Stop. The Chicago Foundation for Women is a cosponsor of a campaign about violence against women that features a diverse group of people making various comments about how they can help stop this problem. One of them is Fr. Bruce Wellems, playing a sports coach. Basketball? He says something about how he can work with his team, but I forget the specific. It was funny--I saw it getting off the train and I was like, "Is that Bruce?...Oh, let me see if it's related to Chicago Foundation for Women." Susy Schultz, their communications director, is a friend of his. So that's the connection.
I hadn't been over to Dawn's house in ages, despite the fact they live next door. (I've been writing for pay, not for fun, at night for much of the last month, it seems.) Joey came over here and wrote something very quickly we can take to his evaluation tomorrow, and I found some books in the house for him to arrange in order of easy, medium, hard. It would be nice if he had actually read them, I suppose. Sigh. His voice is changing. Dear God I hope we get him in San Miguel. His mom didn't hear him come in the house--he went over there before I did when we finished--and she immediately assumed he just hadn't come home. Ay, Dios mio.
Someone who knows me but I don't know her was over with her daughter. I think her daughter knows me too--or else she's just really friendly-she gave me a big smile when I walked in. We talked a bit in Spanish. She was very nice about my Spanish. She asked if I was American and I said Irish, my grandmother came over and I'm going back to see my great-aunts this summer. I had some calabaza--it looked like zucchini--it was spicy and good. For once I ate healthier over there than I would have here. I was planning to eat nachos at home but the calabaza and a couple of tortillas was plenty!
After some chow and chat with the grownups, I went back in the living room to watch TV and hang with the kids, especially baby Angel, who I hadn't seen in way too long. Dawn had her packet of info from the Road Less Traveled and we started looking through it. Then she told me there's a parent meeting tomorrow at 11:45. I tried to sound calmer than I felt when I said, "Your mom will be with me and Joey then. This thing doesn't end til noon and it's downtown." Then we started figuring out how they would do this. Her dad gets home about 8 a.m. (he works 10 pm to 6 am these days, God love him). He'll just have to stay up, I guess, so one parent can go to the Road Less Traveled meeting and one can go with me and Joey. Dawn says most of the time her dad sleeps from three to nine or so before he goes to work. Ugh.
Then Dawn and I started talking about tomorrow's travel. As I suspected, if her mom and Angel go with me, I'll have to drive them downtown and park in the Grant Park garage. (Her mom is probably not up to driving in an underground garage, which I can understand.) Good thing I took out some cash tonight--the garage parking is not cheap. The thing is, I'll have to drive the car back out and pull over somewhere so her mom can take over the wheel and go home. Dawn thinks her mom can navigate her way home OK. I was worried I'd have to drive her out of downtown back to familiar territory, and then I'd be embarrassingly late to my afternoon meeting. If her dad decides to go with me I don't know what we'll do. Maybe he'll drive around and look for street parking while we go in. That would be easier on me since he could just deal with the car afterwards. Bueno, vamos a ver...
I should do a separate post about Dawn's exhibition. At her house tonight we were talking about what else happened today at school. They had a discussion about GPA's today--she wants to get hers up. It's a 2.4 now. I told her she needs to shoot for a 3.0. Her buddy Gladys leads the class with a 3.5. Dawn said she was surprised when she realized how high Gladys' average was. "I'm not surprised," I laughed. I know a fellow geek when I see one.
While we were talking about Road Less Traveled stuff and I was explaining various things, like what an unaccompanied minor is, the little girl visiting asked me, "Are you a tutor?"
"No," I said. "I live next door."
"She's Aunt Maureen," Dawn told her.
"A very geeky, nerdy aunt," I said.
"Naw," said Dawn, smiling.
Check out the billboard at the Ashland Orange Line Stop. The Chicago Foundation for Women is a cosponsor of a campaign about violence against women that features a diverse group of people making various comments about how they can help stop this problem. One of them is Fr. Bruce Wellems, playing a sports coach. Basketball? He says something about how he can work with his team, but I forget the specific. It was funny--I saw it getting off the train and I was like, "Is that Bruce?...Oh, let me see if it's related to Chicago Foundation for Women." Susy Schultz, their communications director, is a friend of his. So that's the connection.
I hadn't been over to Dawn's house in ages, despite the fact they live next door. (I've been writing for pay, not for fun, at night for much of the last month, it seems.) Joey came over here and wrote something very quickly we can take to his evaluation tomorrow, and I found some books in the house for him to arrange in order of easy, medium, hard. It would be nice if he had actually read them, I suppose. Sigh. His voice is changing. Dear God I hope we get him in San Miguel. His mom didn't hear him come in the house--he went over there before I did when we finished--and she immediately assumed he just hadn't come home. Ay, Dios mio.
Someone who knows me but I don't know her was over with her daughter. I think her daughter knows me too--or else she's just really friendly-she gave me a big smile when I walked in. We talked a bit in Spanish. She was very nice about my Spanish. She asked if I was American and I said Irish, my grandmother came over and I'm going back to see my great-aunts this summer. I had some calabaza--it looked like zucchini--it was spicy and good. For once I ate healthier over there than I would have here. I was planning to eat nachos at home but the calabaza and a couple of tortillas was plenty!
After some chow and chat with the grownups, I went back in the living room to watch TV and hang with the kids, especially baby Angel, who I hadn't seen in way too long. Dawn had her packet of info from the Road Less Traveled and we started looking through it. Then she told me there's a parent meeting tomorrow at 11:45. I tried to sound calmer than I felt when I said, "Your mom will be with me and Joey then. This thing doesn't end til noon and it's downtown." Then we started figuring out how they would do this. Her dad gets home about 8 a.m. (he works 10 pm to 6 am these days, God love him). He'll just have to stay up, I guess, so one parent can go to the Road Less Traveled meeting and one can go with me and Joey. Dawn says most of the time her dad sleeps from three to nine or so before he goes to work. Ugh.
Then Dawn and I started talking about tomorrow's travel. As I suspected, if her mom and Angel go with me, I'll have to drive them downtown and park in the Grant Park garage. (Her mom is probably not up to driving in an underground garage, which I can understand.) Good thing I took out some cash tonight--the garage parking is not cheap. The thing is, I'll have to drive the car back out and pull over somewhere so her mom can take over the wheel and go home. Dawn thinks her mom can navigate her way home OK. I was worried I'd have to drive her out of downtown back to familiar territory, and then I'd be embarrassingly late to my afternoon meeting. If her dad decides to go with me I don't know what we'll do. Maybe he'll drive around and look for street parking while we go in. That would be easier on me since he could just deal with the car afterwards. Bueno, vamos a ver...
I should do a separate post about Dawn's exhibition. At her house tonight we were talking about what else happened today at school. They had a discussion about GPA's today--she wants to get hers up. It's a 2.4 now. I told her she needs to shoot for a 3.0. Her buddy Gladys leads the class with a 3.5. Dawn said she was surprised when she realized how high Gladys' average was. "I'm not surprised," I laughed. I know a fellow geek when I see one.
While we were talking about Road Less Traveled stuff and I was explaining various things, like what an unaccompanied minor is, the little girl visiting asked me, "Are you a tutor?"
"No," I said. "I live next door."
"She's Aunt Maureen," Dawn told her.
"A very geeky, nerdy aunt," I said.
"Naw," said Dawn, smiling.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Peace & Education Fundraiser
This year's fundraiser was well attended. Mayor Daley made an appearance for the second year in a row. We honored 9th District Cmdr. Eugene Roy, who was very gracious and accepted the Arturo Velasquez award "on behalf of all the men and women who wear a star in the 9th district." Aldermen present included Willie Cochran, Pat Dowell and Rick Munoz. Cochran and Dowell bid on silent auction items and won.
This year we had remarks from local students, including scholarship winner Selene from the college students group. She just graduated from DePaul and is going on for her MSW at Loyola.
Oh, I especially enjoyed when Mayor Daley was talking about the scholarship recipients and saying, "They will go on to be elected officials." I happened to be standing next to Jesse Iniguez, who ran for the 12th Ward seat this February. He didn't win a lot of votes, but he's got many more years left to give it a go.
This year we had remarks from local students, including scholarship winner Selene from the college students group. She just graduated from DePaul and is going on for her MSW at Loyola.
Oh, I especially enjoyed when Mayor Daley was talking about the scholarship recipients and saying, "They will go on to be elected officials." I happened to be standing next to Jesse Iniguez, who ran for the 12th Ward seat this February. He didn't win a lot of votes, but he's got many more years left to give it a go.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
A Star Is Born
Dawn and some of her buddies took to the stage tonight at Big Picture's mentor appreciation dinner. They did a few short skits of student stories about Big Picture. Dawn played a friend of hers coming to school on her birthday. She was funny!! She projected!
The performance was directed by members of Teatro Vista,a company dedicated to sharing Latino culture with a broad Chicago audience and co-founded by Henry Godinez of the Goodman. In only 16 weeks of a pretty short after school program, the less than a dozen young people put together a short show that reminded me of the early plays done by the Albany Park Theater Project, one of Chicago's finest youth theater ensembles.
The dinner was cooked and served by Big Picture seniors who have studied at Washburne Culinary Institute. The chicken was amazing, actually, really tender and savory. Dawn's most recent mentor, of Washburne, came and was greeted with lots of applause from the many students he has taught. He was pleased to hear about Dawn's at-home Hollandaise sauce making.
Big Picture is putting together a proposal to become a Renaissance 2010 contract school and serve more students. As sophomore Arlette pointed out tonight, "It's really sad that Gage Park is overcrowded by 1000 students and we can't take in any freshmen next year."
The performance was directed by members of Teatro Vista,a company dedicated to sharing Latino culture with a broad Chicago audience and co-founded by Henry Godinez of the Goodman. In only 16 weeks of a pretty short after school program, the less than a dozen young people put together a short show that reminded me of the early plays done by the Albany Park Theater Project, one of Chicago's finest youth theater ensembles.
The dinner was cooked and served by Big Picture seniors who have studied at Washburne Culinary Institute. The chicken was amazing, actually, really tender and savory. Dawn's most recent mentor, of Washburne, came and was greeted with lots of applause from the many students he has taught. He was pleased to hear about Dawn's at-home Hollandaise sauce making.
Big Picture is putting together a proposal to become a Renaissance 2010 contract school and serve more students. As sophomore Arlette pointed out tonight, "It's really sad that Gage Park is overcrowded by 1000 students and we can't take in any freshmen next year."
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Flower Follow Up
On my way home from work today, I saw Joey and Mr. Chavez T-shirt (he wasn't wearing it today, of course) and their buddies on the street. Chavez T-shirt lobbed something from the street up to and through an open second-floor window. His mouth hung open in shock and the boys all laughed.
I laughed, too. "Good job--I saw that!" I yelled over from across the street.
Chavez T-shirt turned around and said, "My mom says thank you for the flowers."
I laughed, too. "Good job--I saw that!" I yelled over from across the street.
Chavez T-shirt turned around and said, "My mom says thank you for the flowers."
Monday, May 14, 2007
First Water Fight of 2007
It was mighty hot today in Chicago. All of 86 degrees--unheard of in May. I remember snow in late May in the middle 90s.
Evidence of global warming aside, I opened my back door about an hour ago and found Joey and five of his friends sitting on my back steps eating popcorn and drinking Hawaiian Punch. "We'll clean it up," promised the boy in the Chavez t-shirt, whose name I've already forgotten.
I wanted to plant the tomatoes from Seeds of Hope Farm. They got here yesterday. So I planted while the guys threw a football around. Chavez T-shirt was especially helpful. "I saw tomatoes somewhere else and they had more room," he observed, while I was putting them in less than a foot apart.
"You're right, they need more space," I replied, and went three to a box, in a row. Hope that's good enough.
"Do you have roses?" he asked. I don't. "My mom likes roses."
"Did she plant some?"
"She wants to grow some but she doesn't have money for flowers."
"Which is your house?" I asked him.
He pointed down the alley. They're renting in the big house on the corner, I think.
"Do you want to help me plant some flowers when I get the tomatoes done?" He looked shy. "You can just throw the football around if you'd rather."
Then I realized I needed to water my newly planted tomatoes. "Wait," I said. "Can you get the hose?"
Chavez T-shirt was delighted to get the hose. "Like this?" he said, but his finger was making the water jet too strongly.
"Make it like rain," I said, "like this." I took the hose, turned it up toward the sky and put my finger on the nozzle gently. Instant rain.
He tried it. It was still a little strong, but OK. Then Joey and the other boys wanted to get wet. I ran for my back stairs and watched them spray each other, cracking up.
"Your moms are going to kill me," I told them. They chased each other around, laughing. Joey took his shirt off, probably not in time.
The youngest boy, in Joey's yard next door, watched all this solemnly until the very last minute. I was going to the spigot when Chavez T-shirt yelled, "Wait--he wants to get wet!" I peeked around the corner and the little boy was sticking his head in the spray and shaking it like a Lab coming out of the lake.
When the last little boy was well and truly soaked, I turned off the hose and sent them home with some marigolds and zinnias as a peace offering to their mothers.
Evidence of global warming aside, I opened my back door about an hour ago and found Joey and five of his friends sitting on my back steps eating popcorn and drinking Hawaiian Punch. "We'll clean it up," promised the boy in the Chavez t-shirt, whose name I've already forgotten.
I wanted to plant the tomatoes from Seeds of Hope Farm. They got here yesterday. So I planted while the guys threw a football around. Chavez T-shirt was especially helpful. "I saw tomatoes somewhere else and they had more room," he observed, while I was putting them in less than a foot apart.
"You're right, they need more space," I replied, and went three to a box, in a row. Hope that's good enough.
"Do you have roses?" he asked. I don't. "My mom likes roses."
"Did she plant some?"
"She wants to grow some but she doesn't have money for flowers."
"Which is your house?" I asked him.
He pointed down the alley. They're renting in the big house on the corner, I think.
"Do you want to help me plant some flowers when I get the tomatoes done?" He looked shy. "You can just throw the football around if you'd rather."
Then I realized I needed to water my newly planted tomatoes. "Wait," I said. "Can you get the hose?"
Chavez T-shirt was delighted to get the hose. "Like this?" he said, but his finger was making the water jet too strongly.
"Make it like rain," I said, "like this." I took the hose, turned it up toward the sky and put my finger on the nozzle gently. Instant rain.
He tried it. It was still a little strong, but OK. Then Joey and the other boys wanted to get wet. I ran for my back stairs and watched them spray each other, cracking up.
"Your moms are going to kill me," I told them. They chased each other around, laughing. Joey took his shirt off, probably not in time.
The youngest boy, in Joey's yard next door, watched all this solemnly until the very last minute. I was going to the spigot when Chavez T-shirt yelled, "Wait--he wants to get wet!" I peeked around the corner and the little boy was sticking his head in the spray and shaking it like a Lab coming out of the lake.
When the last little boy was well and truly soaked, I turned off the hose and sent them home with some marigolds and zinnias as a peace offering to their mothers.
Mrs. Ribs Takes Over Chicago
My neighbor across the street, whom some of you know as Mrs. Ribs for her amazing barbecue, is also one of the unsung heroes of the recent aldermanic elections. She's a member of UNITE/HERE, who worked with SEIU on a number of aldermanic campaigns. Mrs. Ribs herself led a team of 12 people who knocked on doors all over the near west side in the Fioretti/Haithcock contest. She says she did some knocking for Joann Thompson, too, though I guess not on our block.
Apparently she was on Channel 2 and in the papers on runoff election night at the big party at Buddy Guy's. She goes by her maiden name for her political work, so if I saw her quoted I didn't realize it was her.
Apparently her whole ambition in this boils down to one thing--getting herself a dedicated parking space in front of her house. "I put in all that work for her, least she can do is do something for me," she said as we were walking down the street earlier today. (We were trying to go to the CAPS meeting, but nobody was there. What's up with that? Stay tuned.)
I didn't have the heart to explain that I don't think Joann Thompson can help her with that one, since nobody in her house is handicapped.
Apparently she was on Channel 2 and in the papers on runoff election night at the big party at Buddy Guy's. She goes by her maiden name for her political work, so if I saw her quoted I didn't realize it was her.
Apparently her whole ambition in this boils down to one thing--getting herself a dedicated parking space in front of her house. "I put in all that work for her, least she can do is do something for me," she said as we were walking down the street earlier today. (We were trying to go to the CAPS meeting, but nobody was there. What's up with that? Stay tuned.)
I didn't have the heart to explain that I don't think Joann Thompson can help her with that one, since nobody in her house is handicapped.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Street Cleaning
Well, the block looks nice now, since the street cleaners came yesterday and today. They did our side of the street yesterday. I picked up some trash this morning on this side in hopes that both sides would look equally nice for at least 30 seconds sometime today.
State Rep. Esther Golar keeps nagging me about the sorry state of my block. "Your block looks terrible," she's told me twice now. She's right.
Daphne just rang my bell. She's the lady who hangs with Yup-yup. Perhaps she's not going to hang with him so much any more. She just told me a story of letting him into the place she's currently staying. "He wanted five dollars and I said I didn't have it. He started acting the fool and stole 20,30 dollars. Now they're gonna jump me if I don't get that money back."
I gave her the five I had stashed for church on Sunday because I thought this info was worth it, among other things. "So, you're not gonna let him in any more, are you?"
"I'm not," she said. "You know, I'm telling you straight up he's using drugs."
"I know that."
Daphne must be staying in the same building where Mr. Dog Friendly lives. I saw him on Saturday and he said there was some new "riff-raff" in the building causing trouble.
There's been a lot of noise on the street. None of it has quite escalated to the point where I thought a police call was in order, but it's not good. Yesterday Yup-yup and Mr. Worrisome got into a shouting match in front of the guys from Peoples Gas. I'm not sure if it was a Yup-yup vs Worrisome WWF Shoutdown or if they were fighting on the same said against the new and rather challenging crew at the end of the block. I had to step out the door and look them all down, it got so loud. Fortunately it was ending by then.
As Daphne was walking away, I said, "So now that the street looks nice, would you try to help me keep it that way?"
"I'll try my best," she said.
State Rep. Esther Golar keeps nagging me about the sorry state of my block. "Your block looks terrible," she's told me twice now. She's right.
Daphne just rang my bell. She's the lady who hangs with Yup-yup. Perhaps she's not going to hang with him so much any more. She just told me a story of letting him into the place she's currently staying. "He wanted five dollars and I said I didn't have it. He started acting the fool and stole 20,30 dollars. Now they're gonna jump me if I don't get that money back."
I gave her the five I had stashed for church on Sunday because I thought this info was worth it, among other things. "So, you're not gonna let him in any more, are you?"
"I'm not," she said. "You know, I'm telling you straight up he's using drugs."
"I know that."
Daphne must be staying in the same building where Mr. Dog Friendly lives. I saw him on Saturday and he said there was some new "riff-raff" in the building causing trouble.
There's been a lot of noise on the street. None of it has quite escalated to the point where I thought a police call was in order, but it's not good. Yesterday Yup-yup and Mr. Worrisome got into a shouting match in front of the guys from Peoples Gas. I'm not sure if it was a Yup-yup vs Worrisome WWF Shoutdown or if they were fighting on the same said against the new and rather challenging crew at the end of the block. I had to step out the door and look them all down, it got so loud. Fortunately it was ending by then.
As Daphne was walking away, I said, "So now that the street looks nice, would you try to help me keep it that way?"
"I'll try my best," she said.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Dawn Bats .500, So Far
Great news--Dawn got accepted to the Road Less Traveled!! I think she's going on the Ridges and Rapids trip in late June. She told me while we were waiting for the bus this afternoon to go up north for a teen self defense class sponsored by Thousand Waves Martial Arts.
I asked her what her parents thought about it and she said, "It doesn't feel real yet." They are waiting to get their packet of info about the trip with all the details. (She and I looked at the viewbook while she was doing the application. I don't know how closely her parents have been paying attention.) The parent materials for the trip probably aren't in Spanish. Just getting her from here to Belmont with a permission slip for a two-hour class was a bit of a production. Well, hey, we'll figure it out. It will be so great when she goes.
The not-as-great news today was that the first event for the "Crossing Boundaries" Youth Innovation grant was kind of a bust in terms of bringing in students from other schools. Dawn told me they got a late start recruiting, and their efforts were rebuffed by some neighborhood schools, who had the attitude, "Why are you recruiting our kids when you're going to close?" Someone actually told them they couldn't pass out flyers on the sidewalk in front of a school.
Over the weekend hopefully Dawn and I can start to figure out this one, too. Just starting earlier and spreading the word among the right parents probably would go a long way toward solving some of those problems.
I asked her what her parents thought about it and she said, "It doesn't feel real yet." They are waiting to get their packet of info about the trip with all the details. (She and I looked at the viewbook while she was doing the application. I don't know how closely her parents have been paying attention.) The parent materials for the trip probably aren't in Spanish. Just getting her from here to Belmont with a permission slip for a two-hour class was a bit of a production. Well, hey, we'll figure it out. It will be so great when she goes.
The not-as-great news today was that the first event for the "Crossing Boundaries" Youth Innovation grant was kind of a bust in terms of bringing in students from other schools. Dawn told me they got a late start recruiting, and their efforts were rebuffed by some neighborhood schools, who had the attitude, "Why are you recruiting our kids when you're going to close?" Someone actually told them they couldn't pass out flyers on the sidewalk in front of a school.
Over the weekend hopefully Dawn and I can start to figure out this one, too. Just starting earlier and spreading the word among the right parents probably would go a long way toward solving some of those problems.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Second City No More, Not That You'd Know
Interesting that Chicago appears to have had the largest march in the country today, at about 150,000, which I think AP reported, but you wouldn't really know that from most of the coverage.
Los Angeles: 25,000. Everybody else: way smaller. Atlanta: zero, after 50,000 last year.
The national media are all saying the same thing: There have been more raids; people are running scared.
Why is Chicago different? We had a raid last week, and there were people today with signs saying, "I am not a criminal." There was also a guy in a foodservice outfit with a sign:
No More 'Illegals"
No More Fast Food
Think Again!
I have theories about why Chicago is different, but I'd like to hear other people's.
Los Angeles: 25,000. Everybody else: way smaller. Atlanta: zero, after 50,000 last year.
The national media are all saying the same thing: There have been more raids; people are running scared.
Why is Chicago different? We had a raid last week, and there were people today with signs saying, "I am not a criminal." There was also a guy in a foodservice outfit with a sign:
No More 'Illegals"
No More Fast Food
Think Again!
I have theories about why Chicago is different, but I'd like to hear other people's.
Farmers Market Sunday
I've been meaning to post about Seeds of Hope Farm, where lots of kids from Back of the Yards have been tending greenhouse vegetable seedlings.
There will be a farmers market Sunday in the Holy Cross parking lot where people can purchase vegetable and flower seedlings to plant in their home gardens. I ordered a boatload of tomatoes, flowers and herbs to kick-start my garden this weekend!
If you'd like to order, I'd suggest calling the rectory and asking them to fax you a form. I think there will be some for sale not pre-ordered on Sunday, but I didn't want to take the chance.
There will be a farmers market Sunday in the Holy Cross parking lot where people can purchase vegetable and flower seedlings to plant in their home gardens. I ordered a boatload of tomatoes, flowers and herbs to kick-start my garden this weekend!
If you'd like to order, I'd suggest calling the rectory and asking them to fax you a form. I think there will be some for sale not pre-ordered on Sunday, but I didn't want to take the chance.
La Marcha, Again
So this year's march was a lot like last year's. Maybe a little smaller, but still in the six figures. Lots more signs about stopping raids. I think lots more U.S. flags, actually--they were the large majority of flags out there. Although there was a point early on when a parade of international flags, plus the Olympic flag, went by. There's Chicago's bid for 2016 in action!
Perhaps the funniest part was when we passed a speaker system set up on the sidewalk for 950 AM, a local Spanish radio station. People who had been chanting started singing along to the pop tune instead. Then we passed the El Guero free water truck and everyone ran for their freebie agua.
"If they do this again next year, it's gonna get like St. Patrick's Day," I predicted. My friend and an eavesdropper laughed appreciatively at that. Don't tell the Corona folks, OK?
I picked up a couple of great t-shirts and gave them to friends at the march. You can check them out at No Manches, which Dawn translates as saying, "Are you for real?"
You'll see "Elemento Frijol" on the far right of the first line and "The United States of Mexico" at the far left on the second line. Elemento Frijol got some especially big laughs.
Perhaps the funniest part was when we passed a speaker system set up on the sidewalk for 950 AM, a local Spanish radio station. People who had been chanting started singing along to the pop tune instead. Then we passed the El Guero free water truck and everyone ran for their freebie agua.
"If they do this again next year, it's gonna get like St. Patrick's Day," I predicted. My friend and an eavesdropper laughed appreciatively at that. Don't tell the Corona folks, OK?
I picked up a couple of great t-shirts and gave them to friends at the march. You can check them out at No Manches, which Dawn translates as saying, "Are you for real?"
You'll see "Elemento Frijol" on the far right of the first line and "The United States of Mexico" at the far left on the second line. Elemento Frijol got some especially big laughs.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Ay, Julian!
After the clothes extravangaza, Dawn came over this evening. We've hung out and watched TV some this week, but we haven't talked much. "I missed you," I told her out on the back porch. "I was feeling kind of crabby this week because I didn't have anybody to talk to."
"Me, too," she said.
Dawn filled me in on the upsetting latest about her big brother. Julian hasn't stayed at home overnight since Friday. He wanted to go out, his dad told him no, he went anyway and Dad said, "If you go now, don't come back." He went. Apparently he stopped in yesterday while Dawn and her dad were out of town visiting relatives, but he hasn't been back since.
Adriana was trying to tell me some of this while we were checking out the clothes, but I wasn't getting everything. Since I'm not studying Spanish right now my capacity seems to be getting weaker. Sometimes I feel like Mr. Magoo, except it's my hearing and understanding, not my sight. I stumble around in conversations bumping into things because I can't "hear" well enough. It sucks.
Dawn said something that broke my heart--she told me her mom told her that since all the rest of them have messed up, she feels like Angel is her last chance to get one of them to be somebody. "Since I kind of messed up," was how Dawn put it about herself.
"You're getting back on track!" I insisted. Especially since she had just told me minutes earlier that she's getting into a book right now. When she started, she didn't understand it and thought it was kind of boring, but she kept going and now it's kind of like watching a novela on TV--she wants to know what happens next.
"That's more important than any grade," I told her. "I'm really excited that you feel that way about a book."
Adriana told me earlier she would like to talk to Oscar about what's up with Julian. I'll call him tomorrow. Meanwhile I have to get on with things for Joey. Last week Adriana said it would be OK if my friend worked with Joey to see if he's dyslexic. We need a clean copy of the San Miguel application for him, too. (Angel got at the first one we picked up.) Adriana says Joey failed all his classes third quarter and is likely to get held back in 5th grade. I talked to someone at San Miguel who thought it might be possible to strike a deal with Chavez that if San Miguel takes him, he wouldn't be held back. I really don't think he's going to make progress there. He needs more one-on-one attention to stay focused, I think. And we really do need to see if there's a hard-wiring problem with him about reading. He's so smart and curious and artistic; I would hate to see that go to waste because of an unidentified learning disability.
"Me, too," she said.
Dawn filled me in on the upsetting latest about her big brother. Julian hasn't stayed at home overnight since Friday. He wanted to go out, his dad told him no, he went anyway and Dad said, "If you go now, don't come back." He went. Apparently he stopped in yesterday while Dawn and her dad were out of town visiting relatives, but he hasn't been back since.
Adriana was trying to tell me some of this while we were checking out the clothes, but I wasn't getting everything. Since I'm not studying Spanish right now my capacity seems to be getting weaker. Sometimes I feel like Mr. Magoo, except it's my hearing and understanding, not my sight. I stumble around in conversations bumping into things because I can't "hear" well enough. It sucks.
Dawn said something that broke my heart--she told me her mom told her that since all the rest of them have messed up, she feels like Angel is her last chance to get one of them to be somebody. "Since I kind of messed up," was how Dawn put it about herself.
"You're getting back on track!" I insisted. Especially since she had just told me minutes earlier that she's getting into a book right now. When she started, she didn't understand it and thought it was kind of boring, but she kept going and now it's kind of like watching a novela on TV--she wants to know what happens next.
"That's more important than any grade," I told her. "I'm really excited that you feel that way about a book."
Adriana told me earlier she would like to talk to Oscar about what's up with Julian. I'll call him tomorrow. Meanwhile I have to get on with things for Joey. Last week Adriana said it would be OK if my friend worked with Joey to see if he's dyslexic. We need a clean copy of the San Miguel application for him, too. (Angel got at the first one we picked up.) Adriana says Joey failed all his classes third quarter and is likely to get held back in 5th grade. I talked to someone at San Miguel who thought it might be possible to strike a deal with Chavez that if San Miguel takes him, he wouldn't be held back. I really don't think he's going to make progress there. He needs more one-on-one attention to stay focused, I think. And we really do need to see if there's a hard-wiring problem with him about reading. He's so smart and curious and artistic; I would hate to see that go to waste because of an unidentified learning disability.
Baby Clothes Galore
Friends of mine in Hyde Park stopped by this afternoon with sackfuls of baby clothes and toys. They have two boys in elementary school and at last were ready to part with their baby clothes, etc. Their mom is a friend of mine from college and emailed last week asking if I knew of a good social service agency that could use them.
I suggested they avoid the middleman and go straight to my neighbors. She was agreeable. Apparently it was quite a challenge to make the whole load fit in the car. We put everything in the basement.
Later, Adriana was free and came by to take a look through all the goodies. She brought Angel along. He got a little sleepy and I carried him around trying to get him to go out. We almost got there but not quite. Joey popped in and out, playing with/annoying his little brother, much to the amusement of his mother and me.
Angel liked a couple of the toys right off. There was a house made out of fabric with a mirror for a window and cloth doors with a picture of a baby duck behind them. He was playing "gravity check"--dropping the house and getting happy when I would pick it up and give it back to him.
We joked around a lot while Adriana checked out the rest of the loot. Lots of Osh-Kosh. "Ropa para gueros," she said. (Clothes for white people.)
"Gueros ricos," I said. We started laughing about Angel dressing like a rich white boy. Adriana figured she got about two years' worth of clothes for him out of it. Then we were laughing about all the trips to Swap-O-Rama she could skip. I suggested she could sell the clothes at Swap-O-Rama when he's through with them and she smiled. I hope she does.
It reminded me of a time when I was about 14 years old and my favorite cousins came over with grocery bags full of their hand-me-downs. I remember being really excited about going through them to see what fit me. I was wearing some of their sweaters through my 20s.
Eventually Adriana decided she would take the whole business and split it up between herself, her niece (with a newborn) and some neighbors up the street who have two toddler-ish boys.
Joey and Adriana and I hauled the whole mess out of the basement into my back yard. Joey hopped the fence and we handed the bags and boxes over to him. They're stored on their back porch for now. I hope there were some socks in there--a few weeks ago poor Angel's socks were hanging off his toes, he'd outgrown them so much. There were a nice pair of sneakers and some sandals for later. Adriana really liked the sandals.
I suggested they avoid the middleman and go straight to my neighbors. She was agreeable. Apparently it was quite a challenge to make the whole load fit in the car. We put everything in the basement.
Later, Adriana was free and came by to take a look through all the goodies. She brought Angel along. He got a little sleepy and I carried him around trying to get him to go out. We almost got there but not quite. Joey popped in and out, playing with/annoying his little brother, much to the amusement of his mother and me.
Angel liked a couple of the toys right off. There was a house made out of fabric with a mirror for a window and cloth doors with a picture of a baby duck behind them. He was playing "gravity check"--dropping the house and getting happy when I would pick it up and give it back to him.
We joked around a lot while Adriana checked out the rest of the loot. Lots of Osh-Kosh. "Ropa para gueros," she said. (Clothes for white people.)
"Gueros ricos," I said. We started laughing about Angel dressing like a rich white boy. Adriana figured she got about two years' worth of clothes for him out of it. Then we were laughing about all the trips to Swap-O-Rama she could skip. I suggested she could sell the clothes at Swap-O-Rama when he's through with them and she smiled. I hope she does.
It reminded me of a time when I was about 14 years old and my favorite cousins came over with grocery bags full of their hand-me-downs. I remember being really excited about going through them to see what fit me. I was wearing some of their sweaters through my 20s.
Eventually Adriana decided she would take the whole business and split it up between herself, her niece (with a newborn) and some neighbors up the street who have two toddler-ish boys.
Joey and Adriana and I hauled the whole mess out of the basement into my back yard. Joey hopped the fence and we handed the bags and boxes over to him. They're stored on their back porch for now. I hope there were some socks in there--a few weeks ago poor Angel's socks were hanging off his toes, he'd outgrown them so much. There were a nice pair of sneakers and some sandals for later. Adriana really liked the sandals.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Richards Meeting at Holy Cross
About 30 people attended tonight's meeting with Dr. Smith, the principal of Richards High School. I'd say between five and 10 were parents. The rest were a mix of community residents, youth outreach workers and institutional reps from the Peace and Ed Coalition: San Miguel, Precious Blood Ministries, I think Instituto del Progreso Latino, Catholic Charities Street Intervention. A parent volunteer and the LSC community rep, Veronica Lopez, also came out.
The heaviest outside hitters present were 9th District Commander Eugene Roy and Phil Hampton, director of community relations for CPS. I didn't get the name of his assistant, who stayed for the entire meeting, but she expressed interest in attending future Peace and Education coalition meetings.
Dr. Smith committed to attending or sending a rep from Richards (her AP or dean) to future Peace and Education Coalition meetings, though she added it is difficult to send someone when her staff is small.
The meeting mixed pre-set questions with some time for dialogue between Smith and the audience. She was first asked to explain what Richards is doing about security. Like most schools, they have things in place on the inside: cameras, a short lunch period (23 minutes) to prevent fights/food fights, but the outside has been a harder struggle. Cmdr. Roy has increased police presence outside the school at dismissal, which she says has helped. The school keeps an eye on 50th and 51st, but it wasn't clear to me from what she said how far east or west they watch. I'm sure they don't cross Ashland; I doubt they go more than a block, but it wasn't clear.
Dr. Smith also talked about Richards' response to the shooting of a student about a month ago. I'm not sure exactly where it took place--I believe not on the grounds but nearby. She said she went to the hospital to talk with the young man and his mother directly, asked him what he wanted his classmates to know, and got on the PA the next day to let people know. A crisis team from CPS did visit the school.
Agency workers told her they would like to build continuing relationships with Richards to provide ongoing safe space where students could talk about their feelings about this and other violence they have experienced.
Later, when the community was asked to let Dr. Smith know what we are doing about security, a woman who lives in the school's beat said she is pressing to get a CPD camera installed outside the school.
Youth intervention workers present pointed out that the problem is not so much the immediate area around Richards, but north of the viaduct--the blocks between 47th and 49th. I realize east of Ashland is having a tougher time, but kids also cross a line at Marshfield, which they pointed out.
The gentleman I believe was from IPL (I could be wrong) seems to have been roped into helping organize a parent patrol to make safe passage in and out of Richards. Some parents present said they are dropping their children off in cars because it is unsafe to walk. Dr. Smith says they have had two CTA buses, one northbound, one south, come to the school at the end of the day for students only. Parents admitted convincing their kids to ride these buses is difficult, and some said they have heard reports of fights on those buses, too. I personally have tried to be around between 2:30 and 3:00 on Mondays and Fridays (the days my work schedule sometimes lets me), just to keep an eye out and call the police if necessary, but I can't always be here then.
Many next steps were floated, but I think the most important one was Dr. Smith's public commitment to attend meetings of the Peace and Education Coalition. Someone I know who has been connected to Richards for a long time said afterwards, "We've been pushing for a long time, and this is the first time she has moved. Let's see if she moves more."
The heaviest outside hitters present were 9th District Commander Eugene Roy and Phil Hampton, director of community relations for CPS. I didn't get the name of his assistant, who stayed for the entire meeting, but she expressed interest in attending future Peace and Education coalition meetings.
Dr. Smith committed to attending or sending a rep from Richards (her AP or dean) to future Peace and Education Coalition meetings, though she added it is difficult to send someone when her staff is small.
The meeting mixed pre-set questions with some time for dialogue between Smith and the audience. She was first asked to explain what Richards is doing about security. Like most schools, they have things in place on the inside: cameras, a short lunch period (23 minutes) to prevent fights/food fights, but the outside has been a harder struggle. Cmdr. Roy has increased police presence outside the school at dismissal, which she says has helped. The school keeps an eye on 50th and 51st, but it wasn't clear to me from what she said how far east or west they watch. I'm sure they don't cross Ashland; I doubt they go more than a block, but it wasn't clear.
Dr. Smith also talked about Richards' response to the shooting of a student about a month ago. I'm not sure exactly where it took place--I believe not on the grounds but nearby. She said she went to the hospital to talk with the young man and his mother directly, asked him what he wanted his classmates to know, and got on the PA the next day to let people know. A crisis team from CPS did visit the school.
Agency workers told her they would like to build continuing relationships with Richards to provide ongoing safe space where students could talk about their feelings about this and other violence they have experienced.
Later, when the community was asked to let Dr. Smith know what we are doing about security, a woman who lives in the school's beat said she is pressing to get a CPD camera installed outside the school.
Youth intervention workers present pointed out that the problem is not so much the immediate area around Richards, but north of the viaduct--the blocks between 47th and 49th. I realize east of Ashland is having a tougher time, but kids also cross a line at Marshfield, which they pointed out.
The gentleman I believe was from IPL (I could be wrong) seems to have been roped into helping organize a parent patrol to make safe passage in and out of Richards. Some parents present said they are dropping their children off in cars because it is unsafe to walk. Dr. Smith says they have had two CTA buses, one northbound, one south, come to the school at the end of the day for students only. Parents admitted convincing their kids to ride these buses is difficult, and some said they have heard reports of fights on those buses, too. I personally have tried to be around between 2:30 and 3:00 on Mondays and Fridays (the days my work schedule sometimes lets me), just to keep an eye out and call the police if necessary, but I can't always be here then.
Many next steps were floated, but I think the most important one was Dr. Smith's public commitment to attend meetings of the Peace and Education Coalition. Someone I know who has been connected to Richards for a long time said afterwards, "We've been pushing for a long time, and this is the first time she has moved. Let's see if she moves more."
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thanks to Rufus Williams
...and CPS for posting a letter on the front page of the district website about Chris Pineda and the search for his killers.
Here's the key stuff, since it won't be up there forever:
The tragedy of Chris’s death has shocked and angered people throughout the school system and the city. The future for this young man was bright. His death is a devastating shame.
In the name of justice, and in Chris’s name, if you have any information about this crime, please call the State Police at (847) 294-4605. The Board of Education and CPS — through its Children First Fund — is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers.
Sincerely,
Rufus Williams, President
Chicago Board of Education
Here's the key stuff, since it won't be up there forever:
The tragedy of Chris’s death has shocked and angered people throughout the school system and the city. The future for this young man was bright. His death is a devastating shame.
In the name of justice, and in Chris’s name, if you have any information about this crime, please call the State Police at (847) 294-4605. The Board of Education and CPS — through its Children First Fund — is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers.
Sincerely,
Rufus Williams, President
Chicago Board of Education
Announcements and Upcoming Events
A couple more items from last week's Peace and Education Coalition meeting.
Mobile C.A.R.E. is looking for office space. They need about 2500 square feet of free or cheap space. I'm forgetting the geographic boundaries in which they are looking, but I think south of Roosevelt and east of Kedzie were part of it. If anyone reading this is interested, try the web site link above for contact info.
Also, this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Holy Cross there will be a meeting about the discipline and security issues at Richards High School. I posted about this last November, in "Death to the Disciples!"
Getting this meeting organized and publicized seems like a giant step forward in school-community relations for Richards. They don't post their LSC meetings out front of the school. School Lady from the end of the block, whose daughter is a sophomore there, told me she's frustrated with the LSC but my Spanish wasn't strong enough to pick out exactly what problems she's observed thus far. She's not even sure exactly who's on it, and this is someone who has been very active and committed to Chavez Elementary. If she can't figure it out I don't know who can.
Mobile C.A.R.E. is looking for office space. They need about 2500 square feet of free or cheap space. I'm forgetting the geographic boundaries in which they are looking, but I think south of Roosevelt and east of Kedzie were part of it. If anyone reading this is interested, try the web site link above for contact info.
Also, this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Holy Cross there will be a meeting about the discipline and security issues at Richards High School. I posted about this last November, in "Death to the Disciples!"
Getting this meeting organized and publicized seems like a giant step forward in school-community relations for Richards. They don't post their LSC meetings out front of the school. School Lady from the end of the block, whose daughter is a sophomore there, told me she's frustrated with the LSC but my Spanish wasn't strong enough to pick out exactly what problems she's observed thus far. She's not even sure exactly who's on it, and this is someone who has been very active and committed to Chavez Elementary. If she can't figure it out I don't know who can.
Immigration Raid in La Villita
I got a call from a friend this afternoon saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement had raided the Discount Mall on 26th Street in Little Village. Tonight at 10 I went to watch the news next door and it was the top story on Univision. Dawn and I watched it together while we kept her littlest brother company.
"People will be afraid to go out of their houses now," Dawn predicted.
It was so creepy watching this on TV. I just biked down 26th Street right past there on Sunday. I couldn't help thinking this is how it started in Germany under the Nazis--police rounding up people and taking them away. I said this to Dawn, who read Elie Wiesel's Night last year for school.
"Yeah," she said. "I think about this sometimes. What if they came for my mom or dad? What if they came for me?"
"People will be afraid to go out of their houses now," Dawn predicted.
It was so creepy watching this on TV. I just biked down 26th Street right past there on Sunday. I couldn't help thinking this is how it started in Germany under the Nazis--police rounding up people and taking them away. I said this to Dawn, who read Elie Wiesel's Night last year for school.
"Yeah," she said. "I think about this sometimes. What if they came for my mom or dad? What if they came for me?"
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Home Depot Hiring
At Wednesday's Peace and Education Coalition meeting, someone from Instituto del Progreso Latino announced that Home Depot at 47th and Western is looking to increase its numbers of local employees. Right now their numbers aren't good--only 10 percent of the current staff are from the surrounding neighborhood.
Home Depot is partnering with IPL to find prospective employees. Nancy Munoz at 773-927-7712 is the contact person. or stop by the neighborhood IPL office at 4600 N. Wood.
Home Depot is partnering with IPL to find prospective employees. Nancy Munoz at 773-927-7712 is the contact person. or stop by the neighborhood IPL office at 4600 N. Wood.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Yup-Yup calls the cops
For real! I got home late this evening and heard some loud noise, including Yup-yup's voice. I considered calling the cops but it subsided quickly. Then my doorbell rang.
"Miss Maritza, before you yell at me, it's an emergency. I called the po-lice. They tried to jump me for my lawnmower," he told me. Sure enough, there was a lawnmower sitting on the sidewalk in front of Dawn's house.
"I'm 45 years old. I'm too old to be doing this," he added, raising his fist to indicate fighting. He says some young guys down the block tried to get him to sell drugs but he said no and then they wanted to jump him for his lawnmower. Given that he's unhurt and his lawnmower is still here and he looked like he might be high, I'm not sure this is all for real.
But sure enough sure enough, a cop car pulled up after he'd finished spilling his entire story to me in hyperactive detail. He went over and leaned in the window and started the spiel all over again. At that point I just went back in the house.
While we were talking, I asked him if he knew what was up with the street brawl Sunday night, but he clearly had no idea.
"Miss Maritza, before you yell at me, it's an emergency. I called the po-lice. They tried to jump me for my lawnmower," he told me. Sure enough, there was a lawnmower sitting on the sidewalk in front of Dawn's house.
"I'm 45 years old. I'm too old to be doing this," he added, raising his fist to indicate fighting. He says some young guys down the block tried to get him to sell drugs but he said no and then they wanted to jump him for his lawnmower. Given that he's unhurt and his lawnmower is still here and he looked like he might be high, I'm not sure this is all for real.
But sure enough sure enough, a cop car pulled up after he'd finished spilling his entire story to me in hyperactive detail. He went over and leaned in the window and started the spiel all over again. At that point I just went back in the house.
While we were talking, I asked him if he knew what was up with the street brawl Sunday night, but he clearly had no idea.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Coleman Concedes!
According to the Board of Elections, with only one precinct yet to report, Thompson leads Coleman by about 57 to 43. A friend texted me to say Coleman has conceded; I just found the 9:35 p.m. post on the Trib's Clout Street blog.
It's a new day here in the 16th; I sure hope it's a good one.
It's a new day here in the 16th; I sure hope it's a good one.
Monday, April 16, 2007
My Runoff Prediction
...Coleman gets my bet. I talked to someone with pretty good connections in Englewood today, who tells me that she's getting not just leftover Daley campaign cash, but some actual bodies to work the precincts and get out the vote.
There is too much robo- in SEIU's work, at least as I've seen it thus far, to beat out live bodies out there taking the old ladies over to the polls.
There is too much robo- in SEIU's work, at least as I've seen it thus far, to beat out live bodies out there taking the old ladies over to the polls.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Ronin Teacher
I went back to the birthday party later this evening. My former next door neighbors, the family who moved in after Mr. Married moved out, were still there. Eddie and Xochitl were happy to hang out some more. Eddie asked me if I knew how big infinity was, so we started talking about numbers.
A while ago, I was telling a teacher friend of mine about my life here in Back of the Yards and he said to me, "You're a ronin teacher." I realized that was exactly right. In the days of the samurai, ronin were soldiers beholden to no lord. Nowadays they are martial arts students in search of a school. I'm a teacher without a school or a principal, so in that sense I am ronin, too.
So I just go around doing my thing when the teachable moment appears, as it did tonight with Eddie and big, big numbers. We talked about infinity and the symbol for infinity, we talked about how infinity was bigger than a million, a billion, a trillion and a quadrillion. (I doubt the place order lesson stuck--we went from hundreds up, but it might have cleared up whether a thousand was bigger than a million for five minutes. That one is tough because thousand is mil in Spanish.)
I asked Eddie if his teacher had mentioned a googol and he said no. So I told him he should go to school tomorrow and ask his teacher, "How big is a googol?" I made Xochtil promise she would check up on whether he did it or not, and made them both repeat the question. I gave them high fives when they pronouced googol right.
I had some tequila with the girls: Adriana, Marisa and Eddie's mom. At least I think I was having tequila--it seemed fairly mild, Gallo Something, it had agave and it was from Jalisco, but on three shots I should be wicked wasted and I'm not, so I'm not sure what I was drinking. Xochitl and Eddie were collecting the pop tops off of beer cans for something at school. They had a large collection by the end of the night.
At the end Julian put on some music and said "We're going to dance," but Daya and Angelito and I were the only people out on the floor. Angel was fussy so I took him from Adriana and went dancing with him a little. He quieted down. I think he had the hiccups. Daya showed off her moves.
As I was leaving, Adriana said "Until 20-what?"
"Twenty-five," I answered. They are fired up to host my birthday next month.
I pulled out my favorite old joke and said I'm the old lady, turning 40. The one person left I didn't know said he is 40. Julian told me "it's like tequila, you just get better." Good attitude!
A while ago, I was telling a teacher friend of mine about my life here in Back of the Yards and he said to me, "You're a ronin teacher." I realized that was exactly right. In the days of the samurai, ronin were soldiers beholden to no lord. Nowadays they are martial arts students in search of a school. I'm a teacher without a school or a principal, so in that sense I am ronin, too.
So I just go around doing my thing when the teachable moment appears, as it did tonight with Eddie and big, big numbers. We talked about infinity and the symbol for infinity, we talked about how infinity was bigger than a million, a billion, a trillion and a quadrillion. (I doubt the place order lesson stuck--we went from hundreds up, but it might have cleared up whether a thousand was bigger than a million for five minutes. That one is tough because thousand is mil in Spanish.)
I asked Eddie if his teacher had mentioned a googol and he said no. So I told him he should go to school tomorrow and ask his teacher, "How big is a googol?" I made Xochtil promise she would check up on whether he did it or not, and made them both repeat the question. I gave them high fives when they pronouced googol right.
I had some tequila with the girls: Adriana, Marisa and Eddie's mom. At least I think I was having tequila--it seemed fairly mild, Gallo Something, it had agave and it was from Jalisco, but on three shots I should be wicked wasted and I'm not, so I'm not sure what I was drinking. Xochitl and Eddie were collecting the pop tops off of beer cans for something at school. They had a large collection by the end of the night.
At the end Julian put on some music and said "We're going to dance," but Daya and Angelito and I were the only people out on the floor. Angel was fussy so I took him from Adriana and went dancing with him a little. He quieted down. I think he had the hiccups. Daya showed off her moves.
As I was leaving, Adriana said "Until 20-what?"
"Twenty-five," I answered. They are fired up to host my birthday next month.
I pulled out my favorite old joke and said I'm the old lady, turning 40. The one person left I didn't know said he is 40. Julian told me "it's like tequila, you just get better." Good attitude!
A Tale of Two Birthday Parties
Yesterday I went up to the North Side for an old friend's 40th birthday. Eight of us gathered at a North African restaurant for crepes. They let us bring in our own wine, so we had a bottle of a nice California Pinot Noir. There was one baby in the group. We talked about politics, media and education. After dinner we went back to my friend's apartment for homemade chocolate cake, more wine (including my gift to her), and some Belgian beer. Her apartment is neat and painted in a faint shade of green she did herself. We had to move the small bowl of shells for fear the baby would break or eat them. I had a couple of conversations about academia and we made fun of people's former workplaces. We almost made it to the Green Mill to catch up with some other friends, but collectively pooped out around midnight.
Late this afternoon I went next door to Dawn's house for the joint birthday of her dad and Marisa's husband. Their place was covered in balloons, streamers and Happy Birthday signs. I would guess there were about 15-20 adults, maybe 10 kids between toddlers and tweens, and three babes in arms. Julian was wearing the shirt I brought back for him from Cuernavaca:
Cuida el agua
Toma cerveza
(Translation:
Save Water
Drink Beer)
Dawn's aunt was there with her new baby girl. She's a month old. There was a lot of Seven Up, Corona, and Budweiser with Clamato, Julian's favorite. He offered me some; I declined. We both grinned. I tried it before and it's OK but not my favorite--he likes to tease me about it. There was pork in mole, rice, beans and plenty of tortillas. There was also some kind of ceviche, but less of it, so I just had a little taste. There were two cakes--Julian's was chocolate, Marisa's husband's was carrot cake. I think this was Julian's 34th birthday, but his cake only had the four. Earlier we were kidding about the numbers for the other birthday boy--he's 26 but
This was one of the more fun Spanish-speaking parties I've been to because I knew enough of the people not to worry about my lack of language. Adriana gave me Angel to hold. He fell asleep and Dawn and I put him down in the bedroom. Then Dawn's aunt let me hold little Ashley while she ate. My old next-door neighbors--the family with six kids--came over and they wanted to see the little baby. Xochitl and Eddie and I chatted in English. Eddie is a big talker--he wanted to brag about his English compared to his big sister's. I suggested he stop talking and let her practice. She told me about watering the plants at the Chavez after school Garden Club.
I think Eddie was surprised to hear me speaking Spanish to Ashley. He came over at one point and said, "How do you learn two languages at once?
"That's what you're doing right now, right?"
"Yes. I'm learning Spanish and English."
"Well, how do you do that?" I asked him.
"I talk a lot," he said.
"That's what you do, Eddie, to learn any language. You talk a lot. Practice, practice practice." He smiled and went to play with a balloon.
I should take my own advice. I'm pretty shy at Spanish-language parties. Some friend of Dawn's from school was there with his dad. He clearly wasn't sure what language to speak to me--I came in and spoke Spanish but then missed some conversational cues, so he switched to his pretty weak English. I'd rather just hold the babies and talk to them than try to talk to people I don't know.
Dawn's aunt smiled when I told her daughter that Tia Maritza was going to teach her some English.
Late this afternoon I went next door to Dawn's house for the joint birthday of her dad and Marisa's husband. Their place was covered in balloons, streamers and Happy Birthday signs. I would guess there were about 15-20 adults, maybe 10 kids between toddlers and tweens, and three babes in arms. Julian was wearing the shirt I brought back for him from Cuernavaca:
Cuida el agua
Toma cerveza
(Translation:
Save Water
Drink Beer)
Dawn's aunt was there with her new baby girl. She's a month old. There was a lot of Seven Up, Corona, and Budweiser with Clamato, Julian's favorite. He offered me some; I declined. We both grinned. I tried it before and it's OK but not my favorite--he likes to tease me about it. There was pork in mole, rice, beans and plenty of tortillas. There was also some kind of ceviche, but less of it, so I just had a little taste. There were two cakes--Julian's was chocolate, Marisa's husband's was carrot cake. I think this was Julian's 34th birthday, but his cake only had the four. Earlier we were kidding about the numbers for the other birthday boy--he's 26 but
This was one of the more fun Spanish-speaking parties I've been to because I knew enough of the people not to worry about my lack of language. Adriana gave me Angel to hold. He fell asleep and Dawn and I put him down in the bedroom. Then Dawn's aunt let me hold little Ashley while she ate. My old next-door neighbors--the family with six kids--came over and they wanted to see the little baby. Xochitl and Eddie and I chatted in English. Eddie is a big talker--he wanted to brag about his English compared to his big sister's. I suggested he stop talking and let her practice. She told me about watering the plants at the Chavez after school Garden Club.
I think Eddie was surprised to hear me speaking Spanish to Ashley. He came over at one point and said, "How do you learn two languages at once?
"That's what you're doing right now, right?"
"Yes. I'm learning Spanish and English."
"Well, how do you do that?" I asked him.
"I talk a lot," he said.
"That's what you do, Eddie, to learn any language. You talk a lot. Practice, practice practice." He smiled and went to play with a balloon.
I should take my own advice. I'm pretty shy at Spanish-language parties. Some friend of Dawn's from school was there with his dad. He clearly wasn't sure what language to speak to me--I came in and spoke Spanish but then missed some conversational cues, so he switched to his pretty weak English. I'd rather just hold the babies and talk to them than try to talk to people I don't know.
Dawn's aunt smiled when I told her daughter that Tia Maritza was going to teach her some English.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Chicago Tonight: Coleman vs. Thompson
I missed it on TV, and in case you did, too, here's a transcript of the discussion, with thanks to AlderTrak. Click the link and scroll down if you want to see this with live links. (Note 4/17: For some reason, this link is not working. The site is: http://aldertrack.typepad.com)
I'll let it speak for itself.
Chicago Tonight: Alderman Shirley Coleman, Joann Thompson
Christian Farr: The race is between a sixteen year incumbent and a challenger facing each other for the third time in four years. Personal attacks and issues of personal integrity have come up in this race. We'll get to those in just a moment. But first, while the ward has some new development it still is dotted with abandoned buildings, empty lots, and empty storefronts. The 16th Ward covers the South Side neighborhoods of New City, parts of Englewood, Gage Park, and Back of the Yards. And now joining us in the order they'll appear on the ballot are Joann Thompson, a correctional officer in the Cook County Sheriff's Department, and Alderman Shirley Coleman, who's been a member of the City Council since 1991. And I want to welcome both of you to Chicago Tonight. Joann, let's start with you. First of all, what was your reaction when you came in first in this election?
Joann Thompson: Well, I was pleased. I was very pleased in letting me know that the residents of the 16th Ward is ready for a change.
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, your reaction in coming in second in this. Sixteen years in this ward.
Shirley Coleman: Well, actually, I didn't come in second. I'm still in the race and I would like to congratulate Channel Eleven. We've been trying to have a debate with my opponent for six debates, so this is the first one she's showed up at. So let me just congratulate the power that Channel Eleven had that the unions have finally let her talk and let the people hear what we're really up against.
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, do you have a reaction to that?
Joann Thompson: Yes, I do. The unions haven't kept me from talking to...
Shirley Coleman: Three hundred and ninety thousand dollars worth of talking and coming out to public hearings to debate the issues.
Christian Farr: Let's let Ms. Thompson answer that. Go ahead.
Joann Thompson: I wasn't ever invited to a debate, so...
Shirley Coleman: That's...
Joann Thompson: ...I don't know what she's talking about.
Christian Farr: OK, well, let's talk about this union issue because the Big Box ordinance is a big issue and the unions have backed you because you believe in that Big Box ordinance.
Joann Thompson: Right, I do. I believe in the Bix Box ordinance because the residents of the 16th Ward, they should not have to decide whether to have a job or to have a living wage. Alderman Coleman here, she voted three times for a raise for herself totalling fifty-seven thousand dollars.
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, would you like to respond to that. You voted against...
Shirley Coleman: You know, that is...the only platform that they have is the fact if you will check the records, I did vote for a living wage ordinance. I believe that the 16th Ward, every family should have and make as much as you can. Let me say that you told me, 16th Ward residents, you were tired of going out shopping elsewhere. We have an opportunity to bring a Wal-Mart in. Even if you're not in the union, or if you're in the union, aren't you tired of going to 95th? And then one thing, why is such a big deal now , they were not talking about a livable wage when it was built on 95th and Western. But now all of a sudden that it wants to come into the 16th Ward, into the Englewood community where...
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, Ms. Coleman...
Shirley Coleman: ...we need jobs, then it's a problem?
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, you did side with the mayor on this. Why?
Shirely Coleman: I did, because I had an opportunity...because we had a community meeting two hundred people were there. Four percent of them told me that they do not want a Wal-Mart in our community. The other ninety-six percent of the people--two hundred people--when we took the poll, physical poll, said they want the Wal-Mart in our community, that they want to be able to shop in their own community. And, again, it's not a problem at 95th and Western. Our people are tired of going elsewhere to shop when we have an opportunity to shop right in our community.
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond to that. I mean, again, you want to bring a Wal-Mart in...
Joann Thompson: Right
Shirley Coleman: No, she's on record for not bringing a Wal-Mart. Will not support a Wal-Mart
Christian Farr: I understand that but you...
Shirley Coleman: She's on record. On public record...
Christian Farr: But respond to that, in terms of...
Shirley Coleman: So now she's going to change her mind...
Joann Thompson: That's not, that's not true...
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to speak...
Shirley Coleman: which...what is she going to...
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, one second. Ms. Thompson?
Joann Thompson: First of all, on the 27th of February, eighty-three percent of the voters voted for the living wage ordinance. Now, that's eighty-three percent of the voters...
Shirely Coleman: That was not even in the ward...
Joann Thompson: Now, she's talking about two hundred...
Shirely Coleman: That was not even in the 16th Ward...
Joann Thompson: voters. That's what she's talking about.
Christian Farr: So, can you be an independent alderman? I mean...
Joann Thompson: Exactly.
Shirely Coleman: Of course not. How can you be...
Joann Thompson: Sure I can be. Sure I can be an independent alderman. I...
Shirely Coleman: I know, I didn't pray for you either
Joann Thompson: I'm for the people of Englewood, for the 16th Ward, not Shirley Coleman.
Christian Farr: Well, let's talk about you, Alderman Coleman. You've gotten money from supporters of the Mayor.
Shirley Coleman: Yes.
Christian Farr: Some money there.
Shirely Coleman: Yes
Christian Farr: You've also gotten some money from what I understand a 'First CD Victory PAC' which is connected to ComEd. You're on the ComEd board. Resond to that.
Shirley Coleman: I'm not on the ComEd board.
Christian Farr: Or the committee. Excuse me. You're the vice chairman...
Shirely Coleman: I'm the Vice Chairman of the Energy Committee
Christian Farr: I stand corrected. Respond to that. I mean, you're getting money from, of course, the Mayor's supporters
Shirley Coleman: I'm not nearly getting three hundred and ninety thousand dollars that the unions have paid to sit me down, first and foremost. I do not have a conflict when it comes to my community. My community is my family. And I listen to my family. She happens to be a member of the family that we have helped. We're going to help all of our family members in the 16th Ward. And so when she says eighty-three percent, that vote was not taken in the 16th Ward. The 16th Ward wants to shop, want to have a job, want to be able to work in their own community. We have the highest unemployment in the City of Chicago. And, you know, it's been said that I don't believe that a job is better than no job. That's not the case. But when unemployment is high, crime is up. We find that when employment is high, crime is down. We have attacked all of the issues of crime. I think it's an insult when you go on radio talking about the murder rate is up. We have three great police commanders that have all...we have double digit decrease in crime.
Christian Farr: Well, now, let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond
Shirley Coleman: But you know, the lies that have been told...
Christian Farr: Let's give her an opportunity to respond. What do you think of the 16th Ward in terms of jobs, in terms of crime, in terms of employment.
Joann Thompson: I think that crime is up. We have a high concentration of ex-offenders. When they come home from prison their pleas for help fall on deaf ears. We have no support services for them. We have no referral programs. If we had some of those things maybe they wouldn't go back into a life of crime.
Christian Farr: What would you do about it as alderman? What would you do?
Joann Thompson: I would bring those services to the ward for ex-offenders. For sixteen years, sixteen years Coleman has not done anything for our ward. We are tired. We are tired of her. We're tired of everything that she says that's not true. We're tired.
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, respond please.
Shirely Coleman: If my opponent had any idea of what was going on in the ward she would know we just got a hundred thousand dollars for an ex-offenders program. But, of course, we see her every four years and so she does not know what's going on in the ward. She does not know that there are programs available for ex-offenders...
Joann Thompson: I do. I do.
Shirley Coleman: You don't know because you have not come out. We saw you four years ago and we haven't seen you since. So, they are right at 63rd and Halsted. But I'll give you that information after this, after Tuesday. I'll let you know. I'll let you know.
Joann Thompson: There is no programs. There's not.
Shirley Coleman: Teamwork Englewood was just awarded a hundred thousand dollars for ex-offenders. Ex-offenders, that's why we want to put you back to work.
Joann Thompson: The programs are not in service
Shirley Coleman: We want to put you back to work. Don't be fooled.
Christian Farr: Let's talk about something else that has come up in this election and it's the alcoholism that you went through back in 2002.
Joann Thompson: 2003
Christian Farr: Or 2003. Talk about that. And talk about why you brought it up and why you thought it was important.
Joann Thompson: Well...
Shirley Coleman: That's because it was the only thing she had to bring up.
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond
Joann Thompson: I thought it was important that the residents of the 16th Ward, the ones that didn't know Joann Thompson, know what Joann Thompson is about. I wanted them to know and I'm proud of the fact that I have recovered, I had nothing to be ashamed of. Proud of it.
Christian Farr: Now, Alderman Coleman, you say you helped her through this.
Shirely Coleman: You know, I'm very proud of Joann Thompson. As a matter of fact, we're the ones that helped her with it. The last community meeting she was at, everyone--and I have witnesses--where she stood up, and we congratulated her for being able for me to direct her to where she could get her job where she's presently at. So, Joann, we are very proud of you. We're going to continue to pray for you. Since you made that an issue, whether I prayed for you or not, sweetheart, I'm going to continue to pray for you. Tonight, as a matter of fact.
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, did she help you?
Joann Thompson: No, absolutely not.
Shirely Coleman: [laughing]
Joann Thompson: And I think it's sad that a reverend, that a reverend...
Shirely Coleman: It's sad that she tells...
Christian Farr: Let's let Ms. Thompson respond.
Joann Thompson: ...would be on TV saying this. It's sad. It's really sad that she, as a reverend, that she would get on TV and say that she prayed for me when she didn't. I didn't even know her at the time. Did not know her. It's sad. It's sad.
Christian Farr: What was the nature of your relationship?
Shirely Coleman: You know what, I am very proud to be a pastor. I don't have to sit here and lie. Like she said, I never prayed for her. She's been to my church, so God bless you, I'm going to keep praying for you.
Christian Farr: OK, let's try to move on. You have an endorsement from the Sun-Times. Why do you think you got that endorsement?
Joann Thompson: I got that endorsement because I represent fresh leadership and my committment to my ward. I'm very proud of that endorsement.
Christian Farr: In terms of your endorsement, you got an endorsement from the Tribune.
Shirley Coleman: I've never got an endorsement from the Sun-Times in the sixteen years that I've run, so it's no surprise to me. I've won without the endorsement and I'm going to win again without the endorsement. I'm proud of the Tribune's endorsement because they can see the work we've done in the 16 years. Stevie Wonder can see what's on 63rd and Halsted between Halsted and Ashland. Everyone can see but my opponent because she's not been around to see anything. She's not been around to know any of the programs. She's not been around to know any of the programs that have come into the 16th Ward. The millions of dollars. Over three hundred million dollars of renovative work we have going on right now. We're going to break ground for a brand new 7th District Police Station that I fought for to keep in the 16th Ward. We have a $254 million dollar Kennedy-King getting ready to open next month. When I became alderman it was all in the 16th Ward. And so now, through the redistricting, some of it got into the 20th Ward, but that's something, a project we have labored over for the last eight years to make sure there was minority representation, we have Black people on the job, Black people working...
Christian Farr: Well, let's let Ms. Thompson respond to that.
Joann Thompson: Thank you.
Christian Farr: As Alderman Coleman said there's a lot going on
Joann Thompson: Yes
Shirely Coleman: A lot
Joann Thompson: The Kennedy-King sits in the 20th Ward
Shirely Coleman: That's not true
Joann Thompson: She has...
Shirley Coleman: She doesn't even know the ward boundaries
Christian Farr: Let's let her respond
Joann Thompson: She has a school at 55th and Morgan, Holmes school, where the six hundred children there use the gym room for the lunchroom, for the auditorium. She voted three times for the LaSalle Street development project which took one billion dollars out of the Chicago Public Schools, and she sits on the Eduction Committee.
Christian Farr: OK
Joann Thompson: Now, not only that, what about her pending cases
Shirely Coleman: Well, you asked about as far as responding. Now, here's a candidate that lives right down the street from the school. If she was so concerned about the school, it wouldn't have taken since 1971 to do something about that school...
Joann Thompson: She's the alderman...
Shirley Coleman: Now, you go figure...
Joann Thompson: She's the alderman...
Shirley Coleman: You go figure
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, Alderman Coleman...
Shirley Coleman: You're a resident. You can do something to help that school
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, let's talk about this lawsuit that's been going on in terms of this real estate consultant who received a half of a million dollars from some investors. Are you involved in this lawsuit?
Shirley Coleman: No, I am not. I have been accused wrongly. Just like, I mean, she's been accused of being a prostitute. We all have accusations against us. I have not done anything wrong. I am going to continue to lead the 16th Ward where it needs to go. That's...I've been accused of doing something wrong. Who of us in this world has not been accused of doing something wrong? If I had been proven anything I wouldn't be sitting here.
Joann Thompson: Well, the case is pending.
Christian Farr: Well, let's...we've only got one minute to go. Alderman Coleman, really quickly, last pitch.
Shirley Coleman: 16th Ward, please, don't be fooled. Don't be fooled by all of the garbage and the lies and the distortions that have been printed. Let me lead the 16th Ward into these next four years. Don't...You know what? Where your heart is where your money is...
Christian Farr: Ok, Ms. Thompson...
Shirley Coleman: Unions. Three hundred and ninety thousand dollars...
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson's going to get the last word
Shirley Coleman: She will report to the unions...
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, your last pitch here
Joann Thompson: Thank you very much. The 16th Ward...
Shirley Coleman: And I'll keep praying for you
Joann Thompson: ...The 16th Ward know they need a chane. They voted for a change. I got forty-two percent of the vote to her thirty-six percent of the vote.
Shirley Coleman: Thirty-eight percent, thank you.
Joann Thompson: Do not vote for Shirley Coleman. She represents the same. Nothing.
Christian Farr: All right, that's it. Our time is up. My thanks to Joann Thompson and Alderman Shirley Coleman
I'll let it speak for itself.
Chicago Tonight: Alderman Shirley Coleman, Joann Thompson
Christian Farr: The race is between a sixteen year incumbent and a challenger facing each other for the third time in four years. Personal attacks and issues of personal integrity have come up in this race. We'll get to those in just a moment. But first, while the ward has some new development it still is dotted with abandoned buildings, empty lots, and empty storefronts. The 16th Ward covers the South Side neighborhoods of New City, parts of Englewood, Gage Park, and Back of the Yards. And now joining us in the order they'll appear on the ballot are Joann Thompson, a correctional officer in the Cook County Sheriff's Department, and Alderman Shirley Coleman, who's been a member of the City Council since 1991. And I want to welcome both of you to Chicago Tonight. Joann, let's start with you. First of all, what was your reaction when you came in first in this election?
Joann Thompson: Well, I was pleased. I was very pleased in letting me know that the residents of the 16th Ward is ready for a change.
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, your reaction in coming in second in this. Sixteen years in this ward.
Shirley Coleman: Well, actually, I didn't come in second. I'm still in the race and I would like to congratulate Channel Eleven. We've been trying to have a debate with my opponent for six debates, so this is the first one she's showed up at. So let me just congratulate the power that Channel Eleven had that the unions have finally let her talk and let the people hear what we're really up against.
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, do you have a reaction to that?
Joann Thompson: Yes, I do. The unions haven't kept me from talking to...
Shirley Coleman: Three hundred and ninety thousand dollars worth of talking and coming out to public hearings to debate the issues.
Christian Farr: Let's let Ms. Thompson answer that. Go ahead.
Joann Thompson: I wasn't ever invited to a debate, so...
Shirley Coleman: That's...
Joann Thompson: ...I don't know what she's talking about.
Christian Farr: OK, well, let's talk about this union issue because the Big Box ordinance is a big issue and the unions have backed you because you believe in that Big Box ordinance.
Joann Thompson: Right, I do. I believe in the Bix Box ordinance because the residents of the 16th Ward, they should not have to decide whether to have a job or to have a living wage. Alderman Coleman here, she voted three times for a raise for herself totalling fifty-seven thousand dollars.
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, would you like to respond to that. You voted against...
Shirley Coleman: You know, that is...the only platform that they have is the fact if you will check the records, I did vote for a living wage ordinance. I believe that the 16th Ward, every family should have and make as much as you can. Let me say that you told me, 16th Ward residents, you were tired of going out shopping elsewhere. We have an opportunity to bring a Wal-Mart in. Even if you're not in the union, or if you're in the union, aren't you tired of going to 95th? And then one thing, why is such a big deal now , they were not talking about a livable wage when it was built on 95th and Western. But now all of a sudden that it wants to come into the 16th Ward, into the Englewood community where...
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, Ms. Coleman...
Shirley Coleman: ...we need jobs, then it's a problem?
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, you did side with the mayor on this. Why?
Shirely Coleman: I did, because I had an opportunity...because we had a community meeting two hundred people were there. Four percent of them told me that they do not want a Wal-Mart in our community. The other ninety-six percent of the people--two hundred people--when we took the poll, physical poll, said they want the Wal-Mart in our community, that they want to be able to shop in their own community. And, again, it's not a problem at 95th and Western. Our people are tired of going elsewhere to shop when we have an opportunity to shop right in our community.
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond to that. I mean, again, you want to bring a Wal-Mart in...
Joann Thompson: Right
Shirley Coleman: No, she's on record for not bringing a Wal-Mart. Will not support a Wal-Mart
Christian Farr: I understand that but you...
Shirley Coleman: She's on record. On public record...
Christian Farr: But respond to that, in terms of...
Shirley Coleman: So now she's going to change her mind...
Joann Thompson: That's not, that's not true...
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to speak...
Shirley Coleman: which...what is she going to...
Christian Farr: Ms. Coleman, one second. Ms. Thompson?
Joann Thompson: First of all, on the 27th of February, eighty-three percent of the voters voted for the living wage ordinance. Now, that's eighty-three percent of the voters...
Shirely Coleman: That was not even in the ward...
Joann Thompson: Now, she's talking about two hundred...
Shirely Coleman: That was not even in the 16th Ward...
Joann Thompson: voters. That's what she's talking about.
Christian Farr: So, can you be an independent alderman? I mean...
Joann Thompson: Exactly.
Shirely Coleman: Of course not. How can you be...
Joann Thompson: Sure I can be. Sure I can be an independent alderman. I...
Shirely Coleman: I know, I didn't pray for you either
Joann Thompson: I'm for the people of Englewood, for the 16th Ward, not Shirley Coleman.
Christian Farr: Well, let's talk about you, Alderman Coleman. You've gotten money from supporters of the Mayor.
Shirley Coleman: Yes.
Christian Farr: Some money there.
Shirely Coleman: Yes
Christian Farr: You've also gotten some money from what I understand a 'First CD Victory PAC' which is connected to ComEd. You're on the ComEd board. Resond to that.
Shirley Coleman: I'm not on the ComEd board.
Christian Farr: Or the committee. Excuse me. You're the vice chairman...
Shirely Coleman: I'm the Vice Chairman of the Energy Committee
Christian Farr: I stand corrected. Respond to that. I mean, you're getting money from, of course, the Mayor's supporters
Shirley Coleman: I'm not nearly getting three hundred and ninety thousand dollars that the unions have paid to sit me down, first and foremost. I do not have a conflict when it comes to my community. My community is my family. And I listen to my family. She happens to be a member of the family that we have helped. We're going to help all of our family members in the 16th Ward. And so when she says eighty-three percent, that vote was not taken in the 16th Ward. The 16th Ward wants to shop, want to have a job, want to be able to work in their own community. We have the highest unemployment in the City of Chicago. And, you know, it's been said that I don't believe that a job is better than no job. That's not the case. But when unemployment is high, crime is up. We find that when employment is high, crime is down. We have attacked all of the issues of crime. I think it's an insult when you go on radio talking about the murder rate is up. We have three great police commanders that have all...we have double digit decrease in crime.
Christian Farr: Well, now, let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond
Shirley Coleman: But you know, the lies that have been told...
Christian Farr: Let's give her an opportunity to respond. What do you think of the 16th Ward in terms of jobs, in terms of crime, in terms of employment.
Joann Thompson: I think that crime is up. We have a high concentration of ex-offenders. When they come home from prison their pleas for help fall on deaf ears. We have no support services for them. We have no referral programs. If we had some of those things maybe they wouldn't go back into a life of crime.
Christian Farr: What would you do about it as alderman? What would you do?
Joann Thompson: I would bring those services to the ward for ex-offenders. For sixteen years, sixteen years Coleman has not done anything for our ward. We are tired. We are tired of her. We're tired of everything that she says that's not true. We're tired.
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, respond please.
Shirely Coleman: If my opponent had any idea of what was going on in the ward she would know we just got a hundred thousand dollars for an ex-offenders program. But, of course, we see her every four years and so she does not know what's going on in the ward. She does not know that there are programs available for ex-offenders...
Joann Thompson: I do. I do.
Shirley Coleman: You don't know because you have not come out. We saw you four years ago and we haven't seen you since. So, they are right at 63rd and Halsted. But I'll give you that information after this, after Tuesday. I'll let you know. I'll let you know.
Joann Thompson: There is no programs. There's not.
Shirley Coleman: Teamwork Englewood was just awarded a hundred thousand dollars for ex-offenders. Ex-offenders, that's why we want to put you back to work.
Joann Thompson: The programs are not in service
Shirley Coleman: We want to put you back to work. Don't be fooled.
Christian Farr: Let's talk about something else that has come up in this election and it's the alcoholism that you went through back in 2002.
Joann Thompson: 2003
Christian Farr: Or 2003. Talk about that. And talk about why you brought it up and why you thought it was important.
Joann Thompson: Well...
Shirley Coleman: That's because it was the only thing she had to bring up.
Christian Farr: Let's give Ms. Thompson an opportunity to respond
Joann Thompson: I thought it was important that the residents of the 16th Ward, the ones that didn't know Joann Thompson, know what Joann Thompson is about. I wanted them to know and I'm proud of the fact that I have recovered, I had nothing to be ashamed of. Proud of it.
Christian Farr: Now, Alderman Coleman, you say you helped her through this.
Shirely Coleman: You know, I'm very proud of Joann Thompson. As a matter of fact, we're the ones that helped her with it. The last community meeting she was at, everyone--and I have witnesses--where she stood up, and we congratulated her for being able for me to direct her to where she could get her job where she's presently at. So, Joann, we are very proud of you. We're going to continue to pray for you. Since you made that an issue, whether I prayed for you or not, sweetheart, I'm going to continue to pray for you. Tonight, as a matter of fact.
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, did she help you?
Joann Thompson: No, absolutely not.
Shirely Coleman: [laughing]
Joann Thompson: And I think it's sad that a reverend, that a reverend...
Shirely Coleman: It's sad that she tells...
Christian Farr: Let's let Ms. Thompson respond.
Joann Thompson: ...would be on TV saying this. It's sad. It's really sad that she, as a reverend, that she would get on TV and say that she prayed for me when she didn't. I didn't even know her at the time. Did not know her. It's sad. It's sad.
Christian Farr: What was the nature of your relationship?
Shirely Coleman: You know what, I am very proud to be a pastor. I don't have to sit here and lie. Like she said, I never prayed for her. She's been to my church, so God bless you, I'm going to keep praying for you.
Christian Farr: OK, let's try to move on. You have an endorsement from the Sun-Times. Why do you think you got that endorsement?
Joann Thompson: I got that endorsement because I represent fresh leadership and my committment to my ward. I'm very proud of that endorsement.
Christian Farr: In terms of your endorsement, you got an endorsement from the Tribune.
Shirley Coleman: I've never got an endorsement from the Sun-Times in the sixteen years that I've run, so it's no surprise to me. I've won without the endorsement and I'm going to win again without the endorsement. I'm proud of the Tribune's endorsement because they can see the work we've done in the 16 years. Stevie Wonder can see what's on 63rd and Halsted between Halsted and Ashland. Everyone can see but my opponent because she's not been around to see anything. She's not been around to know any of the programs. She's not been around to know any of the programs that have come into the 16th Ward. The millions of dollars. Over three hundred million dollars of renovative work we have going on right now. We're going to break ground for a brand new 7th District Police Station that I fought for to keep in the 16th Ward. We have a $254 million dollar Kennedy-King getting ready to open next month. When I became alderman it was all in the 16th Ward. And so now, through the redistricting, some of it got into the 20th Ward, but that's something, a project we have labored over for the last eight years to make sure there was minority representation, we have Black people on the job, Black people working...
Christian Farr: Well, let's let Ms. Thompson respond to that.
Joann Thompson: Thank you.
Christian Farr: As Alderman Coleman said there's a lot going on
Joann Thompson: Yes
Shirely Coleman: A lot
Joann Thompson: The Kennedy-King sits in the 20th Ward
Shirely Coleman: That's not true
Joann Thompson: She has...
Shirley Coleman: She doesn't even know the ward boundaries
Christian Farr: Let's let her respond
Joann Thompson: She has a school at 55th and Morgan, Holmes school, where the six hundred children there use the gym room for the lunchroom, for the auditorium. She voted three times for the LaSalle Street development project which took one billion dollars out of the Chicago Public Schools, and she sits on the Eduction Committee.
Christian Farr: OK
Joann Thompson: Now, not only that, what about her pending cases
Shirely Coleman: Well, you asked about as far as responding. Now, here's a candidate that lives right down the street from the school. If she was so concerned about the school, it wouldn't have taken since 1971 to do something about that school...
Joann Thompson: She's the alderman...
Shirley Coleman: Now, you go figure...
Joann Thompson: She's the alderman...
Shirley Coleman: You go figure
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, Alderman Coleman...
Shirley Coleman: You're a resident. You can do something to help that school
Christian Farr: Alderman Coleman, let's talk about this lawsuit that's been going on in terms of this real estate consultant who received a half of a million dollars from some investors. Are you involved in this lawsuit?
Shirley Coleman: No, I am not. I have been accused wrongly. Just like, I mean, she's been accused of being a prostitute. We all have accusations against us. I have not done anything wrong. I am going to continue to lead the 16th Ward where it needs to go. That's...I've been accused of doing something wrong. Who of us in this world has not been accused of doing something wrong? If I had been proven anything I wouldn't be sitting here.
Joann Thompson: Well, the case is pending.
Christian Farr: Well, let's...we've only got one minute to go. Alderman Coleman, really quickly, last pitch.
Shirley Coleman: 16th Ward, please, don't be fooled. Don't be fooled by all of the garbage and the lies and the distortions that have been printed. Let me lead the 16th Ward into these next four years. Don't...You know what? Where your heart is where your money is...
Christian Farr: Ok, Ms. Thompson...
Shirley Coleman: Unions. Three hundred and ninety thousand dollars...
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson's going to get the last word
Shirley Coleman: She will report to the unions...
Christian Farr: Ms. Thompson, your last pitch here
Joann Thompson: Thank you very much. The 16th Ward...
Shirley Coleman: And I'll keep praying for you
Joann Thompson: ...The 16th Ward know they need a chane. They voted for a change. I got forty-two percent of the vote to her thirty-six percent of the vote.
Shirley Coleman: Thirty-eight percent, thank you.
Joann Thompson: Do not vote for Shirley Coleman. She represents the same. Nothing.
Christian Farr: All right, that's it. Our time is up. My thanks to Joann Thompson and Alderman Shirley Coleman
Friday, April 13, 2007
Phone Wars
Someone named Blanche from Ald. Coleman's office left two messages yesterday, inviting me to her monthly meeting tomorrow morning. No, she didn't offer any cash, in case you wondered. But she was very hopeful that I would attend and she reminded me to vote Tuesday. She was a real person and I'm guessing she got mixed up in her lists; thus I got called twice.
Meanwhile, Joann Thompson's recorded voice left me a message and reminded me to vote Tuesday. Just an observation: no live human being from her campaign has ever called me.
Oh, and someone took a poll last night or the night before. This time just one question: "If the election were held tomorrow, who would you vote for, Joann Thompson or Shirley Coleman?" I told them, but I'm not telling you. I asked the questioner who had commissioned the poll, which threw her for a loop, but then she just said she represents whatever company was conducting the poll and that was that.
On the email front, Big Picture is having a meeting tomorrow to talk about how to stay open.
Alas, I have a hot date with my taxes tomorrow and won't be at anybody's meetings for any reason. I'm hoping to be done in time to go to Julian Jr's birthday party at 4.
Sadly, our ward race did not make the Reader's last Aldermania column. I notice a growing number of Coleman signs in windows on my block--from one to three. None are up for Thompson.
Meanwhile, Joann Thompson's recorded voice left me a message and reminded me to vote Tuesday. Just an observation: no live human being from her campaign has ever called me.
Oh, and someone took a poll last night or the night before. This time just one question: "If the election were held tomorrow, who would you vote for, Joann Thompson or Shirley Coleman?" I told them, but I'm not telling you. I asked the questioner who had commissioned the poll, which threw her for a loop, but then she just said she represents whatever company was conducting the poll and that was that.
On the email front, Big Picture is having a meeting tomorrow to talk about how to stay open.
Alas, I have a hot date with my taxes tomorrow and won't be at anybody's meetings for any reason. I'm hoping to be done in time to go to Julian Jr's birthday party at 4.
Sadly, our ward race did not make the Reader's last Aldermania column. I notice a growing number of Coleman signs in windows on my block--from one to three. None are up for Thompson.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Runoff Update: ACORN Gets in the Game
Last night there was a pink flyer stuck in my gate when I got home. One side has a big photo of Joann Thompson with SEIU Local 880 President Helen Miller and other officers. Two are wearing "Fighting for a Living Wage" t-shirts.
The other side bears the headline: ACORN Political Action Committee News
What's going on in the 16th Ward?
The flyer asks a version of my earlier question about Hal Baskin and Shirley Coleman: "Why is Shirley Coleman, who runs against Hal Baskin every election, hanging out with Hal Baskin?" The flyer says she has been seen driving around the neighborhood with him and he managed security for a meeting she held at her church last summer. I have no idea if either of these statements are true.
Then the flyer speculates why this is going on: "Were Shirley and Hal Baskin trying to set it up so that when there is a runoff, it was between Shirley Coleman and Hal Baskin? Then we all run to Shirley and vote for her, because we don't want to hand the ward over to Hal and his friends. Has this all been a big game all this time?" Interesting questions.
The flyer also alleges Coleman paid people to attend her meetings. It implies people didn't know about them. If they mean her monthly ward meetings, she does put the word out about them-her flyers are stuck in my fence pretty regularly-so that's not a fair charge. I've been to a few and I never got paid. Maybe I'm just a chump and missed out on my chance to eat at the trough. Who knows?
The other side bears the headline: ACORN Political Action Committee News
What's going on in the 16th Ward?
The flyer asks a version of my earlier question about Hal Baskin and Shirley Coleman: "Why is Shirley Coleman, who runs against Hal Baskin every election, hanging out with Hal Baskin?" The flyer says she has been seen driving around the neighborhood with him and he managed security for a meeting she held at her church last summer. I have no idea if either of these statements are true.
Then the flyer speculates why this is going on: "Were Shirley and Hal Baskin trying to set it up so that when there is a runoff, it was between Shirley Coleman and Hal Baskin? Then we all run to Shirley and vote for her, because we don't want to hand the ward over to Hal and his friends. Has this all been a big game all this time?" Interesting questions.
The flyer also alleges Coleman paid people to attend her meetings. It implies people didn't know about them. If they mean her monthly ward meetings, she does put the word out about them-her flyers are stuck in my fence pretty regularly-so that's not a fair charge. I've been to a few and I never got paid. Maybe I'm just a chump and missed out on my chance to eat at the trough. Who knows?
Monday, April 09, 2007
Runup to Runoff
Here are some things I'm noticing from the Coleman/Thompson showdown around the neighborhood as April 17 approaches. Incumbent alderman Shirley Coleman has lots more signs up--Thompson favors weekend lit drops. Someone from Thompson's campaign left me literature last Saturday but when I tried to get her to talk to me she went across the street.
Word is Coleman held a breakfast not last Saturday but the one before for election judges. Hmmm....
Within a week after the election there was a crew out patching potholes on this block. I laughed out loud when I looked out the window and saw them putting down new asphalt.
The campaign is getting down and dirty on both sides. Thompson had a robo-call out in the last two weeks accusing Coleman of being friends with Hal Baskin, a former gang leader turned community activist. While there have been questions floating around for years about how former Baskin's gang ties really are, it's pretty clear to me he and Coleman aren't friends. His signs from running against her years ago are still up and fading along both Ashland and 51st.
Today I got a piece of literature from the Committee to Re-Elect Shirley Coleman accusing Thompson of being a union stooge, responsible to "Boss Tom Balanoff" and others (sorry I forget all the union guys they named). It was pretty amateurish in content, though nicely designed and the essence was not wrong--yes, Thompson is financed almost entirely by SEIU and other unions to a lesser extent.
Although I've heard from two or three ordinary citizens in various part of the ward that they are tired of Coleman and are ready for a change, I see Coleman at important events here (like the March Peace and Education Coalition meeting) and I don't see Thompson anywhere.
The only thing I can figure about this runoff is it will likely be close. Thompson had more of the popular vote than Coleman did in the first round (very bad for an incumbent)--I think it was 42 to 36 or something like that. But who knows who will show up for the runoff, and it's clear Coleman is trying somewhat harder now than she was in March.
Word is Coleman held a breakfast not last Saturday but the one before for election judges. Hmmm....
Within a week after the election there was a crew out patching potholes on this block. I laughed out loud when I looked out the window and saw them putting down new asphalt.
The campaign is getting down and dirty on both sides. Thompson had a robo-call out in the last two weeks accusing Coleman of being friends with Hal Baskin, a former gang leader turned community activist. While there have been questions floating around for years about how former Baskin's gang ties really are, it's pretty clear to me he and Coleman aren't friends. His signs from running against her years ago are still up and fading along both Ashland and 51st.
Today I got a piece of literature from the Committee to Re-Elect Shirley Coleman accusing Thompson of being a union stooge, responsible to "Boss Tom Balanoff" and others (sorry I forget all the union guys they named). It was pretty amateurish in content, though nicely designed and the essence was not wrong--yes, Thompson is financed almost entirely by SEIU and other unions to a lesser extent.
Although I've heard from two or three ordinary citizens in various part of the ward that they are tired of Coleman and are ready for a change, I see Coleman at important events here (like the March Peace and Education Coalition meeting) and I don't see Thompson anywhere.
The only thing I can figure about this runoff is it will likely be close. Thompson had more of the popular vote than Coleman did in the first round (very bad for an incumbent)--I think it was 42 to 36 or something like that. But who knows who will show up for the runoff, and it's clear Coleman is trying somewhat harder now than she was in March.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Quiet Easter
Junior's mom is sick, so we did not go out for Easter today. Dawn came over and helped me clean the house. It's better than it was. I showed Dawn this puzzle I bought at the National Museum of Mexican Art. It's a lot of different colored shapes you can put together to fill in a square. The first time I tried it, I couldn't figure out how to get all the pieces to fit in. Dawn spent some time with it and came up with a nice design. Once I saw hers, I tried it later and made them fit, with a different color pattern.
While we cleaning up, I found an essay template from a North Side high school for when a student misbehaves. It helps them think about what happened, how different people might look at the same situation, and what other decisions they could make in the same situation in the future.
I asked Dawn if she was willing to try writing one about what happened on Friday. She said yes. With a hint of a smile she said, "Alfredo made me do one of these one time." She took the paper home with her. We'll see what she comes up with.
Joey came over later. He wanted to see the Homies web site. So we were looking at it. I thought he would like the puzzle but he gave up after a short try.
While we cleaning up, I found an essay template from a North Side high school for when a student misbehaves. It helps them think about what happened, how different people might look at the same situation, and what other decisions they could make in the same situation in the future.
I asked Dawn if she was willing to try writing one about what happened on Friday. She said yes. With a hint of a smile she said, "Alfredo made me do one of these one time." She took the paper home with her. We'll see what she comes up with.
Joey came over later. He wanted to see the Homies web site. So we were looking at it. I thought he would like the puzzle but he gave up after a short try.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Friday's Good and Bad
Yesterday Dawn joined me for the Good Friday Walk for Justice downtown. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers led a station about justice for immigrant workers in English and Spanish. I was hoping Dawn would show it to her dad. Even though CIW is about farmworkers and her dad is a welder, I'm pretty sure he would want to hear about what they are doing to organize. Julian, Sr.'s factory was bought out by new owners who want to get lean and mean compared to the old guys. The old guys were no prize, either, if you recall from last year's immigration march hoo-hah at the factory. Rather than make you hunt down the post, I'll quote a bit from March 2006:
The good news about the march was that somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 people showed up. Now here's the bad news. Dawn's dad may be getting fired over it. He and all the other folks working at the factory went Friday, despite being told Thursday night that anyone who went would get the axe.
No one has received official termination letters yet. It sounds like the official company staff, including Dawn's dad, may be able to stay on, but the company wants to dump the day labor folks who were working there and chose to march. The company employees are saying they won't stay unless everyone gets their jobs back. ... It was pretty rough sitting with Dawn and her parents on folding chairs and large buckets in their new house, with dust all over the floor and white paint drying on the walls, wondering whether they're going to be able to make the mortgage payments.
That time, thanks to lots of media and help from Interfaith Worker Justice, they all got their jobs back and won back pay for their week off.
The new management, from California, is used to squeezing its labor force with lower wages than what is standard in Chicago. So far Julian has not been forced to take a pay cut, but they are making him work more hours and they are swinging his shift around, which is hell on a person's sleep cycle and health. Their contact from Interfaith Worker Justice is on vacation.
So the good in Good Friday was going to the walk and seeing lots of people. Dawn got to meet my friend Kathy Kelly and lots of other peace activists. Dawn seemed pretty interested and engaged, especially given I didn't know what she would make of a group of mostly old white people wandering around downtown beating drums and stopping traffic at corners.
So after all this, we take the bus home and Dawn says she's going to a friend's house. Well, she didn't stay there long, and then no one knew where she was for hours. Her folks finally tracked her down and she was home by about 1 a.m. Given what we just went through around here over Chris Pineda, it really wasn't the week to be pulling teenage stunts like that. But if teenagers always acted with that sort of knowledge in mind, I guess they wouldn't be teenagers.
I spent last night in the kitchen at Dawn's house. Adriana and Julian were cooking up fried fish with a ton of chopped garlic. Joey wanted to know where the fish's brain was. His dad did a little surgery on his fish's head when we sat down to eat and produced a slimy pea-sized globe.
Joey's been pursuing his drawing, and papa Julian is backing him up on it. That was fun to see. Somebody found Joey a Homies poster and he's trying to draw the figures from it, especially the dogs.
It was Julian, Jr's 17th birthday. He spent most of the evening outside in a Jeep with his buddy listening to music, loudly but not too loudly. I could hear it from 10 feet away from the car with its windows shut, but only at a dull roar, not a full-on blast.
By 11 we'd had it with pretending we weren't worried about Dawn and put the full-on press to find her. Adriana called her friends and their parents, Julian and Joey went out looking, I kept Adriana company and watched the baby while she called up a storm. We were under the impression you can't report someone missing until they've been gone 24 hours. I called the 9th District to check that out and they said, no you can report her, but it has to be a parent. That's when she called in. Adriana gave me the phone--she was too angry to talk to her, I think.
I wasn't much help. "Where are you?" I yelled.
"Somewhere," Dawn said.
"How many kids got killed this week?"
"I'm fine," she said in a small voice.
"When are you coming home?"
"Now."
"Well, hurry up!" I said, exasperated. "I'll be here when you get home."
Apparently that scared her into not wanting to come home, which I could have guessed but at that point I wasn't real rational either. She called later to say she was at her friend's house, named the friend and asked to stay over. Her mom talked to her, said no, she needed to come home, and then gave it to me.
This time I had a better grip. "Honey, just come home. We're worried about you."
Then she didn't want to get in the car with her dad. (He had driven over there suspecting that's where she was, and was waiting outside for her.) "I'll walk home by myself," she said. It was now shortly after midnight.
"At this hour?" I said. "No way. Nobody walks home by themselves at this time of night." (To be fair, I do sometimes, but I'm almost 40 years old, know self-defense and walk the one block from the bus stop to the house with my hand in a fist and my keys in between my fingers.)
Anyway, she's supposed to be coming over to wash baby clothes at some point.
The good news about the march was that somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 people showed up. Now here's the bad news. Dawn's dad may be getting fired over it. He and all the other folks working at the factory went Friday, despite being told Thursday night that anyone who went would get the axe.
No one has received official termination letters yet. It sounds like the official company staff, including Dawn's dad, may be able to stay on, but the company wants to dump the day labor folks who were working there and chose to march. The company employees are saying they won't stay unless everyone gets their jobs back. ... It was pretty rough sitting with Dawn and her parents on folding chairs and large buckets in their new house, with dust all over the floor and white paint drying on the walls, wondering whether they're going to be able to make the mortgage payments.
That time, thanks to lots of media and help from Interfaith Worker Justice, they all got their jobs back and won back pay for their week off.
The new management, from California, is used to squeezing its labor force with lower wages than what is standard in Chicago. So far Julian has not been forced to take a pay cut, but they are making him work more hours and they are swinging his shift around, which is hell on a person's sleep cycle and health. Their contact from Interfaith Worker Justice is on vacation.
So the good in Good Friday was going to the walk and seeing lots of people. Dawn got to meet my friend Kathy Kelly and lots of other peace activists. Dawn seemed pretty interested and engaged, especially given I didn't know what she would make of a group of mostly old white people wandering around downtown beating drums and stopping traffic at corners.
So after all this, we take the bus home and Dawn says she's going to a friend's house. Well, she didn't stay there long, and then no one knew where she was for hours. Her folks finally tracked her down and she was home by about 1 a.m. Given what we just went through around here over Chris Pineda, it really wasn't the week to be pulling teenage stunts like that. But if teenagers always acted with that sort of knowledge in mind, I guess they wouldn't be teenagers.
I spent last night in the kitchen at Dawn's house. Adriana and Julian were cooking up fried fish with a ton of chopped garlic. Joey wanted to know where the fish's brain was. His dad did a little surgery on his fish's head when we sat down to eat and produced a slimy pea-sized globe.
Joey's been pursuing his drawing, and papa Julian is backing him up on it. That was fun to see. Somebody found Joey a Homies poster and he's trying to draw the figures from it, especially the dogs.
It was Julian, Jr's 17th birthday. He spent most of the evening outside in a Jeep with his buddy listening to music, loudly but not too loudly. I could hear it from 10 feet away from the car with its windows shut, but only at a dull roar, not a full-on blast.
By 11 we'd had it with pretending we weren't worried about Dawn and put the full-on press to find her. Adriana called her friends and their parents, Julian and Joey went out looking, I kept Adriana company and watched the baby while she called up a storm. We were under the impression you can't report someone missing until they've been gone 24 hours. I called the 9th District to check that out and they said, no you can report her, but it has to be a parent. That's when she called in. Adriana gave me the phone--she was too angry to talk to her, I think.
I wasn't much help. "Where are you?" I yelled.
"Somewhere," Dawn said.
"How many kids got killed this week?"
"I'm fine," she said in a small voice.
"When are you coming home?"
"Now."
"Well, hurry up!" I said, exasperated. "I'll be here when you get home."
Apparently that scared her into not wanting to come home, which I could have guessed but at that point I wasn't real rational either. She called later to say she was at her friend's house, named the friend and asked to stay over. Her mom talked to her, said no, she needed to come home, and then gave it to me.
This time I had a better grip. "Honey, just come home. We're worried about you."
Then she didn't want to get in the car with her dad. (He had driven over there suspecting that's where she was, and was waiting outside for her.) "I'll walk home by myself," she said. It was now shortly after midnight.
"At this hour?" I said. "No way. Nobody walks home by themselves at this time of night." (To be fair, I do sometimes, but I'm almost 40 years old, know self-defense and walk the one block from the bus stop to the house with my hand in a fist and my keys in between my fingers.)
Anyway, she's supposed to be coming over to wash baby clothes at some point.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
"See how they loved him"
Chris Pineda's funeral was this morning. I heard the bell tolling for the casket as I walked to church. There were easily 2000 people there, and a line of TV cameras stood tall behind the last pew.
Fr. Ed performed his usual miracles with liturgy. The family chose the first reading from Isaiah, where it talks about the feast of rich foods and pure, choice wines, because Chris liked to eat. The second reading was the 23rd Psalm, also at the family's request.
The gospel was part of the recent gospel of the raising of Lazarus. We stopped at the part where Jesus wept and the crowd remarked, "See how he loved him."
Ed's voice broke in the homily talking about Chris's mother going to pray with the Virgin Mary. Two mothers who lost sons, praying together.
Stephanie Valentin of Poetics Magazine and the St. Joseph's youth group read the prayers of the faithful.
After Communion, Whitney Young's principal, Joyce Kenner, was invited to the podium. Five young men, friends of Chris, went with her. She invited everyone from Whitney Young to stand up. I could see at least a hundred--there were probably more. Dr. Kenner announced that Chris's diploma will be awarded to his family at the June graduation ceremony. That's when I started crying. Lots of other people did, too.
A college scholarship will be awarded annually to a Whitney Young senior who has similar qualities to Chris. "NOT a gangbanger," Kenner proclaimed, drawing sustained applause. The scholarship winner will have a C average or higher, a friendly spirit and a sense of humor, among other qualities.
To see video from the funeral (as long as the Trib keeps it up--I think it's got five days left), click here
Fr. Ed performed his usual miracles with liturgy. The family chose the first reading from Isaiah, where it talks about the feast of rich foods and pure, choice wines, because Chris liked to eat. The second reading was the 23rd Psalm, also at the family's request.
The gospel was part of the recent gospel of the raising of Lazarus. We stopped at the part where Jesus wept and the crowd remarked, "See how he loved him."
Ed's voice broke in the homily talking about Chris's mother going to pray with the Virgin Mary. Two mothers who lost sons, praying together.
Stephanie Valentin of Poetics Magazine and the St. Joseph's youth group read the prayers of the faithful.
After Communion, Whitney Young's principal, Joyce Kenner, was invited to the podium. Five young men, friends of Chris, went with her. She invited everyone from Whitney Young to stand up. I could see at least a hundred--there were probably more. Dr. Kenner announced that Chris's diploma will be awarded to his family at the June graduation ceremony. That's when I started crying. Lots of other people did, too.
A college scholarship will be awarded annually to a Whitney Young senior who has similar qualities to Chris. "NOT a gangbanger," Kenner proclaimed, drawing sustained applause. The scholarship winner will have a C average or higher, a friendly spirit and a sense of humor, among other qualities.
To see video from the funeral (as long as the Trib keeps it up--I think it's got five days left), click here
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Chris Pineda Murdered
This morning in church, Fr. Ed Shea told us during his homily that Whitney Young student Chris Pineda had been murdered. His body was found Friday in the Cal-Sag Channel. Today is Palm Sunday, when we read the Passion of Christ and remember an innocent man condemned to die. As Fr. Ed put it, we remember an innocent boy today, too.
The Sun-Times story is here.
At the 12:30 Mass, a group of Chris's friends from Whitney Young were selling t-shirts to raise money to increase the reward for information about his death. I heard that St. Procopius in Pilsen also held a fundraiser today. The funeral will be held at St. Joseph's at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The Sun-Times story is here.
At the 12:30 Mass, a group of Chris's friends from Whitney Young were selling t-shirts to raise money to increase the reward for information about his death. I heard that St. Procopius in Pilsen also held a fundraiser today. The funeral will be held at St. Joseph's at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Missing Whitney Young student
Today's Sun-Times has a very sad story about a young man from the neighborhood who vanished without a trace last week. Fr. Ed Shea led a prayer vigil for him. It sounds like he's been gone for about a week. He was a quiet kid who just got accepted to UIC. Let's hope he comes home and becomes the only one of the family's six children to graduate from high school. He is the youngest in the family and everyone's hopes were on him to make it.
New Tenant
I don't think I've written much about my new tenant. We'll call him Alex, which will be the first tropical storm of the 2010 season. This seems appropriate as he's not very tempestuous now, but I wonder what he could grow into.
Alex is an engineer from Guanajuato, Mexico, turned third grade teacher. He likes to play soccer in his spare time and celebrated rather heavily when his team won the league championship, arriving home at 5:30 a.m. Good thing I was getting up early. He is very neat and quiet otherwise. So far, so good, and a welcome change from Hurricane Alberto, especially in the neat department. Now I'm the house slob, a position I much prefer. Any house is in trouble if I'm the neatest person in it.
Alex is an engineer from Guanajuato, Mexico, turned third grade teacher. He likes to play soccer in his spare time and celebrated rather heavily when his team won the league championship, arriving home at 5:30 a.m. Good thing I was getting up early. He is very neat and quiet otherwise. So far, so good, and a welcome change from Hurricane Alberto, especially in the neat department. Now I'm the house slob, a position I much prefer. Any house is in trouble if I'm the neatest person in it.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Dawn Makes Hollandaise Sauce
Tonight Dawn called around 8:30 asking if I had any white wine in the house. She was making Hollandaise sauce to put on broccoli. She tried at her internship--a cooking class at Washburne Culinary Institute--and wanted to try making it at home.
I was out of wine. So I walked up to the corner liquor store on 47th and braved the scary clientele to find a bottle of California Chardonnay and bring it back. Yup-yup tried to sell me a wheelie backpack but I have one already. When I got to their house, Dawn's little cousins were playing in the front yard with Diana. Marisa, Adriana and Dawn were in the kitchen. They were teasing Dawn about how long her project was taking.
"She's been cooking three hours already," Marisa told me.
"She can't work in a restaurant yet," I teased.
She gets a copy of the new edition of the Culinary Institute of America's textbook, The Professional Chef. It's gorgeous! Marisa was copying recipes when I got there and asked me to help translate them. After a couple of hilarious minutes of me miming dicing and slicing, I went home and got my dictionary to advance the effort.
Then we got into a big discussion of what is basil, what are peppercorns, and what are shallots. I actually had some of all these things back at my house, and Dawn needed the whole pepper and shallots for the sauce, so I went home for them, too. Some days it's good to be a yuppie--how many people on this block have shallots in their house, I wondered.
While we were watching Dawn boil water and stir sauce endlessly, Marisa asked me if I believe in extraterrestrials. I said, "Sure. The universe is really big. We can't be the only people in it, right?"
Then she asked if I'd ever seen any and I said no. Adriana said she saw some unusual lights once--somewhere between Zacatecas and Ciudad Juarez, I think she said. Then Julian Sr. came in with his hands all silvery-grey from working. "See, here's an alien," I teased. Marisa cracked up.
Julian washed off, picked up his youngest son and got in a little weightlifting with him. I'm worried about the guy. Things at his factory sound difficult--a new boss is cutting wages and raising hours. It may be time for the workers to rise up again out there.
Dawn's Hollandaise came out a bit thicker than the CIA's would have been, I think, but it was still mighty tasty. There were a few substitutions--hot sauce for cayenne pepper (easy), lime for lemon. Mexican Hollandaise. We had it with broccoli. Dawn gave her brother Joey a little on her finger to try. He tasted it, made a face and ran. "He's teasing me!" she complained.
Her big brother, Junior wouldn't even go there. "I'm OK," he said. I laughed at him.
All of us females over age 10 in the house chowed down on it, though.
I was out of wine. So I walked up to the corner liquor store on 47th and braved the scary clientele to find a bottle of California Chardonnay and bring it back. Yup-yup tried to sell me a wheelie backpack but I have one already. When I got to their house, Dawn's little cousins were playing in the front yard with Diana. Marisa, Adriana and Dawn were in the kitchen. They were teasing Dawn about how long her project was taking.
"She's been cooking three hours already," Marisa told me.
"She can't work in a restaurant yet," I teased.
She gets a copy of the new edition of the Culinary Institute of America's textbook, The Professional Chef. It's gorgeous! Marisa was copying recipes when I got there and asked me to help translate them. After a couple of hilarious minutes of me miming dicing and slicing, I went home and got my dictionary to advance the effort.
Then we got into a big discussion of what is basil, what are peppercorns, and what are shallots. I actually had some of all these things back at my house, and Dawn needed the whole pepper and shallots for the sauce, so I went home for them, too. Some days it's good to be a yuppie--how many people on this block have shallots in their house, I wondered.
While we were watching Dawn boil water and stir sauce endlessly, Marisa asked me if I believe in extraterrestrials. I said, "Sure. The universe is really big. We can't be the only people in it, right?"
Then she asked if I'd ever seen any and I said no. Adriana said she saw some unusual lights once--somewhere between Zacatecas and Ciudad Juarez, I think she said. Then Julian Sr. came in with his hands all silvery-grey from working. "See, here's an alien," I teased. Marisa cracked up.
Julian washed off, picked up his youngest son and got in a little weightlifting with him. I'm worried about the guy. Things at his factory sound difficult--a new boss is cutting wages and raising hours. It may be time for the workers to rise up again out there.
Dawn's Hollandaise came out a bit thicker than the CIA's would have been, I think, but it was still mighty tasty. There were a few substitutions--hot sauce for cayenne pepper (easy), lime for lemon. Mexican Hollandaise. We had it with broccoli. Dawn gave her brother Joey a little on her finger to try. He tasted it, made a face and ran. "He's teasing me!" she complained.
Her big brother, Junior wouldn't even go there. "I'm OK," he said. I laughed at him.
All of us females over age 10 in the house chowed down on it, though.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Curie Youth Radio on McKinley Park
Though Marshfield Tattler's world is a little south of McKinley Park--it's the nice big park people here go to to get out of the hood, if they're not going to the lake--this morning Curie Youth Radio has a piece on WBEZ's 848. It tells a story about an experience all too commonly faced by young men in my neighborhood. They're minding their own business when a bunch of gangbangers show up. Check it out.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Dawn Helps Win a Grant
Congratulations to Dawn and her friends at Big Picture, who wrote a grant to Mikva Challenge asking for money to expand Big Picture's after-school program. Currently, Teatro Vista has been doing after-school theater workshops for Big Picture students. With the Mikva grant, they will be able to add art and sports, and invite more students from other schools. They titled the program "Crossing Boundaries" because part of the point is for young people from different neighborhoods and different turf to have safe common space.
Go Dawn!
Go Dawn!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Girls Night In
I took a break from writing this evening and went next door. Julian and his friend and his friend's girlfriend were hanging on the front doorstep. "Are you looking for my family?" Julian inquired.
"I was coming to talk to your mom."
"They're all at Marisa's with the new baby." I thought he meant his new cousin. I hung out with them for a while. Yup-yup was just being really loud, running around hollering. "We have a rooster on the block," I said. Julian's buddy Santiago cracked up.
"Be safe," Julian warned as I was about to walk down the block.
"Don't worry," I said, "I'll yell 'Yup-yup' real loud if I get in trouble."
Over at Marisa's it was girls' night in with the wee ones. Marisa has a buddy, Yadith, who has a little teeny girl, probably younger than Julian's baby brother, who was there with Dawn and her mom.
Marisa's daughter Diana is three and always has a lot to say to me. "Hi, Maritza!"
"Hi, Diana."
This can go on for about a dozen times. Diana spent her first year of life with her English-speaking auntie, so she speaks much more English than the average three-year-old. But she switches back and forth in ways I don't always expect, so sometimes we just talk past each other. She's a total ham--she was dancing for us and doing quite a few theatrical moves, looking especially tragic when I said I was leaving, etc.
Dawn's mom, Adriana, is game to go get a San Miguel application on Friday morning. She said the school hasn't called her about Julian. Some scary stuff happened on Monday, but I'll save it for another post.
Probably the funniest moment was when Adriana asked Marisa and Yadith how old they are. Yadith is 19 and Marisa is 22. Then we were talking about birthdays and when is everybody's. I suppose I'll have to throw my could-be-annual Memorial/Birth Day BBQ. I know Adriana is in her late 30s, so I couldn't resist pointing out:
"Voy a tener quarenta anos. Soy la vieja en este grupo"/"I'm going to be forty. I'm the old lady in this group," I said, which got a big laugh out of all of them.
Adriana, holding her youngest son on her lap, pointed to Marisa and Yadith with their girls. "Senora, senora," she said, then pointed to herself. "Senora."
More laughing as she and I pointed to Dawn and myself and said in the same breath, "Muchachas, muchachas." I heard somebody say, "Muchachitas" (little girls).
It's a trip being a spinster down here. But I forget if I said this before--a while back Dawn was over here and told me she and her mom were talking about me. "We were talking about the fact that you have your own house and you are out on your own. That is amazing!" she said. Dawn has said she'd like to have her own house and travel, like me. That's also amazing.
"I was coming to talk to your mom."
"They're all at Marisa's with the new baby." I thought he meant his new cousin. I hung out with them for a while. Yup-yup was just being really loud, running around hollering. "We have a rooster on the block," I said. Julian's buddy Santiago cracked up.
"Be safe," Julian warned as I was about to walk down the block.
"Don't worry," I said, "I'll yell 'Yup-yup' real loud if I get in trouble."
Over at Marisa's it was girls' night in with the wee ones. Marisa has a buddy, Yadith, who has a little teeny girl, probably younger than Julian's baby brother, who was there with Dawn and her mom.
Marisa's daughter Diana is three and always has a lot to say to me. "Hi, Maritza!"
"Hi, Diana."
This can go on for about a dozen times. Diana spent her first year of life with her English-speaking auntie, so she speaks much more English than the average three-year-old. But she switches back and forth in ways I don't always expect, so sometimes we just talk past each other. She's a total ham--she was dancing for us and doing quite a few theatrical moves, looking especially tragic when I said I was leaving, etc.
Dawn's mom, Adriana, is game to go get a San Miguel application on Friday morning. She said the school hasn't called her about Julian. Some scary stuff happened on Monday, but I'll save it for another post.
Probably the funniest moment was when Adriana asked Marisa and Yadith how old they are. Yadith is 19 and Marisa is 22. Then we were talking about birthdays and when is everybody's. I suppose I'll have to throw my could-be-annual Memorial/Birth Day BBQ. I know Adriana is in her late 30s, so I couldn't resist pointing out:
"Voy a tener quarenta anos. Soy la vieja en este grupo"/"I'm going to be forty. I'm the old lady in this group," I said, which got a big laugh out of all of them.
Adriana, holding her youngest son on her lap, pointed to Marisa and Yadith with their girls. "Senora, senora," she said, then pointed to herself. "Senora."
More laughing as she and I pointed to Dawn and myself and said in the same breath, "Muchachas, muchachas." I heard somebody say, "Muchachitas" (little girls).
It's a trip being a spinster down here. But I forget if I said this before--a while back Dawn was over here and told me she and her mom were talking about me. "We were talking about the fact that you have your own house and you are out on your own. That is amazing!" she said. Dawn has said she'd like to have her own house and travel, like me. That's also amazing.
Monday, March 19, 2007
New Blog: City on the Make
For all the new fans I've picked up since I started blogging about Big Picture, here's a new blog for you to hear about city and school skulduggery: City on the Make
The second most recent post is an interesting and plausible theory about the LSC president at Curie High School, which has been in the news lately over the LSC's decision not to renew the principal's contract.
The second most recent post is an interesting and plausible theory about the LSC president at Curie High School, which has been in the news lately over the LSC's decision not to renew the principal's contract.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Birdwatching at Sherman Park
Dawn and I went to Sherman Park after school let out today. I was taking a break from housecleaning and freelance work, and stopped to talk to her mom. She told me Dawn cut school this morning to take a walk. She was home and wanted to go ouside Her mother asked if I would mind if she came with me. Of course I didn't mind, so out she came, still a little red-faced from crying.
We stopped by Su Casa and then went all the way over to Sherman Elementary at 51st and Morgan because I wanted to know what it looked like. They have a nice new playground--some kids were hanging around after school playing on it. Some of the kids sounded very rough--there was a lot of really foul cursing among kids who looked to be between eight and 10 years old. "Those teachers have their work cut out for them," I said to Dawn.
After we walked for a while and talked about nothing important, I asked what happened today. It was really what happened over the weekend--more struggles about free time and independence with her parents. I think she just felt trapped and decided to take a walk when she could take one more easily than she had over the weekend. It was also clear she felt like she was on top of her schoolwork--I didn't even try to take that one on right now. But she felt bad and was worrying that this would all hook back into problems last summer. We talked, walked around, got to the park, talked. Shortly after we got into the park itself, I stopped and looked at her and said, "I think maybe the most important thing here is that you forgive yourself for what happened last summer and let go of it. If you really believe that you have a clean slate, that might change things."
I saw in her face that she got what I was saying. I hope that sticks.
We saw quite a few interesting birds. Three red-winged blackbirds, who stood out strongly against the cattails and tall grass. And we saw parakeets! Apparently some have moved west of Jackson Park--we spotted three large nests, one with seven or eight squawking about. There was only one pair of mallards. Dawn was interested to know the male is the pretty one and mallard ducks mate for life. We also saw a male and female cardinal--another pair where the male gets the pretty colors. But Dawn asked me how to tell the difference between a male and a female Canada goose and I was stumped! If you know, please comment.
We stopped by Su Casa and then went all the way over to Sherman Elementary at 51st and Morgan because I wanted to know what it looked like. They have a nice new playground--some kids were hanging around after school playing on it. Some of the kids sounded very rough--there was a lot of really foul cursing among kids who looked to be between eight and 10 years old. "Those teachers have their work cut out for them," I said to Dawn.
After we walked for a while and talked about nothing important, I asked what happened today. It was really what happened over the weekend--more struggles about free time and independence with her parents. I think she just felt trapped and decided to take a walk when she could take one more easily than she had over the weekend. It was also clear she felt like she was on top of her schoolwork--I didn't even try to take that one on right now. But she felt bad and was worrying that this would all hook back into problems last summer. We talked, walked around, got to the park, talked. Shortly after we got into the park itself, I stopped and looked at her and said, "I think maybe the most important thing here is that you forgive yourself for what happened last summer and let go of it. If you really believe that you have a clean slate, that might change things."
I saw in her face that she got what I was saying. I hope that sticks.
We saw quite a few interesting birds. Three red-winged blackbirds, who stood out strongly against the cattails and tall grass. And we saw parakeets! Apparently some have moved west of Jackson Park--we spotted three large nests, one with seven or eight squawking about. There was only one pair of mallards. Dawn was interested to know the male is the pretty one and mallard ducks mate for life. We also saw a male and female cardinal--another pair where the male gets the pretty colors. But Dawn asked me how to tell the difference between a male and a female Canada goose and I was stumped! If you know, please comment.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Big Picture Launches Website
Big Picture Back of the Yards has launched its own web site, which includes student comments about the school. Some of these comments are from students you've met on this blog, so check it out.
In other Big Picture news, I heard from a principal at another CPS small school that Big Picture led the small high schools in math gains! I'm hoping to get the data and post it here in future.
In other Big Picture news, I heard from a principal at another CPS small school that Big Picture led the small high schools in math gains! I'm hoping to get the data and post it here in future.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
More Big Picture News
The Big Picture High School is making a new round of headlines. Well-known educator Greg Michie has an op-ed in today's Sun-Times. Like me, Greg acknowledges the school has room to improve, but is making strides and is performing better than other local schools on the key measures of attendance and dropout rates.
The February issue of Catalyst Chicago looks at Big Picture as a case study in what a district shouldn't do once it has agreed to give a school autonomy.
Meanwhile, students and parents have begun a process of enlisting local political support to keep the school open. We'll see if it pays off at the February board meeting.
The February issue of Catalyst Chicago looks at Big Picture as a case study in what a district shouldn't do once it has agreed to give a school autonomy.
Meanwhile, students and parents have begun a process of enlisting local political support to keep the school open. We'll see if it pays off at the February board meeting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)