Kevin Dixler <immigration@sprynet.com> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997
Dear Mr. Broski:
I have lived my life in Chicago and am a graduate of UIC. The tragedy that befell the market was unfortunate. There was no compromise position. The State has immunity from negligence, so a little give in the way that the property is used is not only fair, but benefits the good elements of capitalism that developed and are left in this city.
To eliminate any memory of the 125 year old market from its principal site after the Chicago Fire will prove to be an inappropriate solution. It is akin to ethnic cleansing. I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but my parents who spent much of their lives in the suburbs actually enjoyed the old market. They came from Highland Park and enjoyed their interactions with the vendors. Every place has its 10%, so the market was no exception.
The market also drew City dwellers, who had the chance to see the University on the way to the market. I am a fourth generation Chicagoan. Something should be done to remind people that there was something special. Some UIC graduates worked hard to convince the Trustees that something should be done. Finally, there seems to be a moral dilemma when a school's trustees support a company to do work when it has a crappy history. One in which it lost $15 million dollars.
Sometimes, I wonder whether Mr. DiAngelo runs the school. At least the granite was put to good use in front of the Daley Center. It was an interesting momento to the memory of the Mayor's father.
Mr. DiAngelo has done some incredible things for the West side, but stabbing some of his West Side Italians in the back was not one of his finer moments. I hope that he or UIC does some serious redemption.
Good luck with Carilli and Mesirow; you'll need it!
Kevin L. Dixler
web page provided by OPENAIR-MARKET NET
return to Preserve Maxwell Street