The SportsWise team discusses new year's resolutions for Chicago teams.
Cover Story: the Top stories of 2024
Homelessness was a pervasive issue in Chicago and the nation this year. Our Top 5 stories cover infighting over migrants, the Supreme Court's criminalization of homelessness, possible financial solutions to it and more.
From the Streets
A new shelter for men opens on the North Side, a new, "noncongregate model" for better delivery of homeless services in Chicago. Plus, Twenty-five years after the dawn of the new millennium, we look back at "Y2K," concerns that computer systems would misread the last two digits as 1900 and malfunction.
The Playground
THIS PAGE: The hallway of shared rooms uses sliding doors instead of doors swinging in or out to maximize space in the new North Side Housing and Supportive Services men's shelter (Suzanne Hanney photo). DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of StreetWise.
Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher dhamilton@streetwise.org
Amanda Jones, Director of programs ajones@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, Executive director jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Ph: 773-334-6600
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Y'er A Wizard!
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Broadway’s spellbinding sensation “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is coming to Chicago on its first-ever North American tour. Join the next adventure and experience the wizarding world like never before at this record-breaking, Tony Award-winning hit, hailed as “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” (Forbes). W hen Harry Potter’s headstrong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. It’s a “marvel of imagination” (The New York Times) that will “leave you wondering ‘how’d they do that?’ for days to come” (People Magazine). Tickets start at $45.50, with various showtimes through February 1 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. www.broadwayinchicago.com/shows/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child/
I Know It's Corny, but. . .
‘SHUCKED’
“SHUCKED” is the Tony Award®–winning musical comedy The Wall Street Journal calls “flat out hilarious!” (And nobody knows funny like economists.) Featuring a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy® Award–winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and directed by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater. It is about an unlikely hero, a lovable con man, and an a-maize-ing battle for the heart & soil of Cob County. Opening January 7 and playing through January 19 at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. Tickets start at $31. For a full schedule of preforamances and to purchase tickets, visit broadwayinchicago.com/shows/shucked
Resistance & Perseverance!
‘Resilience - A Sansei Sense of Legacy’
In 1942, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law Executive Order 9066. The law ordered the forced imprisonment of all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the United States, which has the second largest population of Japanese people living outside of Japan. Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, “Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy” is an exhibition of 8 artists whose work reflects on the effect of EO9066 as it resonated from generation to generation. Exhibition artists include: Kristine Aono, Reiko Fujii, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa. On display through June 1 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie.
The Humble Soul Loved!
‘Les Miserables’
“Les Miserables” has captivated audiences for decades and is now playiing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., through January 5, with timeless songs like “I Dreamed a Dream” and “On My Own,” along with stunning visuals and an emotionally gripping narrative. Directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, this fresh take on the classic blends breathtaking staging with unforgettable performances, offering both longtime fans and newcomers a chance to experience the musical phenomenon. Tickets range from $25 - $135, with matinee and late showtimes available. For more information, visit www.cadillacpalacetheatre.com
Compiled by Dave Hamilton & Daria Hamlin
Still In the Holiday Spirit!
Winterland Step Into the Magic of Winterland—An Unforgettable Family Adventure! From the moment you step in, you and your little ones will be transported to a whimsical holiday wonderland filled with sparkling lights, joyful activities, and cherished memories waiting to be made. This 45-minute journey is the perfect way to create magical moments with your family. Young children will love the playful activities designed just for them, and parents will adore the chance to capture those picture-perfect holiday smiles. Running through January 5 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. Tickets are $12.50 for kids under 12 & $15 for 13+ at winterlandchicago.com
We Can Be Heroes!
Bowie Ball
Celebrate the legend, the chameleon, and the man… David Bowie. Bowie Ball is January 3 to celebrate on what would have been his 78th Birthday. So get into the spirit – glam it up, dress like a dandy and let’s love the alien with some glitter on top. Featuring DJ sets by Heaven Malone. Drag and Burlesque performances by Lucy Stoole, Nico, Sally Marvel and squid the kid. 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. at Metro Chicago, 3730 N. Clark St. $15 Advanced at bowieball.com / $20 Day of Show / $20 Door. 18+, valid State and or Federal ID required for entry.
Lunchtime Melodies!
Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts
Classical Music Chicago presents the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. The free weekly concert series features extraordinary music by artists who are early in their careers. Enjoy classical concerts in-person at 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays at the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 55 E. Wacker. Face masks are optional. You may also stream from the comfort of your own home at classicalmusicchicago.org or listen on WFMT. On January 8, enjoy Kate Liu on piano. FREE.
The Wisemen Visit!
Three Kings Day
Join the Humboldt Park community in celebrating Día de los Santos Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) at Puerto Rican Cultural Center's La Casita de Don Pedro y Doña Lolita, 2625 W. Division St. from 1-3 p.m. on January 6. Families and visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy gift giveaways, treats, and photo opportunities with the Three Wise Men. FREE.
Down the Rabbit Hole!
‘Alice in Wonderland’
Follow Alice as she travels down the Rabbit Hole to the most amazing places! Along her fantastic journey she’ll meet the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, the Queen of Hearts… and many more. This one-hour musical is geared for children ages 2 to 6. Tickets are $18-$22, playing through March 7 at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. chicagokidscompany.com/alice-in-wonderland/
An Architectural Phenomenon!
STLarchitects ‘Five Projects in South Korea’ Instituto Cervantes of Chicago (the city’s primary non-profit center for Spanish language and cultural exchange) in collaboration with STLarchitects presents: “Five Projects in South Korea,” showing through January 12. Located in the 2nd floor art gallery of Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St. (which was designed by STL in 2022), the exhibition will showcase five acclaimed projects designed in Chicago by Spanish-owned STLarchitects since 2019. It will feature an immersive visitor experience including 65 feet of continuous floor-to-ceiling panels. The exhibition will include more than 50 architectural drawings and sketches, and five architectural models. FREE.
New Year's Resolutions
John: What is your New Year’s resolution for Chicago sports teams?
Allen: The Chicago Bears are doing some reorganizing with their coaching staff. I’d like to see the Chicago White Sox do the same: reorganize the team with the managers, the coaches, the scouts and once they get reorganized, to at least come back and make the playoffs. I am a diehard South Sider so I am hoping the Sox will come back next year and not make Chicago look so bad by being the worst team in the league.
Russell: My killer B’s: Blackhawks, Bulls, Bears. The Hawks just fired their coach too, so it’s time to find a new coach, a winner. All the talent they have and they’re still in last place. In 2025, I’d at least like to see them make the playoffs. Win or lose, at least give the fans something to cheer about.
I have seen the Bulls win six
championships back in the 90s Michael Jordan days, although the D-Rose teams did OK except for injuries, they got derailed. Just win, make the playoffs.
Last but not least, the Bears. They needed to fire their coach too. I wish the Bears could get an offensive line, not running backs, not receivers, an offensive line. The man’s getting sacked 10 times in one game, that’s pathetic. People say, ‘Oh you’re standing there too long.’ I don’t blame the man. Hike the ball and people coming at you from this side, that side. The man gets confused. So – the offensive line – take care of your business, spend that money.
John: The White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf, has to find better general managers, better talent motivators, because the thing they were doing before is not working. The Cubs gotta find someone to bring in two, three runs at a time. As far as the Killer B’s, the
Bulls need rebounders. The Blackhawks got a new coach too and even longer to go. The Bears, congratulations to Thomas Brown being the interim coach. Their New Year’s resolution is to get an offensive line and an additional running back. They are set at wide receiver. They need some secondary help next year. As far as quarterback and receivers, I believe the Bears are all set, but everything else – they need to improve on.
Russell: Like John was saying, the White Sox are so, so sad, it was so embarrassing for Chicago. Hope they do better this year. The Cubs at least made it interesting, got into the pennant race. In 2016 they won the championship, and they have been nowhere since. That team was stacked and built so good. Let’s change that.
Allen: They got rid of all the good players after 2016. I am
a diehard Sox fan and was really embarrassed at the way they played last year. I know there is a way for them to come back and at least make the playoffs.
John: I am looking forward to the Cubs playing my Dodgers, the defending World Series champions, in Tokyo March 18 and 19. If you are going to open the season in Tokyo, it has to be against a good team like the Mets; their archrivals, the Cardinals; or the Dodgers, who draw second to the Cubs in Chicago. The White Sox don’t draw like the Dodgers in Chicago. In Chicago, the three teams that draw are the Cubs, the Dodgers and the Yankees. So aside from that, we’re going to see what comes around in 2025 for Chicago sports teams.
Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Vendors A. Allen, John Hagan and Russell Adams chat about the world of sports.
Psi Quantum, a Palo Alto, CA-based tech company, will spend billions to develop a quantum computer on the vacant, nearly 500-acre former site of U.S. Steel’s South Works.
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“We look forward to a working partnership that supports our community, without displacement, ensures the next generation advances into a digital economy and [that] the environment is not at stake in our future,” said Alliance of the SouthEast (ASE) organizer Sam Corona regarding the data center announced July 25. One worry is that the data center’s cooling systems will release heated water into Lake Michigan and promote harmful algae and toxins.
Quantum computers allow for faster processing of complex data than conventional computers, according to World Business Chicago. Metro Chicago has a growing pipeline of quantum professionals: 11,838 related jobs last year, 3rd in the U.S. for physicists and materials scientists.
Higher demand for property raises prices for neighboring real state and factors into higher property tax bills. Simultaneously, new businesses can ease the burden. Homeowners picked up 53.6% of Cook County property taxes in 2023 and businesses the remainder. In September, the Cook County Board granted Psi Quantum a new Class 8 MICRO incentive, which reduces its tax rate from 25% to 10% for 30 years, according to connectcre.com. The in centive cannot be renewed.
theTop 5 Stories of 2024
by Suzanne Hanney
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The Chicago Housing Authority serves 135,000 people in all 77 Chicago neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Chicago has a 119,000 shortfall of affordable housing units, which makes CHA’s construction announced this year all the more significant.
In March, CHA announced Phase 1C of Lathrop Homes, south of Diversey Avenue on the Chicago River. Of these 309 new or rehabbed units, 96 will be offered at market rate; 96 will be affordable and 121 will be public housing. Lawson House, originally opened in 1931 as a YMCA at 20 W. Chicago Ave., was remodeled in partnership with Holsten Real Estate Development and reopened as 409 single room occupancy apartments on April 1. CHA provided 130 project-based vouchers for its 130 units.
Encuentro Square, adjacent to the 606, has 89 apartments, including 55 CHA project-based vouchered units.
In Lincoln Square, 4715 N. Western Avenue will have 63 apartments: 16 CHA units and 47 affordable. Foglia Residences at Chicago Lighthouse, 1134 S. Wood St., will have 76 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments; CHA is contributing 19 project-based vouchers for its 19 apartments.
The Bring Chicago Home (BCH) referendum to increase the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) on property purchased in Chicago in order to raise $100 million for homeless services failed on March 19.
The money would have gone to permanent supportive housing and wraparound services administered by the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), according to Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (CCH) and treasurer of the BCH ballot initiative committee. The money “would go out to their network of providers who do this work every day and do it really well...so we could use that existing network to build the capacity to do more.”
Homelessness prevention funds to pay rent or utility bills for people in temporary crisis was another possible use for the BCH money, along with preservation of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels. In October, Mayor Brandon Johnson said that $100 million annually could have produced 4,200 shelter beds.
Mayor Johnson in May announced an alternative: restructuring of 40 Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts expiring in the next three years into $1.25 billion in bonds for affordable housing and economic development. DOH and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will each receive $625 million between 2024 and 2029.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Grants Pass v. Johnson on June 28 rejected an appeals court argument that levying civil and criminal penalties against people sleeping on the street when they have no alternatives violates the Eighth Amendment’s clause against cruel and unusual punishment.
The city of Grants Pass legal counsel applauded the Court’s decision because it allowed cities more freedom to “develop lasting solutions...while also keeping our public spaces safe and clean.”
However, Chicago (and Grants Pass) lack the housing to support the decision, the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness noted. Chicago needs 2,637 permanent sup portive housing units and 3,851 rapid rehousing units; its 50 shelters could not meet demand, just like the single shelter in Grants Pass. There are up to 5,000 shelter beds here, but on any given night in 2023, more than 11,700 homeless.
TentsinGrantsPass,Oregon
The city’s 2024 Homelessness Report, issued June 7, said there was a deficiency of 119,000 affordable housing units. Furthermore, homelessness in Chicago is an issue of equity, primarily among people who make less than 30% of the Area Median Income, or $23,550 for a single person.
Blacks were eight times more likely to face homelessness in Illinois, according to a study for the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, released in August. Why? Rent burdening, previous incarceration, youth aging out of foster care without the same supports as middle-class kids and poor access to healthcare and nutrition.
In August, the city cleared a tent city along the Dan Ryan Expressway at Roosevelt Road by offering residents rooms at the former Tremont Hotel just off Michigan Avenue. Residents of 85 households at Humboldt Park were given housing or shelter on December 6. In September, city officials said there was no place to move residents of the Gompers Park encampment and no money to move them, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
(Jeremi ah Hayden photo)
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The top story of 2024, as in 2023, was that of migrants bused from the southern border.
As a Democrat-controlled sanctuary city, Chicago received 50,000 migrants between Aug. 31, 2022 and this September. The majority fled economic and political chaos in Venezuela and a civil war in Ecuador.
In January, Gov J.B. Pritzker placed ads in Texas newspapers urging Gov. Greg Abbott to stop. “Your callousness, sending buses and planes full of migrants in this weather, is now life-threatening to every one of the arrivals.” Abbott’s office responded that he awaited action by President Biden. (StreetWise Jan. 31-Feb. 6)
Many migrant kids arrived in Chicago wrapped in blankets, Chicago Teachers Union mem bers said at a January press conference at Daniel Cameron School in West Humboldt Park, which had 126 migrant students. The CTU sought federal funds for social workers to help students and families deal with trauma and to pay for teachers’ Spanish language instruction. Migrants were staying at a nearby shelter or three, four or five families to an apartment, selling candy on the street. (StreetWise February 14-20)
Federal funding was delayed, so Mayor Brandon Johnson allocated $150 million for the humanitarian crisis in last year’s budget and $250 million for homelessness. However, some Chicagoans still blasted him and Demo crats nationally for what they called preferen tial treatment (shelters, welfare payments, food stamps) of migrants over existing unhoused people – 72 percent of whom are Black in Chicago.
Infighting was increasing among the poor as roughly 10 homeless encampments were growing in Chicago, Midwest Regional Coordinator of the National Union of the Homeless Chris Shuttlesworth said in January. “The homeless here have been on the streets and haven’t been getting help are upset that the migrants are getting help.” (StreetWise February 7-13)
Just ahead of the presidential election and the promised release of next year’s budget, Johnson announced that migrant shelters would close by yearend and merge with those for legacy homeless into a single, equitable system. The One System Initiative will have 6,800 beds: half the number recommended by a task force of homeless service providers. A city official also said that on any given night, Chicago shelters are 97-98 percent full. (StreetWise November 6-12)
City of Chicagophoto
New Men's Shelter on the North Side is
by Suzanne Hanney
A new “non-congregate” homeless shelter with 35 shared rooms for 70 men uses lessons from the pandemic to redefine what a shelter looks like compared to the church basement model.
Operated by North Side Housing and Supportive Services (NSHSS) at 7464 N. Clark St., the shelter is a blueprint for five more that will add 1,000 beds to Chicago’s homeless services system. City officials say it will better serve its clientele with dignity via privacy and trauma-informed design. Most significantly, the NSHSS shelter exclusively serves men, who comprise 68% of people who are homeless in Chicago, although only 22% of the shelter beds have been available to them.
“The city was honored to provide a $6.9 million bond for purchase and renovation of this building,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the December 11 ribbon cutting.
Housing is a human right, Johnson said, and the shelter will operate 24/7. Clients will be able to stay the night and all day, without having to get up, leave, and kill time elsewhere during the day.
“This gives them the ability to find true stability,” Johnson said. “They can continue to access supportive services and meals throughout the day based on their needs. Supportive and trauma-enclosed spaces such as these have the power to heal our communities and put unhoused people on the pathway to housing. My administration is committed to creating these transformative and supportive services throughout our city. The One Shelter System [recently announced, which will combine migrants and legacy homeless] will be unified and equitable.”
During the pandemic, the city switched from large, “congregate” open shelters to hotels in order to prevent clients from contagion, Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) Commissioner Brandi Knazze said. As clients sheltered in a hotel, with on-site services, their health improved, and so did the rate at which they transitioned to permanent housing.
The Department of Housing provided the $6.9 million outright; $30 million is in the pipeline for five more shelters, said DOH Commissioner Lissette Castañeda. Being able to stay 24/7, “they will be able to rebuild their lives without the added pressure of having to leave, with the dignity of having a place they can call their own.”
Within the next 18 months, there will be new non-congregate shelters by Unity Parenting, Franciscan Outreach, Cornerstone and La Casa Norte, Castañeda and Knazze
said. Ground was broken September 30 for the Haven, a DOH/Chicago Department of Public partnership in a former motel at 5230 N. Lincoln Ave.; its model is based on higher rates of stabilized mental and physical health (sometimes via medication) and exits to permanent housing among people who sheltered in hotels during the pandemic.
The road toward opening the new NSHSS shelter began in December 2021, after it moved out of the Preston Bradley Center in Uptown because of building code violations. NSHSS board members searched the North Side and found the 10,000-square-foot site, a former medical building that had been vacant for years, located between the Metra embankment and Clark Street, a block south of Howard Street. Ald. Maria Hadden (49th ward) hosted three community meetings and gained 70% approval, then sought the special use zoning permit. In the meantime, NSHSS sheltered 52 men in a former Super 8 motel at 7300 N. Sheridan Road.
As of the December 11 ribbon-cutting, the new shelter had 25 residents, who came via the city’s Coordinated Entry System or 311, said NSHSS Board President Peter Marchese. NSHSS runs the shelter with an annual operating contract and payment from DFSS and does not determine
is a model for homeless services
who becomes its clients. However, it still needs volunteers, Marchese said.
NSHSS serves an estimated 250 individuals each year.
“There’s no limit to how long a client can stay as long as they are moving forward with their plan from their case manager. In many cases, a guy may be working at Walgreens making $15 an hour and needs to move into a market rate apartment. He needs one month’s rent and a security deposit – that's $2,000. If we know a client like that is saving, of course they can stay. We don’t kick people out to go back to being homeless,” Marchese said.
An interim transition might also be more than 150 apartments NSHSS maintains around the city, said Dick Simpson, an NSHSS board member, former alderman and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In the meantime, the shelter’s decor is designed so as not to trigger trauma from living on the street, Marchese and architect Sean McGuire of Gensler said. Its floors are wood, not white linoleum. The colors, approved by DOH and DFSS, are cool greys, greens and blues styled like a dorm, hotel or cruise ship. The lighting is warm, not cool and hospitalharsh.
Rooms without windows have skylights. “Where possible, residents have control over their own lighting. It’s all about respecting the dignity of residents,” McGuire said.
Curtained showers are in a central room and toilets are situated around the U-shaped floor plan. The shelter will offer three meals, free laundry facilities and an on-site medical exam room.
“This is the first place I was able to get any sleep. One shelter I was at, the beds were almost like a jailhouse,” said Martin, 38, a South Sider.
Jimmie, 32, from Bronzeville, said this was the first shelter he was able to access. He had slept on the L, at the airport and the Kedzie/Roosevelt warming center.
“It feels like we got a chance to progress,” said Larry, 42, who grew up in Cabrini-Green. “It’s the best shelter I’ve ever seen. They said they had job placement. We can save up money. There aren’t any bunkbeds. The staff are great. It’s clean and around a lot of shopping malls and areas where we can get jobs.”
Left: Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Maria Hadden (49th ward) cut ribbon on North Side Housing’s new men’s shelter at 7464 N. Clark St. Also pictured are NSHSS Board President Peter Marchese, Chief Homeless Officer Sendy Soto, Department of Housing Commissioner Lissette Castañeda, Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Brandi Knazze, Leslie Perkins, chief of staff to Ald. Hadden;, and Duncan Ward, executive director of NSHSS. Center: A typical room at the shelter.
Above: The common space. Below: the exterior. All photos by Suzanne Hanney.
Remembering the Y2K Scare on its 25th
by Stella Kapetan
It was predicted to be a worldwide catastrophe. Glitches in in air traffic control systems, breakdown of nuclear power plants and inoperable utilities and communication systems would result in empty grocery store shelves, homes and business without heat and electricity, fire and police departments unable to respond to emergencies and other mayhem.
What would wreak such chaos? A computer bug known as Y2K, acronym for Year 2000. For years computer programmers had designated years with only the last two digits to save memory. Experts warned that computers would misread 2000 as 1900 and malfunction.
A few problems had surfaced long before the new year. A Chicago Public Schools employee told the Chicago Tribune in October 1996 that notices were printed informing parents whose children were scheduled for vaccines in 2000 that they were overdue. The error was discovered before the notices were sent. There were also reports that some purchases made with credit cards with expirations of 2000 and beyond were declined.
Computer and financial experts advised people to keep stock up on essentials such as critical medication and to keep a copy of their credit report and a few months of bank statements in case account balances dropped to $0.
Infomercials popped up on national late night television using images of raging fires and riots to hawk survival kits while warning that it was impossible to test live computer systems for potential Y2K problems.
Those who were unconvinced that malfunctions would be minor planned ahead. Glenn Susz was a 42-year-old director of a software firm when he told the Chicago Tribune in November 1998 that he had installed a gasoline-powered backup generator in his Burr Ridge home where he stored a gun, cash, bottled water and canned food. “We have enough problems here with power disruptions,’’ he said. “I didn’t want to wait for overreactions to Y2K….If some banks are illiquid, people will overreact. The psychology of the crowd will cause all kinds of problems.”
Stores that catered to survivalists saw a sales boon. Mike Bafundo told the Chicago Tribune in 1999 that customers in his Lombard military surplus store were snapping up gas masks, solar battery flashlights, shelf-stable meat and silver Y2K coins for bartering when the currency value evaporated. Black T-shirts with an image of an orange mushroom cloud and the caption “I guess Y2K was really a problem” were another hot item. Bafundo recounted that he saw “two customers in here fighting over one of these sleeping bags rated for use up to 40 degrees below zero. It was
hanging on display, and they tore it right off the wall.”
Information specialists and consultants were in high demand from the government and the private sector and enjoyed a payday bonanza.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration assured the public that utilities, emergency services and the airports would operate without problems after spending four years and $55 million on installing backup generators and buying new or fixing existing computers. Even with the mayor’s reassurance, City Hall heard from anxious callers, mainly concerned with whether their toilet would flush.
The city was concerned with food and water hoarding and teamed with Jewel and now-defunct Dominick’s grocery stores to issue public service announcements that recommended people do their grocery shopping earlier than normal during the week of New Year’s Day, which fell on Saturday, and to buy only enough for the weekend.
Chicagoans held their breath at 4 a.m. on December 31 as they watched live broadcasts of midnight strike first on uninhabited Millennium Island in the Pacific Ocean – 20 hours ahead of Chicago – followed by country after country. They relaxed as the feared doomsday scenarios never materialized. There were only a few, harmless issues as when the countdown clock on the Eiffel Tower stopped five hours before midnight.
As the day went on, people deemed it safe to make New Year’s Eve plans, and restaurants saw a surge in reservations. “It’s unusual for people to book so late on New Year’s Eve,” Jill Bartels, reservations manager at downtown’s Nick’s Fishmarket told the Chicago Tribune on January 1.
Later, Mayor Daley and 175 guests from around the world watched fireworks light up the sky as the city sailed smoothly into the new year - lights stayed on, phones worked, toilets flushed. “…Y2K doomsday scenarios fizzled like so many champagne bubbles,” the Chicago Sun-Times declared.
The hoarding some feared was a non-issue. Stores saw an uptick in water sales in December but had no trouble meeting the demand, which a Villa Park store owner described as similar to a July dry spell. Stores, gas stations and ATMs were busier than usual on New Year’s Eve, but there were no runs on them. Banks reported that they were slower than usual.
anniversary
How did those who had prepared for disaster react? Susz, the Burr Ridge software firm director, told the Chicago Tribune on January 4 that people had been razzing him since his ominous Y2K predictions hadn’t materialized. “I got emails and phone messages saying things like ‘It’s safe to come out now.’” He planned to consume the food and water he had amassed.
Questions soon arose if the Y2K threat was real or if they were exaggerated by those who saw it as a money grab of sorts. “There was puffery by vendors, and some money was wasted, but these were real problems,” the New York Times at the time quoted Leon Kappelman, an associate business professor at University of North Texas in Denton, and co-chair of the Society for Information Management’s
year 2000 Working Group. The newspaper also reported that the Senate’s final report on Y2K found that the government spending of $100 billion averted a crisis. And Robert Figliulo, chief executive officer of SPR, Inc. an Oak Brookbased company offering computer consulting services, scoffed at the suggestion that there was overspending. “It’s like a patient saying, 'I’m really sorry I paid for that surgery because I lived,'” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Chicagoans successfully rose to the challenge of a potential catastrophe, as they have done throughout the 187year history of the city, which lived up to its motto: "the city that works."
Todd Keeling (left) and a friend around the stadium during a Bears game ( Yvette Dostatni photo.
Comer Archive of Chicago in the Year 2000 (University of Illinois at Chicago).
