Joel Rubinstein<jrubinstein@igc.apc.org> Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997
Dear Mr. Chancellor,
I had the pleasure of reading Alex Count's book, Give Us Credit shortly after it came out. I was inspired by the tales of the women such as Thelma Ali, who made a living for herself selling fragrances, imported scarves other hair accessories, and toys at the Maxwell Street Market. Omiyale DuPart got a start selling clothing also at Maxwell Street Market, and later opened her own business. These two are among hundreds of people for whom the Maxwell Street Market meant the difference between earning an income and living on public assistance. Counts' book also says, "some 20,000 bargain hunters come on a typical Sunday." Maxwell street is also famous for its live music, especially the blues.
I cannot fathom why our urban leaders are so eager to cast off the best of what our cities offer. New York allowed the demolition of the irreplaceable, splendiferous, elegant Pennsylvania Station, and New York is so very much poorer for this loss. Although splendor is not the hallmark of Maxwell Street, it has a long history in commerce and the musical arts, and serves the people of Chicago with jobs and a place to conduct business and buy inexpensive goods - and connect to their past.
I heard Mr. Counts talk on the radio in San Francisco, and he spoke out against the destruction of commercial districts for low-income people. In 1996, the 104th Congress passed and President Clinton signed legislation which sharply curtails our public assistance programs and requires its beneficiaries to get jobs. I cannot fathom why, at the same time as we are telling the poor to get off welfare, we are destroying entry-level employment opportunities for them by closing markets such as Maxwell Street.
I beseech you. Preserve Maxwell Street, for its historic value, for the opportunities it provides people to earn a living, and for the benefit of the thousands of customers who depend on it to buy goods they could not otherwise afford.
Sincerely,
Joel Rubinstein
cc: Richard Stein, CEO, Stein and Company
Robert Wislow, CEO, US Equity Reality
Tom Samuels, Executive Vice President, Walsh Higgins Co.
Don Faloon, Executive Vice President, Prime Group Inc.
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