By Steve Balkin, Vice President of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition. Email: mar@openair.org
September 14, 2000

During the first week of September, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) fenced in the north side of Maxwell Street and destroyed Frank Scott Jr.'s folkart Community Blues Bandstand and the adjoining handcrafted plea-for-deliverance prayer altar. There are still 37 historic whole buildings remaining in the area , nine on Maxwell Street itself. The Community wants:

• All 37 buildings to saved
• Businesses to be allowed to remain
• More affordable housing built in the area for the very poor
• The Community Bandstand to remain and be restored
• Parking Access for the St. Francis of Assisi Church

To record the community's reaction to the continuing destruction, poster boards were brought to the corner of Maxwell and Halsted Street on a rainy Sept. 9 Sunday afternoon to let the community speak out, in writing, about what they think of UIC and its South Campus expansion plan. The Boards were titled, "Tell UIC what you think of them."

See below for the text of what was written on those boards.

See a picture of the boards. (23K)

See a picture of a local person writing on one of the boards.(9K)

See Bluesmen Frank "Little Sonny' Scott and Lajune holding their own sign.(23K)

See Bluesman Frank "Little Sonny' Scott playing his percussive keys in the front of the now fenced-off and trashed blues bandstand.(30K)

This is Wrong. Save Maxwell - LI

Don't trash the people - TE

Please Keep Maxwell Street. - RP

Please don't take away Maxwell - LM

Please Please Please Keep Jim's Original - KFD

Respect living culture, return the stage. - GS

Don’t Kill US - JL

Keep US. Thank you.

LEAVE US ALONE - V.

Leave Me Alone. - BR

We like Maxwell Street so please let it stay. - ME

They shouldn't tear it down because it is a traditional place. - TC

Let the culture of this community live! - GB

UIC - Thanks for your help is preserving Maxwell - I'm being fecious. I hope one day soon, the same will happen to University Village. - SS

Keep the Blues alive let them Play.

Let Maxwell Street ALive - D. Smith

Please help. Don’t destroy us. - C.A.

Keep the Blue Going on Mackwill Street. - JW

Don’t destroy the blues. - AD

STOP MESSING UP MAXWELL STREET. IT'S WRONG! SO PLEASE WOULD YOU STOP IT - EB

Don’t destroy this valuable part of American Culture. - RM

Do Not Destroy this great American tradition. -- BWS

I Think it Wrong for Closing Down Maxwell Street - WP

Your destroying our community - TLS

I feel that It Is wrong. - JH

This Ethnic Cleansing Economic-Style! A waste of $taxes. I hate to see the destruction of culture! - NT

Stop Killing our community - SW

UIC Biggest Thieves

To UIC you know you are taking food from the poor in getting with our money. - MJ

Please not tare down Hop Dogs Stan - AP

Why do you want to change something everybody like. All people don't go to school, let the little man live. You'll be bless. - B.D.

Please Keep Maxwell Street Thank You - HC

Change is a process. Landmarks are historic. Let's Keep this alive!

What you are doing is wrong - LB

UIC is Jim Crow - V

Save The Blues and Hot Dog Stands.

Let's share the love. - H.

This is wrong. Your taking sostalgia away Don’t do this - BB

Don’t close down 18^th Street. - K.M.

Condemnation is evil. UIC Destroys lives. - A.

UIC you are the Bad ass peoples. - B.

Save my job. - LJ

Closing down Maxwell St. means loss of tourists who come here for the great Polish sausages and deals. You will be losing $$. - AWD

I think it is a shame that people wanted this place to be National LANDMARK - You refused & tore it down.

For more information visit these websites <http://www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html> and <http://cowdery.home.netcom.com/maxnews.html>.

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