October 4 - 11, 2023

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Arts & Entertainment Event highlights of the week!

SportsWise

The SportsWise team discusses the WNBA playoffs.

Cover Story: Chinese cuisine

The path to Chinese cuisine becoming the most popular ethnic fare in the U.S. is one of empowerment.

From the Streets

Advocates for an Obama Presidential Library Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) introduce a proposed ordinance to the Chicago City Council that would ensure "development without displacement" of the majority-Black, low-income tenant community surrounding the center, now under construction at 59th Street and Stony Island Avenue.

The proposed Bring Chicago Home ordinance would raise the Real Estate Transfer Tax, "a small price to pay for security, housing, for services, for a city that's better, safer and healthier for all of us," says Ald. Maria Hadden (49th ward).

The cUkraine pop-up shop in the Wrigley Building through October 23 allows you to experience authentic Ukrainian art, history, and politics, and to aid rebuilding.

The Playground

ON THE COVER: Chinese cuisine has a high-end history, as shown by the opulent King Joy Lo restaurant, center and bottom photos, and by Chef Ben Moy (1923-2016), whose Evanston restaurant, The Bird, known for its "Crispy Skin Chicken," was considered among the area's best in the 1980s and 90s. (Courtesy of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago).

THIS PAGE: The extent of the Chinese restaurant industry is shown in these special serving dishes, canned foods and local food purveyor. (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

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Amanda Jones, Director of programs ajones@streetwise.org

Julie Youngquist, Executive director jyoungquist@streetwise.org

Chicago, IL, 60616

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Compiled by Mary Mathieu

Working On Your Fitness!

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands of participants from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a world-class elite field, top regional and Masters runners, race veterans, debut marathoners, and charity participants. The race’s iconic course takes participants through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural tour of Chicago. The 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and finish in Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St. on Sunday, October 8, 7- 4 p.m. In advance of the race, a three-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention Center on Thursday, October 5, Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7. To get involved, go to chicagomarathon.com

Celebrating Chicago's Indigenous People!

The 5th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Arts & Music Festival

The Indigenous Peoples Day Chicago Arts & Music Festival serves as a platform to honor and amplify the voices and contributions of Indigenous peoples while fostering unity, resilience, and cultural pride. During the two-day extravaganza, 5:30-10 p.m. October 8 and 9, attendees will be able to immerse themselves in an awe-inspiring lineup of renowned Indigenous musicians from diverse backgrounds. Located at the Chop Shop, 2033 W. North Ave., the festival is free to the public. However, due to limited capacity, attendees are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance at skypeopleentertainment.com

Peace, Love, & Healing!

Pandemic Recovery with Tapestry360 Health

This program will address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community wellness and will highlight chronic disease management and routine health screenings, address health care gaps stemming from the pandemic, and will give guidelines on vaccination and infection control as respiratory disease season begins. The program will be at 6 p.m. October 11 at the Rogers Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 6907 N. Clark St.

Music for the Soul!

On-Site Live Performance: A Recovered Voice - The Clarinet Music Of Hans Gal

The career of Austrian Jewish composer Hans Gal spanned over half a century. After the "annexation" of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, Gal and his family fled into exile in Britain, where they were termed "enemy aliens" for several months. Nevertheless, he became a beloved composer and performer in the years that followed. The Illinois Holocaust Museum will present a concert of three of Gal's works for clarinet, written between the 1930s and 1960s, at 2:30 p.m. October 8. A reception will follow. The Museum is located at 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie. The concert is free to the public, but reservations are required at ilholocaustmuseum.org

A Spotlight on Mental Health!

Mental Filmness 2023 Festival

This Chicago-based film festival about mental health opens at 7 p.m. Friday, October 6 at the University of Illinois/ Chicago with a screening of "Any Given Day," a documentary written about the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system. The main feature on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton, will be "The Year Between," written and directed by, and starring Alex Heller. Heller drew from her own life in the Chicago suburbs to create this film about a young woman at who is forced to take a gap year from college when she receives a surprise diagnosis of bipolar disorder. More information at mentalfilmess.com

Literary Legend!

Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Fuller Award: Scott Turow

Scott Turow, the acclaimed author of 13 fictional and three non-fiction books, will receive the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s highest honor for living writers, the Fuller Award, on October 5, 5 p.m. at Harold Washington Library Center, 400 State St. Doors to the auditorium will open at 4:30 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. Books will be available for purchase, with a signing to follow.

Back to Wild!

Return to Nature: Rewilding Landscapes Big and Small Isabella Tree and Charlie Burnell will discuss their new publication, "The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small," in partnership with The Garden Conservancy, Chicago Wilderness Alliance and the Chicago Park District, at 3:30 p.m. October 5 in the James Simpson Theatre of the Field Museum, 1440 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. An outside reception will follow from 5 to 6 p.m. in the museum's Rice Native Gardens. The program is free, but registration is required at thefieldmuseum.com

Perceptions Vs. Realities!

David T. Little’s 'Soldier Songs' Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, kicks off its 50th Anniversary season with David T. Little’s Grammy-nominated "Soldier Songs," a haunting, heavy-metal infused theatrical cantata about the psychological impact of war. This one-night-only event takes place Thursday, October 5, 7 p.m. at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave. Tickets $60+ are available at chicagooperatheater.org

Dance Battle!

Gingarte Capoeira Chicago

Join Gingarte Capoeira Chicago at 11:30 a.m. October 7 as it shares how this unique martial art that originated with Brazilian slaves in the 16th century combines elements of fight, dance, acrobatics, rhythm, music and philosophy to form a cultural expression. The event is part of Latinx Heritage Month at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. fieldmuseum.org

Immigrant Stories!

Armour Seminar: Myrna Garcia

Myrna Garcia Ph.D., an assistant professor of instruction at Northwestern University, will discuss "Son Fronteras Politics: Contending with INS Terror in Chicago," regarding the formation of the Chicago chapter of the Center for Autonomous Social Action (CASA), one of the most important immigrant rights organizations to emerge from the Chicano Movement. CASA-Chicago youth in the 1970s developed transnational imaging that brought together ethnic Mexicans and other Latinx, regardless of birthplace, generation or citizenship status. The lecture will be at noon October 11 at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. Registration is required at fieldmuseum.com

the wnba playoffs heat up!

John: Welcome to another addition of Sportswise. Today we will be talking about the WNBA playoffs that are underway. The Chicago Sky was one of the eight teams that qualified. Unfortunately for us, the Las Vegas Aces swept Chicago on September 17, knocking them out of the playoffs.

A. Allen: Even though everyone predicted the Aces would win, I’m always going to give the Sky my heart because my heart is here in Chicago.

Russell: The WNBA regular season is in the books. Now we’re in the playoffs. Defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, finished with only six losses for the entire year out of 40 games total. The Las Vegas Aces are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back since the LA Sparks in 2002.

A.Allen: The Liberty should be interesting because New

York always has good teams, and they beat the Aces three times this year. So it will be exciting to see them play. I am looking forward to the outcome of the semi championship series.

John: I agree, the Liberty can throw a wrench into the Ace’s playoff run, considering half their regular season losses came from New York.

Russell: But you still can’t count the rest of the teams out. And when it comes to the New York Liberty against the Washington Mystics, I think New York will win, definitely. For the Connecticut Sun against the Minnesota Lynx, I’m betting on Connecticut taking that win. And for the Dallas Wings against the Atlanta Dream, I think Dallas will continue dominating Atlanta, since they’ve beaten the Dream three times this year already.

John: The Washington Mys-

tics would have been a dark horse, but the problem with them are their player injuries. In particular, one player who is out for the year is Kristi Toliver. She tore her ACL in her right knee, so there is no way that she is going to come back to play for the Mystics. In addition, Ariel Atkins and two-time MVP winner Elena Delle Donne encountered injuries that took them both out of the game. Both are back and provide a better threat to the New York Liberty. And now Shakira Austin has been pulled indefinitely for a hip injury as well.

Russell: Okay, I’m going to say one more thing. My prediction is that it’s going to come down to Las Vegas and New York. Las Vegas has got good players, and I think they’ll come out on top against New York.

A Allen: I don’t know if it’ll be like Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers sayin’ “I got Chicago

in my pocket.” New York may feel like they have Las Vegas in their pocket since they won three games. And it might be hard for the Aces to overcome those losses. Las Vegas’s time might be up.

Now what I can see going on in the future is that it will come down to the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces for the championship. But I think, this time, New York Liberty will win. Las Vegas’s time might be up.

Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

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

CHINESE CUISINE: STORIES,

by Suzanne Hanney

Chinese cuisine has been an ambassador for Chinese culture and a wealth-building business for its community, according to an exhibit at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) in Chinatown.

“Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles and Successes” highlights the hardships, resiliency, and entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese Americans as it ties immigration history to the popularization of Chinese food. The exhibit gives an authentic voice to international history and tells how early restaurants, and familiar contemporary ones, created Chicago’s culinary reputation.

Chinese cuisine came to American shores with the California Gold Rush of January 1848, the largest migration in U.S. history. Europeans fled repression that followed unsuccessful revolutions against several monarchies that year; Ireland was in a famine. In China, there were also natural disasters and famine, and aftereffects of the Treaty of Nanking with the British. China ceded Hong Kong to the British and was forced to pay reparations.

The Chinese had a history of international trade, however, and so they were among the first across the Pacific. Most of these workers came from the fishing and farming area of the Pearl River Delta in southeastern China, near the port of Canton (now known as Guangzhou). Cantonese cooking became the foundation of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. for the next century.

As the Gold Rush waned, the Chinese looked for other opportunities. From 1863 to 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese worked on the railroad from California to Utah and on to Omaha. They had a superior work ethic, said Andrea Stamm, a CAMOC board member, and they used their own cooks, which had several advantages, said Soo Lon Moy, CAMOC immediate past president and head of exhibitions. Much of their food came dried, and they could adjust menus to what was available: oysters, cuttlefish, abalone, bamboo shoots, seaweed, mushrooms, and occasional poultry and pork. Because they drank tea made with boiled water, they avoided dysentery, a sometimes-fatal intestinal infection caused by a parasite or bacteria.

By 1870, California’s population included more than 45,000 Chinese, who contributed to almost one quarter of the state’s tax revenue, according to the CAMOC exhibit. But as Chi-

nese communities grew rapidly in western states, so did antiChinese hysteria, fueled by racism and fear of job competition. Chinese people began to move east, where there was less prejudice, but they were still occupationally marginalized: into restaurant or laundry businesses. Mainstream Americans still rejected Chinese cuisine, and circulated vicious, racially profiled myths about it; this history repeated itself during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The culmination of the anti-Chinese movement was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal law that limited entry of an ethnic working group. The few non-laborers who sought entry had to obtain certification from the Chinese government that they were qualified to emigrate. Merchants/ restaurant owners, however, were exempt: the “lo mein loophole.” Only in 1943, when China was allied with the U.S. against Japan in World War II, was the law repealed.

Meanwhile, in 1878, the Moy brothers came from California with their families and set up a small Chinatown in the Loop, along Clark Street between Harrison and Van Buren. In 1889, there were eight grocery stores, two drug stores, two butcher shops, two barber shops, a cigar factory, and a restaurant

STRUGGLES, AND SUCCESSES

there, according to the CAMOC exhibit. By the 1890 census, there were 567 Chinese who lived above their small shops; their population doubled by 1902.

“The turn of the century saw the birth of Chinese American cuisine” as restaurateurs ventured outside of Chinatown, according to the CAMOC exhibit. Catering to the urban nightlife crowd, they sought to provide patrons an atmospheric dining experience and spared no expense on intricate Chinese features. The fare ranged from chop suey and egg foo young to American pork chops and steaks. They often allowed patrons and journalists alike to inspect their spotless kitchens.

In 1900, Chicago had only one Chinese restaurant, but by 1915, there were 118, and only six or seven of them in Chinatown. The most upscale was King Joy Lo, opened in 1906 at Randolph and Clark Streets, which featured Chinese art, carvings, a chandelier above a mosaic fountain and motherof-pearl inlaid wood tables, a live orchestra, a dance floor, and separate seating for lady shoppers. According to a blog by the Culinary Historians of Chicago, King Joy Lo was capitalized with $100,000 (nearly $3 million today) by Chin F. Foin, two non-Chinese partners, and the Baohuanghui (Emperor

Protection Association). The Moy and Chin families were associated with this political organization that advocated constitutional monarchy in imperial China through peaceful reform. The restaurant business also enabled Baohuanghui students to study abroad and to work as waiters.

Chinese minister Li Hung-chiang, his country’s leading statesman until his death in 1901, had been particularly interested in sending young men to the United States to learn new skills, because he was wary of the growing strength of Japan. Legend had it that “chop suey” was invented by his chef for a state dinner in New York City in 1896, but in a blog for the Summer 2013 Quarterly Publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, Randy K. Schwartz said the term came from the Cantonese tsap seui, or “miscellaneous scraps”: particularly celery, bean sprouts, and meat in a tasty sauce, according to foodreference.com. Made in a wok, the dish could be served with rice, with boiled noodles (war mein) or stir-fried noodles (chow mein, from the Cantonese ch’ao min). The CAMOC exhibit features a tiered, lacquered wooden food box from “King Joy Lo Chop Sooy Restaurant” made in the early 20th century in Guangdong Province. Its top is decorated with confronting dragons, Chinese coins, insects, and eternal knots.

Left: Clark Street, looking north from Harrison in 1908 (Chicago History Museum photo). Above: A postcard featuring the interior of King Joy Lo restaurant. Below: Artifacts from King Joy Lo restaurant include a serving bowl, laquered box, and menu. (Images courtesy of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.)

Chin himself had left his hometown of Toisan, near Canton, as a teenager in the 1890s. He attended Yale University, and managed his extended family’s grocery store at 281 Clark St. While produce and perishable foods were available in Chicago, dried and preserved goods were shipped from Hong Kong to San Francisco and then by rail to Chicago. Stores sometimes sent their own agents overseas to buy them. The gregarious Chin mingled readily among his customers and in 1912, moved into the mansion of the late railroad president Clarence Knight on Calumet Avenue, between 33rd and 35th Streets, which was then an all-white neighborhood. When he encountered prejudice, he enlisted media support. They noted that after all, he had attended Yale, and was wealthy enough to afford the mansion’s upkeep.

From 1910 on, women’s pages of newspapers in Chicago and across the U.S. carried recipes for chop suey and similar dishes. King Joy Lo chefs inspired the first English cookbook of Chinese American cuisine published in the United States, written by Jessie Louise Nolton, a health and beauty columnist for the Chicago Inter-Ocean, whose offices were near the restaurant. Schwartz called the cookbook the first step in Chinese American assimilation and mainstream acceptance.

Chinatown business leaders were threatened by rent increases, racism and business rivalry and in 1911, by the federal government’s announcement that it planned an office building on Clark Street between Adams and Jackson. In February 1912, the leaders moved Chinatown to its present location at 22nd Street (later Cermak Road) and Wentworth Avenue, a cheaper neighborhood where some Chinese had already moved. Restaurant culture also contributed to its most prominent symbol, the headquarters of the On Leong Merchants Association, (comprised of extended Moy, Lee and Chin families), now known as the Pui Tak Center.

There were no architects of Chinese descent licensed to practice in Chicago at the time, but in 1920 Jim Moy had hired the firm of Michaelsen and Rognstad to design his Peacock Inn restaurant in the Uptown nightlife district, according to On Leong’s preliminary summary submitted to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Moy liked the results and in 1926, he was the American Secretary of On Leong (basically, the English-speaking “mayor of Chinatown”), so he hired them.

Michaelsen and Rognstad, both of Norwegian immigrant descent, began their work by studying a two-volume photographic survey of Chinese architecture published the previous year in Berlin. Their brick and terra cotta design featured twin pagodas at opposite ends, a canopy over the main floor entrance and a loggia on upper floors like multistory buildings in Canton. Decoration included glazed terra cotta animals

known as liu li in China, and geometric patterns representing good fortune and long life, as well as the six Confucian virtues of propriety, moral courage, physical courage, charity, pursuit of knowledge, and temperance. The polychrome glaze was in red, to represent joy; and green, for affluence; but not white, which was associated with death.

The CAMOC exhibit calls the On Leong design, “a westerner’s reinterpretation of Chinese architectural forms.” Likewise, preservation planner Julia Bachrach wrote in a blog that “the architects’ approach might be likened to a theme park today.” However, On Leong was well-received by the Chinese American community at the time, Bachrach noted, and the two architects received other commissions in Chinatown, including Won Kow restaurant directly across the street.

The nightclub world was never far away, as the CAMOC exhibit includes a photo of Louis Armstrong and his “Cornet Chop Suey,” released in 1926. Armstrong had learned to love Chinese food while growing up in New Orleans, but when he wrote and recorded the song, he was working in nearby Bronzeville clubs such as the Vendome Theater, 3145 S. State St.

By 2016, Chinese food was the top ethnic cuisine in the U.S.

The Chinese American Restaurant Association said there were 45,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S.: more than the five major fast-food chains in the nation (McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s) combined, as quoted by time.com.

“Americans fell in love with Chinese food not because of its gastronomic excellence, but because of its affordability and

convenience,” wrote University of California/Irvine history professor Yong Chen in “Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America.” Besides the open kitchens introduced a century ago, Chen cited other groundbreaking concepts, such as home delivery, takeout food, Christmas Day dining, and fortune cookies. The CAMOC exhibit localizes these ideas with photos of the proprietors of the Rainbow Restaurant, opened in 1931 at 63rd and Stony Island, the first takeout restaurant here; and the delivery car of the South Side Teco Inn in the 1920s.

CAMOC artifacts include commercial souvenirs of the former Chiam restaurant (its name a literal fusion of Chinese-American) such as coin purses, an ashtray, and a fan; a photo of Ken Hom CBE, a cookbook author who began his career at age 11 at King Wah restaurant, which he later owned; and a mimeographed recipe from Pansy and Chu Yen Luke’s Oriental Food Market on West Howard Street for Pork Tenderloin with Asparagus and hot bean sauce from Sichuan province. By the 1960s, Stamm and Moy said, Americans started cooking Chinese food for themselves at home. Greater migration after World War II and the Communist takeover in 1949 introduced the cuisines from other Chinese provinces. Chicago’s Jackie Shen went even farther, and fused Chinese and French gastronomy.

Besides the pioneer King restaurants, Chiam, Guey Sam and Chef Shangri-la, there are tributes to Bob Chinn’s Crab House, Sun Wah BBQ, Tony Hu’s group, Orange Garden Restaurant (now the oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago)/ Jade Café, Tong’s Tea Garden, Mee Mah Restaurant, Friendship Chinese Restaurant, and Triple Crown Restaurant, which survived the COVID-19 pandemic via takeout food and beer

brewed with jasmine tea. There’s also a rice bag from Quong Yick & Co., started in the basement of the building CAMOC now occupies; Raymond B. Lee began working there at age 15, later built Golden Country Oriental Food Company in Chicago, one of the largest Asian, African, European and Caribbean wholesale food importers and distributors in the U.S. – and donated the building to the museum.

Although more than 100 years old, Chicago’s Chinatown is the only one still growing in the United States, and food is a big reason.

In 1984, the Santa Fe Railroad wanted to sell its 32-acre freight yard just north of Chinatown. The U.S. Postal Service and the 1992 Chicago World’s Fair committee both wanted it. But Ping Tom, president of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the neighborhood, said his son, Darryl Tom, a former Chamber president himself. Speaking to StreetWise at a centennial birthday party for Mayor Harold Washington last year at his namesake library downtown, Tom said that the leaders brought the mayor to Chinatown for a meal.

Washington rejected the other proposals. The business community ultimately used Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for what became Chinatown Square, a mix of commercial and residential units.

“Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles and Successes” continues into 2024 at the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St. The museum is open Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. www.ccamuseum.org

Previous Page: "Chop Suey" by Edward Hopper, shows acceptance by the 1920s. Above: Photo at the entrance to the exhibit "Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories Struggles and Successes." Left: Souvenirs from Chiam restaurant _ a lighter and a piggy bank. (Images courtesy of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.)

Louis Armstrong (Library of Congress photo). The proprietors of the the Rainbow Restuarant in the 1930s. Below: The delivery car for Teco Inn in the 1920s. (Images courtesy of the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.)

Obama library proposal seeks development without displacement

by Suzanne Hanney

Advocates for an Obama Presidential Library Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) and local alderpersons filed a proposed ordinance September 14 to ensure “development without displacement” of the majorityBlack, low-income tenant community. The proposal by Alds. Desmon Yancy (5th ward) and Jeanette Taylor (20th ward) would set aside all 166 city-owned lots for affordable housing and create a South Shore pilot area with 60 percent of development aimed at households making roughly $23,000 a year. The next step will be a hearing by the Chicago City Council Housing Committee this fall.

“We are not opposed to the development of the Obama Center, we are not trying to stop it,” said Brendon Patterson, a South Shore native and an organizer with Not Me We and the Obama CBA coalition. “What we want the city to do, even as we celebrate and welcome the good that will come from the center, is to acknowledge that there are some harms that must be addressed if we are to ensure that everyone who is currently here can also stick around and enjoy the good.” Located on 19.3 acres east of the University of Chicago at 59th Street and Stony Island Avenue, the Obama Center has already caused real estate speculation in Woodlawn and South Shore, Patterson said, even though it is not scheduled to open until late 2025. Ground was broken a year ago on the site, which will include an eight-story museum, Chicago Public Library branch, research center, food service, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, expected to attract 700,000 people a year.

“Our concern, and the concern of many folks in the neighborhood, is that real estate speculation will drive many people – long-time homeowners and renters alike—out of the neighborhood,” Patterson said. “The purpose of the ordinance is to make sure there are protections for renters, who comprise 75 percent of the neighborhood, but also homeowners and condo owners. Many may stand to lose their properties as property tax goes up as development occurs, catalyzed by the center.”

According to the ordinance, South Shore faces the highest eviction rates in the city and the highest rates of homes lost to property tax sales.

The proposed ordinance also seeks:

• Deeper affordability for the lot at 63rd and Blackstone, the largest city-owned lot in Woodlawn, with 3 out of 4 (75%) of units affordable to people at 30 percent of

the Area Median Income (AMI) or roughly $23,000 for a single-person household and $26,500 for a household of two.

• A South Shore Loan Fund of $5 million to redevelop vacant homes and multi-unit buildings as affordable housing

• A PEAR (Preservation of Existing Affordable Rentals) program of $3 million to redevelop affordable multi-unit buildings, especially those owned by mom-and-pop landlords

• $5 million for the Chicago Low-Income Trust Fund to increase the supply of subsidized units, especially in the predominant building stock of six units or less, for people making less than 30 percent AMI.

• A Renew South Shore program of $12 million for down payment assistance, to incentivize homebuying

• A long-term homeowner improvement grant program of $20 million annually, because 3 out of 10 residents struggle to pay mortgage and taxes. Condo owners have said that rising fees have forced them to forgo maintenance. Grants of up to $40,000 would be available to homeowners of five years standing.

• $2.3 million in grants to pay off property tax debt. In the 5th and 7th wards, 950 properties are at risk to liens, with over $2.3 million in tax debt owed.

Introduction of the CBA ordinance is a milestone for the coalition, which has been organizing since 2015, with a campaign focused on South Shore since 2021. In a February referendum, 89 percent of South Shore residents supported ideas in the proposed CBA ordinance; 92 percent of Woodlawn residents supported development of affordable housing for the vacant lots at 63rd and Blackstone.

Tiered real estate tax would fund expanded homeless services here

by Suzanne Hanney

Bedbugs, cockroaches, noisy neighbors, difficulty in getting breakfast or a shower made living in a shelter for five months very difficult when Reina Mathis was homeless, but everything changed when she moved into a Single Room Occupancy hotel. Mathis gained emotional stability when she had a safe place to take her medication. She ate better, which improved her physical health. She obtained a stable job and took on more hours so that she was able to pay her bills.

Speaking at the same City Hall press conference as Mathis on September 14, Chicago Public Schools special education teacher Jhoanna Maldonado said that 20,000 houseless children cannot pretend that their living conditions do not impact their learning.

“It’s not the children’s fault that the city is becoming more and more unaffordable each day,” said Maldonado, who is also a Chicago Teachers Union organizer. “How can they do homework without a home? How can they rest before a test if they don’t know where they are going to sleep that night?”

Raising the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) would bring the money to get people who are doubled-up and tripled-up off sofas, “setting us on the path to Bring Chicago Home,” said Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th ward). The Bring Chicago Home resolution introduced in the Chicago City Council immediately afterward happened because Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supported it during his campaign and he kept his promise, Ramirez-Rosa said. “After years of struggle….we have a movement that has shown when people come together, we can transform our city for the better. We didn’t lack leadership in our community, we lacked a City Hall that listens.”

Ald Maria Hadden (49th ward) said the Bring Chicago Home coalition had “pleaded with our last mayor to come back to the table,” after 25 members of the 50-member Chicago City Council – mostly Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s allies – boycotted last November’s public hearing on the proposal, so that it failed to reach a quorum. Since then, advocates and City Council members have been “trying to come up with a solution to a problem we all face. There is not a ward in the city that isn’t touched by homelessness.

“No one wants to raise property taxes, there’s not many other places to go for revenue,” Hadden said. “It’s a small impact, a small price to pay for security, housing, for services, for a city that is better, safer and healthier for all of us.”

The RETT is now .75 percent. The original Bring Chicago Home proposal would have raised it 1.9%, to 2.65%, on properties sold for more than $1 million.

Mayor Johnson’s tiered compromise would lower the RETT for less expensive property sales and raise it for the remainder:

• The first $1 million of property valuation, now taxed at .75 percent, would be taxed at .60 percent

• The next $1 million to $1.5 million would be taxed at 2 percent

• Property valued above $3 million would be taxed at 3 percent

The Chicago Association of Realtors says on its website (chicagorealtor.com) that it opposes any increase in real estate-related fees or taxes that increase the cost of a transaction – and that make Chicago less competitive. Also, transfer taxes are not a reliable source of revenue, officials said, because the market can change.

The resolution was expected to be up for a vote at the next City Council meeting October 4 and, if approved, be placed on a referendum ballot for the March 2024 election. Voter approval would mean as much as $160 million annually for both housing and supportive services, administered respectively by the Chicago Departments of Housing (DOH) and Family and Support Services (DFSS), said Mary Tarullo, associate director of policy at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Housing funds could be used for construction, but also rent vouchers to keep existing housing affordable. The City Council would approve spending, guided by an advisory committee comprised of people with lived experience and homeless services providers.

Jhoanna Maldonado, a Chicago Public Schools special education teacher and a Chicago Teachers Union organizer, says at City Hall press conference that 20,000 houseless kids here need housing in order to do better in school. At left is Ald. Matt Martin (47th ward) and at right, Ald. Maria Hadden (49th ward) (Suzanne Hanney photo).

Experience Ukraine at CUkraine pop-up shop

Through October 23, you can authentically experience Ukraine at a pop-up store in the Wrigley Building supported by the City of Chicago, World Business Chicago, the Consulate General of Ukraine, and the Magnificent Mile Association, with the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art and Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago as partners.

The pop-up features artwork, clothes, ceramics, and textiles for sale, as well as space to enjoy coffee and pastry. Ukrainian history and politics is explained in a video.

You can also help Ukraine in its war with Russia by participating in a raffle to raise $580,000 to rebuild a hospital in the Kharkiv region damaged by Russian missiles. In addition, Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman (StreetWise, July 6-19, 2020, Vol. 28 No. 27) collaborated with Vladimir Radutny Architects and Luna Prysiazhniuk on a wall of heart-shaped reflective stickers to which you can donate and write a supportive message. The money will be sent to Kiev, a Sister City of Chicago, where it will be used for reconstruction projects. The wall itself will travel there as a visual representation of Chicago support. cUkraine is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at 410 N. Michigan Ave.

- story & photos by Suzanne Hanney

Top: Looking out the window of cUkraine pop up store in the Wrigley Building onto Michigan Avenue

Middle: cUkraine wall with reflective heart stickers and messages of support in various languages: English, Ukrainian, Spanish. Take a coffee break with something from Shokolad Pastry.

Bottom: Traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts. Merchandise for purchase to show you #StandWithUkraine

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the

Last week's Answers

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