Community Development Commission Hearings on the Roosevelt-Union (Maxwell Street) TIF, Chicago City Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998


On Tuesday, December 1 from noon to 2:00PM, about 35 people showed up for the Maxwell Street Anti-TIF protest in front of City Hall: students, vendors, workers, community activists, merchants, Green Party people, Maxwell Street residents, Blues musicians, and Coalition members. All were holding signs and chanting, "Save Maxwell Street," "Save the Blues", "Save the Polish Sausages", "Save the Hot Dog Stands", "Stop UIC Gentrification", and "Stop UIC Ethnic Cleansing."

Jimmie Lee Robinson (now in his 30th day of protest fasting) brought his guitar and stool. Accompanied by Frank Scott Jr. on percussive keys, Jimmie Lee sang his Maxwell Street Tear Down Blues. It was sung with feeling, down and dirty, with moaning and whistling in some parts but also kind of sentimental. People leaving and entering City Hall stopped to listen and wonder what this was about. They listened and learned. Many stopped to share a personal story about Maxwell Street, how they saw a famous musician or organized crime figure on Maxwell Street; how they bought their first suit or of family outings; how they saw their first minority person and had memories of grilled onions still in their nasal cavities.

At 1:15PM, a bit later than planned, George and Joe, from Original Jim's Hot dog Stand, came by and passed out free hot polish sausages. They were grabbed immediately by the passersby and we consequently emptied out of sausages supplies too soon. I was surprised to see Bernie Rosen visit and protest with us. He is a real mench. His family goes back to the old days as owners of Levitts Delicatessen. His father-in-law was called the professor of corned beef. Rene Maxwell of the Public Housing Coalition also was protesting with us. After the protest he was going to New York to take part in a human rights conference. Several politicians stopped by to lend some kind words but, frankly, we did not know where their hearts really were.

At 2:00PM, we went inside City Hall to attend the Roosevelt-Union TIF hearing before the Community Development Commission. There were about a 100 people in the gallery . Most were supporters for saving Maxwell Street. UIC took two hours to orally present their plans and vision, with no documentation provided to those who might oppose them. No rules were provided as to how the meeting would be run or how the order of speakers were to be chosen. At least a third of the people were not allowed to speak because they had to go home or back to their jobs or to eat dinner. No schedule was provided so people could gauge how to get there to speak and then leave. The opposition were paid to be there. We were not. The opposition was allowed to speak as long as they wanted. For speakers on our side, they were often asked to finish quickly.

Click here to read Steve Balkin's speech before the Commission.

Then, UIC brought out their paid-off token minorities to tell how wonderful UIC and the TIF plan was. The theme was that UIC would bring jobs to the community: jobs, jobs, jobs. A related theme was that anyone who questioned this TIF was bad because they were anti public higher education and anti-jobs.

Speakers on our side tried to convey that preservation along with allowing business and residents to remain was not anti-UIC or anti jobs; that more jobs would be created with preservation, that process was not duly followed; that diversity does not have to be feared; that affordability was an issue, and that this could be a win-win deal. All of us pleaded for the Community Development Commission to examine this TIF and hold off their decision.

At about 6PM, the testimony part was ended and the Community Development Commission went into their regular session. With no discussion or examination of the evidence, they immediately voted and ratified the TIF, and passed it on to the next stage, the Finance Committee run by Alderman Eddie Burke.

One observer, a professor from Germany, remarked that she thought that America was a democratic country and what a rude awakening this was. Another observer remarked, that for UIC, their shit stinks and that they better clean up their act or their reputation will go down the drain. -SB


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