The Maxwell St. Express Grill, on Halsted just north of Maxwell Street, is under threat of soon being closed down by the University of Illinois of Chicago (UIC). They are the last hot dog stand in the Maxwell Street area and are in the middle of a court case where UIC is trying to close them down for good.

The hot dog stand is owned and operated by the father and son family team of Tom and Alex Lazerevski. Tom is a nephew to Jim Stefanovic, who founded the Original Jim's Hot Dog stand. Original Jim's was forced to close a couple of weeks ago. At one time there were over six hot dog stands at that corner of Halsted and Maxwell Streets. These hot dog stands have been written about in novels, poetry, and music as well as appearing in documentaries.

Says Steve Balkin, Professor of Economics at Roosevelt University and Vice President of the Maxwell Street Coalition, "This area is supposed to be a college campus. How can anyone claim a fast food hot dog stand is incompatible with a college campus? It is ludicrous. This is good food. It is Chicago's signature food, as much or more a symbol of Chicago as Frango mints. This is living history. Daley got real upset by Frango mints leaving Chicago but he is causing the death of this landmark hot dog stand. The reason Daley, UIC, and its Daley-crony-developer partners want to get rid of Maxwell Street Express is because of who eats there. Customers come from all over, but UIC just sees the large proportion of minority working class people eating there and wants them out. Since when is it a crime to be a minority and be working class? This is the New Apartheid."

Says Alex Lazerevski, "My dad has been in the area for 35 years. He came from Yugoslavia 40 years ago to avoid the Communist rule of Marshall Tito, who was then seizing private businesses. We thought it can't happen here and yet it is here in Chicago like being under the same Communist rule my father tried to leave. This hot dog stand is our only income. My father is married and does not have any retirement nest egg. He needs the income from the stand to survive. And it is part of his life. I am married with three small children. Who will feed my children?"

Lazerevski continues, "A lot of people in that area were and are real poor. We helped feed them --many times for free-- so they wouldn't die. We serve people from all over the city and country. We especially served Blues musicians. They created America's greatest music, right here on Maxwell Street. We help bring people down here and to listen to the Blues, and the Blues also brings us customers. We and our customers are part of the tradition. We will fight to stay here because we are Americans and Americans have a right to own and operate their business."

Balkin says further, "We are calling for a boycott of UIC's new dorms across the street. The dorms are open now and classes start on Monday. We are asking students to not move in there but if they must, to at least be a good neighbor -- to come to the aid of their neighbors."

The Maxwell St. Express Grill and the Maxwell St. Historic Preservation Coalition want to show their good will towards UIC students by handing out information sheets, at the new Maxwell St. dorm, containing a coupon for a free Maxwell Street polish sausage. Students will also be invited to come to the free Maxwell St. traditional Blues jam sessions on Sunday afternoons.

Balkin comments, "Good music and food can cross boundaries to bring people together. We hope our pleas, to save us from annihilation, will get through and stop this needless destruction."

For more information about Maxwell Street and the Call for a Boycott of UIC's new dorm and University Village, visit the website <www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html> or call 312-341-3696.

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