November 29 - December 5, 2023 by StreetWise_CHI

November 29 - December 5, 2023 Vol. 31 No. 47

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4 Arts & Entertainment 6 SportsWise 8 Cover Story: Chicago's Migrant crisis Event highlights of the week!

The SportsWise team pays trribute to former college basketball coach Robert Montgomery Knight, who passed in November.

Chicago has welcomed nearly 20,000 migrants from south of the border in this past year. As winter looms, officials talk about finding shelters and getting them acclimated to Chciago.

15 The Playground

ON THE COVER: Translations apps have become helpful tools for communication for migrants. THIS PAGE: Migrants gather at the 16th district police station on N. Milwaukee Ave. in Jefferson Park (Suzanne Hanney photos). 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

StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief

suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Amanda Jones, Director of programs

ajones@streetwise.org

Julie Youngquist, Executive director

jyoungquist@streetwise.org

Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Mary Mathieu

Antique Masterpieces!

Glass to Garden: Tiffany Inspired Floral Designs The Driehaus Museum’s new exhibition “Glass to Garden: Tiffany Inspired Floral Designs,” running November 30 to Jan. 7, 2024, juxtaposes newly commissioned floral design installations from four local floral designers in dialogue with work by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios. Elizabeth Cronin, founder and creative director of Chicago’s Asrai Garden, has selected and worked closely with each of the florists to create works inspired by eight Tiffany pieces each. The floral designers participating in the exhibition, located at 40 E. Erie St., include Angelica Rivera Varela from Semillas Plant Studio, John Caleb Pendleton from Planks & Pistils, Taylor Amilas Bates from Dusk Lily Floral and Serena Madrigal from Espinas. This diverse group of emerging designers will draw on their own backgrounds as further sources of inspiration for their designs. Tickets $10+ at driehausmuseum.org

Nutcracker Gets Naughty!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque “The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque” is directed by Sarah Scanlon and choreographed by Willy LaQueue and runs November 30 through December 30 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. The show runs one hour and 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. New this year, original music by composer Michelle Isaac. Each week features the best of Chicago’s nightlife entertainers in the roles of Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Vodka and Mother Ginger with sword swallowing, belly dancing, classic burlesque and more. The holiday performance schedule of Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. There is no performance on December 24. Admission is available for those 18 years and older (21+ to drink). Tickets $20+ at www.greenhousetheater.org

The World Remembers

World AIDS Day Commemoration The Chicago Parks Foundation and the AIDS Garden Chicago Board of Directors invite all to take part in a World AIDS Day Commemoration at AIDS Garden Chicago, on the Lakefront just South of Belmont Harbor, 3003 N. Lakefront Trail, on Friday, December 1 at 10 a.m. Remember lives lost and stand in solidarity with those living with the HIV/AIDS virus. The free public gathering will take place outdoors, snow or shine, featuring live music by the Lakeside Pride Musicial Ensembles and reflections by local LGBTQ+ community members and leaders– all while being immersed in the garden space dedicated to education, contemplation, and honor.

Current Events: Expertly Told!

Michael Lewis In Conversation W/ Andrew Ross Sorkin The recent case against Bankman-Fried (SBF) has fueled skepticism among many, highlighting the crypto currency industry’s vulnerability to illicit practices. For crypto enthusiasts, however, his conviction signals the culmination of the market’s turbulent phase characterized by immaturity, disorder, rapid surges, crashes and frequent cybercrimes. Join the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, for an extraordinary event as acclaimed author Michael Lewis peels back the layers of mystery around Bankman-Fried in his latest book, “Going Infinite.” Michael will be joined in conversation by New York Times journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at 7:30 p.m. December 7. They will delve deep into the narrative of ambition, wealth and the ultimate downfall of SBF. Tickets $57+ at auditoriumtheatre.org

Thank You For Being A Friend!

Hell in a Handbag’s The Golden Girls Save XMAS Hell in a Handbag Productions kicks off the Christmas season with “The Golden Girls Save XMAS– A Lost Episodes Parody,” featuring an all-new holiday tale by Artistic Director David Cerda, directed by Frankie Leo Bennett. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, Sophia and their wacky friends and relatives return at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets 27+ at handbagproductions.org

A Classic Returns!

Joffrey Ballet Chicago 'The Nutcracker' Witness the magical 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with young Marie and her Nutcracker Prince in two-time Tony Award-winning choreographer Christoper Wheeldon’s holiday masterpiece, December 2 - 27 at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. It is a celebratory Christmas Eve, and thanks to a surprise visit from the enchanting Great Impresario, Marie embarks on a spellbinding adventure into a realm of spectacle and wonder. Experience holiday magic in this must-see tradition, boldly reimagined for a new generation. Tickets $40+ at joffrey.org

Light the Night!

Downtown Evanston’s Holiday Light Celebration Bring your families to watch the annual tree lighting at Fountain Square, 1601 Sherman Ave., with Santa and other special visitors. Gather at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, December 2 to enjoy holiday music by the Evanston Children’s Choir, watch the tree lighting at 5 p.m. and stay for additional music performances by Evanston Owns It, NU Community Singers, Soul4Real Acapella, and The Actors Gymnasium until 7:30 p.m. Make your way to The Merion at 1611 Chicago Ave. (enter from the Davis Street entrance) to take photos with Santa and warm up with hot chocolate and more.

Sing Classics!

Lessons & Carols Loyola’s popular holiday event -- lessons combined with liturgical music sung by Loyola's choral ensembles -- returns, 7:30-9:30 p.m. December 2 in Madonna della Strada Chapel, 6453 N. Kenmore Ave. Please use the east side doors to enter the chapel. There will be no assigned seating, and doors open at 6:45 p.m. A golf cart shuttle will be available to bring patrons from the parking garage to the chapel. The parking garage is $8. Tickets $5+ at luc.universitytickets.com

An Author Uncovers the Past!

“Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Book and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust” Join the Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, to hear from author Meryl Frank and her quest to uncover the truth about her family’s Holocaust story– a journey that began with a Yiddish book her aunt forbade her to read. Through archives across four continents, by way of chance encounters and miraculous discoveries, and eventually, guided by the shocking truth recorded in the pages of the forbidden book, Meryl conjures the rogue spirit of her cousin, her beauty and her tragedy. A book signing will follow this event, free with museum admission on December 5, 6:30 p.m.

Get Prepared!

Pre-Kwanzaa Holiday Market Place Africa International House hosts its Pre-Kwanzaa Holiday Market Place, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2 at Harriet Harris Park, 6200 S. Drexel Ave. In the spirit of self-determination, "Taking On and Back Our Legacy," visitors will find food, vendors, dancing, drumming and more. Among the performers will be spoken word artist Precious at 4 p.m. Friday, who also uses photography and videography toward sharing various perspectives to create a more consciously connected community.

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Vendors (l-r) John Hagan, Ewoynne Warren and Russell Adams chat about the world of sports.

Remembering The General John: Today we are talking about a very sad story that came out the college sporting world, the passing of Robert Montgomery Knight at the age of 83. It was a few days after his birthday that he had died. He leaves a great legacy behind him.

SPORTSWISE

Ewoynne: When you say the name Bobby Knight, you are talking about success, a legend. He has elevated so many young kids' lives. I just wanted to say that it is a sad day that he passed away. I wish his family the best and to be strong, because he's gonna be missed in this world. Russell: Robert Montgomery Knight was an American men's college basketball coach, nicknamed “General.” He won 902 games, a record at the time. He coached 662 games at Indiana, where he was Head Coach from 1971 to 2000. He won 11 Big 10 championships, 24 NCAA Tournaments, and 3 NCAA titles. My favorite was in '76 when he went 32 and 0. That will never ever happen again. He even coached Michael Jordan at the Olympics. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1991. John: Scott Dolson, who's now the athletic director at Indiana, said when he was a student manager, his job was to go out and get young athletes who not only have talent, but also high character. Bob Knight believed that was a winning formula.

He wanted his players to be better for themselves, not only on the court, but off the court as well. You can see how he wore his emotions on his sleeve: throwing a chair against Purdue in 1985. But that unfortunately outweighs the memory of what he really has done well for the students at Indiana. Mike Woodson gives Knight the credit, because if it wasn’t for him, he might not be head coach. Bob Knight coached Mike from high school through college, before Mike went to the NBA. He even recommended the NBA hire Mike as a head coach. He would coach the New York Knicks for several seasons before going back to the college ranks. Mike Woodson is one of the examples of many players like Quinn Buckner and Steve Alford who came from that university and have had successful careers on and off the court. Mike is trying to carry Knight’s legacy through to both Xavier

Johnson and Trey Galloway and hopefully they will have successful careers. I want to add that Knight not only was the last coach to lead Indiana to championship season, and the last perfect season at '76, he also won titles in '81 and '87. He won the gold medal for the USA in 1984. Ewoynne: Like I said, Bob Knight is gonna be missed. One of the things that I learned about him is that he wasn't afraid to challenge the referee, and throwing the chair was one of his extreme emotions that he showed. Russell: He really made me mad when he beat my boys the Tar Heels in the 1981 season. He didn't deserve that Isaiah Thomas, and all those guys! My favorite was the one I bet on years ago, a guy named Keith Smart. Hit the game winning shot in 1987 for Indiana. That was a smart move.

John: I have one other thing to say: 1984, The Portland Trail Blazers think about drafting a center. There was a guy named Mike Jordan, and Bob Knight recommended that Portland draft him. But Portland said that they needed a center and they will pass on him. Bob told them to make Jordan a center because he knew back then that there was something special about Jordan. Portland went ahead with someone else, and Jordan landed in Chicago and all the rest is history! Six NBA titles and eight seasons. Portland has not won a title since 1977. Russell: Thank you for inspiring a whole generation of basketball fans. Rest In Peace. Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

THE RACE FOR SHE

the debate over Chicago's Migrant crisis gets heated as win by Suzanne Hanney

An October 24 meeting at Kelly High School regarding a nearby migrant camp at 38th and California drew differing views from three people: a neighborhood resident, an immigrant son – and the one-time political detainee who walked from Venezuela to Mexico. “I am very mad because in this country I have friends, family, who live in this country 30 years and don’t have papers, don’t have benefits and now these people have benefits,” said Silvia Vegas, who lives three blocks away from the proposed winterized encampment. “I am from Mexico and my father pay for me. I am working. My partner is a veteran. They could have benefits for the veterans.”

COVER STORY

Andy Chen’s family emigrated to the United States in the 1970s, and he lives near the Southwest Side Brighton Park neighborhood proposed for the encampment, which he favors.

“I think we need to be a welcoming city,” Chen said. “This city welcomed my family, gave us opportunities. I feel the same way about other immigrants. They make our city what it is, and we need to keep that thriving. A lot of this division is not anti-immigrant, it’s based on structural inefficiencies in our economy that make us lash out at each other. To be real, we are going through an affordability crisis and who benefits from this? It’s not the residents here. It’s a very small portion of the population: the people who run GardaWorld [the encampment contractor] or the ones running the facilities charging the city thousands of dollars an hour to staff these places. This is built into our economy over decades and we’re at the mercy of it right now. And because of that, we have no good options anymore, and because of that, the community has to come together to claim our federal resources. They are giving a load of resources to other things. Chicago and other cities need those resources to do what’s right for the immigrant community in a global crisis we had a hand in creating as well.” Abraham Jose Gonzalez was tortured and detained in Venezuela in 2014 because he was in the opposition to President Nicolas Maduro, whose opponents, Leopoldo Lopez and Maria Corina Machado, began a three-month campaign to remove Maduro from office. Venezuelans took to the street and 43 people were killed. The economy continued to deteriorate and elections in 2018 were called a sham. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, but oil prices fell from $100 a barrel in 2014 to $30 a barrel in 2016. From 2014 to 2021, the

value of all goods and services in Venezuela (Gross Domestic Product) shrank by three quarters, according to a March blog by the Council on Foreign Relations. Last year, the inflation rate was 234 percent. According to the United Nations, 7.3 million people (1 in 5 Venezuelans) have fled since 2014; 6 million of them live in Latin America and Central America. Gonzalez said through an interpreter that he was opposed to the encampment because the migrants include pregnant women and children and because “this kind of refugees will be discriminated against.” Even now, he said, people think that refugees are given health care, which is not true. “The government hasn’t given me. I have a lot of friendship and connection with people who have been helping me” [like the interpreter, whom he met at the District 9 police station at 3120 S. Halsted St. and who did not wish to be named] and many other individual volunteers. He is staying with one of those volunteers and is essentially “doubled up” homeless.

ELTER:

nter weather looms

Gonzalez had a business and sold everything when he left in 2014. He walked two months to Colombia, and then Peru, where he lived seven years. More recently, he spent six months walking from Peru to Mexico—through nine countries – and was taken into detention in Texas May 25, then sent to New York for four months. “I don’t have a working permit or any way I can work. I didn’t know what to do until they sent me here and I am still trying to find out what to do.”

Has it been worth it? “I feel mostly sad right now. I thought like everyone else, come to the United States and you will find opportunity. On one side, I am proud to be here, because I fought a lot to be here, so I could help my mother, who is in Colombia. Right now, all I can think of is helping my mom [to whom he sends money.]”

Franklin, who was panhandling for diaper money downtown and staying in a shelter created at the former Standard Club, 320 S. Plymouth, told a similar story via cell phone translation. “Due to the violence that exists between the illegal groups that operate there, we all lost our farm and our crops. “It was complicated to get here to Chicago,” Franklin said. “We lasted about three months…15 days in the jungle, the walking plus inside the border of Colombia and Panama…Friend, excuse me, you don’t know about a job to earn my daily bread with the sweat of my brow?” Still other migrants asked not to be identified – and that the video of their interview be deleted – “because there are cameras all over Chicago.”

Migrants gather in makeshift tents around the 1st district police station (Suzanne Hanney photos).

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“We can’t take these resources, especially in our underserved communities,” added Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th ward), who later announced that the city had done walkthrough inspections of another property in the ward, at 1900 N. Austin. Meanwhile, two downtown aldermen said in early October that at yearend, they want to close the city’s largest migrant shelter, the former Inn of Chicago at 162 E. Ohio St. The former hotel opened to migrants with the first buses nearly a year ago; it houses 1,500 people. Ald. Brendan Reilly’s 42nd ward encompasses the shelter, located just one block east of Michigan Avenue. Ald. Brian Hopkins’ 2nd ward borders it. The two aldermen described reports of drug sales, prostitution, public drinking, unlicensed street vendors, trash accumulation and human excrement in alleys around the Inn to Block Club Chicago. Hopkins had previously said the former hotel was deteriorating, even before it became a shelter. “This load of humanity is putting a lot of stress and strain on the physical structure of the building itself. It’s in even worse condition now than it was.”

Shelters throughout Chicago The Kelly High School meeting followed a protest that turned violent at the proposed 38th Street and California Avenue site of a winterized encampment for up to 1,500 people. Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th ward) was swarmed and shoved and one of her aides was hospitalized. As of November 9, city crews were working on the campsite, which was under environmental review. In the West Side Austin neighborhood, residents filed three lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court over a proposed sixmonth encampment for 200 people at the Amundsen Park Fieldhouse, 6200 W. Bloomingdale. The fieldhouse would have been the city’s 22nd shelter, and would have displaced youth football, after-school and senior citizen activities. Two of the court cases were consolidated and were awaiting a hearing on a temporary restraining order. “Amundsen Park is a place of refuge and protection for our young kids. For the West Side of Chicago. Our kids should not be displaced, our community members, our elders, should not be displaced as a result of the city’s decision to welcome in people without the property capacity or resources,” Tyrina Newkirk Sutton, NAACP Chicago Westside Branch, said on fox32chicago.com. Translation apps have become common means of communication (Suzanne Hanney photo).

Meanwhile, in September, the Chicago City Council voted to use $1.5 million in tax increment financing to buy a vacant 10.7-acre property on the North Branch of the Chicago River from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. The former U.S. Marine Corps reserve training center close to North Side College Prep High School had attracted a homeless encampment that the city closed by offering services to residents. Short-term, “the building on the property can help address the humanitarian crisis the city if facing and get migrant families out of police station lobbies and into a more appropriate setting,” Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th ward) said. Later, it could become Chicago Park District property or an early childhood learning facility. Attitudes toward migrants have ranged from complacency, to cooperative volunteerism, to “not in my backyard” (NIMBY), to outrage at the perception that resources are being given to new arrivals at the expense of long-term residents. “They treat the Venezuelans better than they treat their own homeless here,” said Tracey Watson, who was standing in line outside Catholic Charities headquarters at 720 N. LaSalle St. for the Wednesday night dinner hosted by the Chicago Help Initiative (CHI). “They’re giving them money, giving them a place to stay, giving them cards to work. What about the homeless that’s been here already, we’re still outside. My ancestors built this city.” CHI, meanwhile, has seen the numbers of its guests double since migrants began arriving last August. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been sending them from the border to sanctuary cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

What are migrants actually eligible for? “That allegation is not true,” regarding street talk that recent migrants from the southern border are receiving not only apartments, but $3,000 cash, said Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Senior Policy Counsel Fred Tsao in an email response to a StreetWise question.

According to the U.S. Citizenship Information and Services (USCIS) website, individuals who are outside of the United States may be able to request parole into the United States based on urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons. They remain an applicant for admission.

“Some of the arriving migrants might be getting rental assistance (which lasts six months) and VTTC [Victims of Trafficking Torture or other Serious Crimes] cash assistance, but that is far from getting an apartment and $3,000,” Tsao added. VTTC is an Illinois Department of Human Services benefit that includes a medical card for health insurance and a food/cash assistance card.

Migrants who are applying for asylum qualify for work permits 180 days after they file their asylum application. Those who received parole upon arrival can also apply for work permits, Tsao wrote, but their authorization runs only as long as their parole, “so if someone gets only a few months of parole, it might take longer to process the work permit application than the period of the parole.”

ICIRR and other partner organizations are providing case management services for people in the shelters, and mutual aid groups are trying to provide for the people at or outside police stations.

Self-incorporation and worker coops are two possible ways they might work that ICIRR is investigating, he said.

“The migrants generally have few if any other options,” Tsao wrote. “If they had options for a family- or employersponsored visa, they would not have traveled through the Darien Gap or otherwise walked or traveled to the border. “Their ability to stay depends on what status or other accommodation the Department of Homeland Security provides for them. Many of the Venezuelans can apply for Temporary Protected Status, (TPS) which shields them from deportation for up to 18 months and makes them eligible for work permits. Many of the migrants would have received parole, which also enables them to stay while their cases are pending.” In late September, Dept. of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that migrants who entered legally before July 31, 2023, and who have resided here continuously since before October 3, would be eligible for 18 months of TPS.

Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance prevents police officers and other city employees from helping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest people, “but ICE can still identify, arrest, detain, and deport people even without city assistance,” Tsao wrote. According to the City of Chicago website, migrants can receive healthcare through the Cook County Health system and pregnant women can sign up for WIC. Asylum seekers may be able to receive additional benefits from the Illinois Department of Human Services. People without Social Security numbers in Illinois can obtain a Temporary Visitor’s Driver’s License (TVDL), through the Secretary of State’s office. In Chicago, a CityKey card will serve as identification, library card and transit card, (once loaded with funds). However, it is not a work authorization card. City of Chicago photo.

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‘What about me?’ But three experts who have been involved with the migrant crisis in Chicago said at an October 30 City Club of Chicago luncheon that, “it’s not ‘either/or,’ it’s ‘both’” – migrants and long-time Chicagoans in disinvested communities – whose needs must be addressed. Aimee Hilado, Ph.D, LCSW, acknowledged that “many communities (some undocumented) watched what is happening, wondering how the red carpet is being rolled out for new arrivals,…but ‘what about me?’” The reality, Hilado said, is the new crisis has underscored under resourced communities here. “We have to learn to build the infrastructure for all and we are learning by doing. This is nothing that any of us expected, yet we are responding in a way that sees the humanity in each arrival, that wants to do dignified resettlement and looks to a long-term plan for everyone.” Dr. Hilado is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and head of the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health. This coalition has trained 250 Spanish-speaking, nonclinical, frontline volunteers at emergency shelters, community organizations and police stations, in how to recognize red-flag trauma and stress responses that would warrant emergency care. They also learn how to promote adaptive coping and how to run groups to reduce social isolation. Foundation money seeded the program, which is now funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. There are plans to train 250 more volunteers. This mental health framework can also be used for Chicago communities that have experienced intergenerational racial trauma and community violence, Dr. Hilado said. “It’s not either/or. It’s both/and,” said the second City Club panelist, Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce de Leon.

“Mayor Johnson has been very clear about this,” said Ponce de Leon, whom Johnson appointed to this first-ever position on July 3. As proof, she cited both the One Fair Wage ordinance and Bring Chicago Home for affordable housing, as well as the $250 million line item in the city budget for people experiencing homelessness and the $150 million for migrants. The migrant crisis has forced the city to set up a new infrastructure and continuum of care for people who are unhoused. “Eventually, our system of shelters for asylum seekers and our regular system for people experiencing homeless should become one and we should be able to right-size that system and make the care we provide through those shelters stronger for anyone who needs them,” Ponce de Leon said. Chicago is on a “global stage” among American cities, Ponce de Leon said, because it is handling the crisis differently than Denver, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles. It has not closed its doors. “Our goal is the long view, exactly what Pastor Phelps [the third panelist] is describing: how do we help our new neighbors to become productive, healthy parts of our community, and really become part of the fabric of Chicago,” Ponce de Leon said. The Rev. Kenneth Phelps, senior pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church, 6319 S. Kimbark, spoke about his work at the shelter opened in February at the former Wadsworth Elementary School. Located at 6420 S. University Ave., it had been controversial among Woodlawn residents.

The scope of Chicago’s crisis Since the crisis began in August 2022, Chicago has welcomed 462 buses with 20,000 migrants from the southern border: the majority Venezuelan, but also people from Colombia, Haiti, Ghana, Angola, Russia and China, Ponce de Leon said. Chicago is known for being a welcoming city in a welcoming state, with an ordinance that protects undocumented immigrants in particular.

The City Club of Chicago panel, from left, the Rev. Kenneth Phelps, Deputy Mayor Beatriz Ponce de Leon, Aimee Hilado, Ph.D., LCSW and moderator Kristen Schorsch of WBEZ.

The majority of buses have come since Mayor Johnson’s inauguration last May, which was nearly simultaneous with the ending of Title 42, she said. This public health law was invoked by the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, theoretically because of the potential for the disease to spread in detention centers. Speaking the day before an expected Halloween snowfall, Ponce de Leon told the City Club that the City’s immediate priority was to open more base camps and more brick-and-mortar shelters before winter, to move everyone out of police stations and indoors, where they could receive services. In the past year, the City has vetted roughly 250 spaces, with a priority on those that were move-in ready, with showers or the capacity for shower trailers. Talking to aldermanic offices and engaging with communities about several locations was taking longer than expected. Ideally, the new spaces would be ready in November. The Archdiocese of Chicago and smaller churches were also helping to open shelters, she said.

Vendor A. Allen leads a vendor orientation at StreetWise with Spanish translations for migrants (Suzanne Hanney photo).

She did not respond to an email question from StreetWise about using more of the roughly 50 Chicago Public Schools closed in 2013.

Vendor a. allen on how streetwise can help chicago's migrants

Compounding the challenge around migrants is that the city does not control the arrival of buses from Texas. Visiting the southern border with three aldermen, Ponce de Leon said she realized that the conservative state is proud of using no money of its own, but only federal dollars, to move the refugees out within one to three days.

The migrant situation is another epic in the annals of American history. Like the pandemic and the struggles of Blacks, these are phases we have endured and are now facing. Times may be hard and uncomfortable, but we as a country have endured and overcome many trying times. We as individuals have overcome many challenges and obstacles, just like starting all over again.

However, cities in the interior of the U.S. are quickly becoming resettlement cities, “being asked to do the work of the federal government, …without the support, without the dollars. No city is set up to do it. Everyone has been scrambling to do it.” The program needs federal coordination, because “right now it’s being run by the governor of Texas. They determine to which cities the buses are sent.”

The migrants are coming to the U.S.A., for example, looking for opportunity and a better life. They have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations to get here and now are expecting to endure until things get better. Much like the homeless and downand-out vendors who come to StreetWise looking for opportunity and a better way of life, StreetWise can be a vehicle for their better life. As it has worked for us United States citizens, so it can work for anyone looking for an opportunity to improve on life’s terms or to earn an honest living.

President Biden had asked Congress for $1.4 billion to help state and local governments provide shelter and services for migrants. Two days after the City Club luncheon, the Associated Press reported that Mayor Johnson and his counterparts in New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Houston wanted $5 billion instead. In the last two decades, Chicago has welcomed refugees from Bosnia, Croatia, Burma, Afghanistan. The 30,000 people from Ukraine in the last two years have received little resistance, Ponce de Leon said.

We have had migrants come to StreetWise vendor orientation seeking a better life in the U.S. I am here to say we offer the opportunity for a better way of life than begging and panhandling. We believe in a hand up, not a hand out: working for a living and earning our keep. I am proud to be a self-supporting vendor who feels good about earning an honest living. If you want to be an entrepreneur working for yourself, please join me in orientation Thursdays at 10 a.m. Or see me where I sell the magazine: Mariano’s on Foster & Sheridan, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thank you for your support!

“People have welcomed them, and they have become www.streetwise.org

“Mou,” 25, was among them. She had two semesters of physical therapy training in Venezuela and said she played center and power forward for the women’s professional basketball team of the capital city, Caracas. “There’s food, but it’s super expensive and the wages are dirt,” Mou said via Sturges’ translation. “You work all month and only get $20 and a bag of rice is $5. The government is not helping anybody.” She and her sister walked through Venezuela, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico to come here. They waited in camps to form a group to navigate the Darien Gap, the dense jungle between Colombia and Panama that interrupts the Pan-American Highway; there was a narrow trail in Panama with a steep dropoff, dangerous animals, hours of canoeing in the sun and sleeping outside at night. Now, Mou is one of eight girls in a room at the Refugio and her sister stays at District 1. She said she would even do manual labor; she would like to become a citizen, and bring her grandmother, to whom she sends money. Looking ahead, Ponce de Leon said philanthropic money is needed. She urged the luncheon attendees to use their spheres of influence to help, to get their churches involved and to suggest buildings that might be used as shelters. She handed out a resource guide for donations.

part of our community in large part because those official refugees have come with the infrastructure and funding to become part of Chicago.” The Ukrainian community’s own Selfreliance Association, for example, has six city and suburban offices and a website with information on how to sponsor refugees, how to consult with an immigration attorney, how to find job or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and links to Ukrainian schools, churches, businesses, doctors.

The Important work of volunteers Ponce de Leon also referred to Chicagoans volunteering their own time and money with migrants at police stations. “It would be great if the City could step in and take over these operations but we are not in a position to do that.” Andy Sturges, for example, had met refugees at both the District 1 police station, 1718 S. State St., and the “Jackson Refugio,” the former Standard Club at 320 S. Plymouth Court. On a Thursday morning, he walked inside the latter, shouted, “who wants to work?” and brought nine people to StreetWise for vendor orientation with Field Supervisor A. Allen. (see story, page 13) Volunteers serve at Wednesday Chicago Help Initiative (CHI) dinners (Suzanne Hanney photo).

Phelps urged people to become landlords to migrants; he gets 25 to 50 requests daily, mostly denied. His church has been working to help wherever it can, with ESL, clothing, credentials, housing, trauma counseling, employment opportunities, trying to be a model for bridging the gap between the Black and brown community. “It’s a humanitarian crisis we’re facing. It needs to be all boots on the ground. All of us need to be working towards that and it’s not Black vs. brown. It’s not either/or, it’s and/both. If they’re hungry, we need to feed them, if they are naked, we need to clothe them. It’s a Christian principle and a Christian application. We see our services as bridging the gap because with the presence of the migrants there’s been a lot of racial tension in our community.” But inside the shelters, Phelps said, they’ve learned there are doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners. They are resilient, talented and they just need policies to expedite work permits and housing. “If we can integrate them into our community, I am very confident they will become productive citizens. Black and brown communities need these resources, so they will build a better Woodlawn, a better Chicago, a better United States of America, if we can just find ways to support one another.” Learn more about the City's mission at www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/texas-new-arrivals/home.html

se Sudoku the11/5/23 Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the 1 to 9.

PuzzleJunction.com

Streetwise 11/5/23 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.

PuzzleJ

Crossword Across

67 Israeli weapon 68 Tobacco kilns 69 Like Eric the Red 70 Hanoi holiday 71 French seaport 72 La vita nuova poet

10 Former 42 Bender Olympic skiing 45 Decay gold medalist 49 Means of 11 Cowboy’s rope support 12 Impressive 51 Gofer’s job display 52 Gaming 13 Nectar ﬂavor table cover 22 Command 53 Comet’s path 23 Flowering vine 54 Hangman’s 24 Equestrian rope 26 Swindle 55 Blasts of air Down 27 Pedestal 57 Champagne 1 Pack down 28 Bad to the bone designation 2 Toast topper 29 Rancher’s 59 Sleeveless concern 3 Hitchhiker’s garment 33 Morse E quest 60 Succotash 4 Golf ball prop 34 Menu words ingredient 35 Boulogne-sur- 61 Dethrone 5 Nail polish ___ 6 Con game 62 Arborist’s 7 Went white 37 Husk concern Copyright ©2023 PuzzleJunction.com 8 Kind of acid 38 Measurer 64 Male swan 9 Pie chart part 39 Hightailed it 66 Bygone bird

Answers from Nov. 15 edition Sudoku Solution

Solution

Sudoku Solution

Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at www.streetwise.org

1 Scored on serve 5 Razor sharpener 10 Stadium souvenirs 14 Loud laugh 15 “Common Sense” writer 16 Seed covering 17 Pound of poetry 18 Title holder 19 Quash 20 Lip-___ 21 Pen filler 22 Smallest 23 Hideous 25 So-so 27 Bashes 29 Retaliates 33 Lock site 34 Medical breakthrough 36 Hacienda room 37 Seek a seat 38 They get the lead out 41 Prohibit 42 Flu symptom 44 Bullfight cheers 45 Puts a stop to 47 Ghent locale 49 Blender button 50 Table scraps 51 Mongrel 52 Related maternally 55 Costa del ___, Spain 56 State (Fr.) 60 Lucy’s husband 61 Run ___ of 63 Speechless 64 ___ and sciences

65 Wilkes-___, Pa. 66 Surefooted goat 67 Castle defense 68 Regarding 69 Mailed Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Greek war god Snug Have coming Stoker vampire Loot Lion-colored Milieu for Lemieux 8 Indivisible 9 Pricing word 10 Carlsbad attractions

11 Atlas stat 12 Apricots have them 13 Token taker 22 Golfer’s concern 24 Battering wind 25 Passengers 26 Allege as fact 27 Assess 28 Invalidate 30 Clark of “Comrade X” 31 Gladden 32 ___ souci 33 Cocktail decapod 34 Quiets 35 Employ 39 Defeat decisively

40 Close 43 Know-it-all 46 Sister of Apollo 48 E.U. member 49 Fryer 51 Grieve 52 Wax-coated cheese 53 Agrippina’s slayer 54 Hammett hound 55 Like some losers 57 Toothpaste holder 58 Solar disk 59 Student’s book 61 Camel hair fabric 62 Groupie

How StreetWise Works Buy the Magazine, Take the Magazine Vendors purchase When you buy the magazine, take the the magazine for $1.15 and sell it for magazine, and read the $3 plus tips. The vendor keeps all of magazine, you are supporting our their earnings. microentrepreneurs earning an income with dignity. -or-

All vendors go through an orientation focusing on their rights and responsibilities as a StreetWise Magazine Vendor. Authorized vendors have badges with their name, picture and current year.

New vendor orientation is every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at 2009 S. State St. Find your nearest vendor at www.streetwise.org

THE PLAYGROUND

StreetWise exists to elevate marginalized voices and provide opportunities for individuals to earn an income and gain employment. Anyone who wants to work has the opportunity to move themselves out of crisis. StreetWise provides “a hand up, not a handout.”

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