February 7, 2002
Written by: Starlene Rankin/CIMC

Chicago Politics, As Usual! No Listening to the People about Goldblatt's!

On Tuesday, February 5, Affordable Housing and Anti-Gentrification activists in Uptown and the surrounding communities were terribly disappointed that the Community Development Commission (CDC) voted in favor of developer Freed & Associates' plan to turn the former Goldblatt's building into high-priced condos and a Borders Bookstore (using public TIF money).

COURAJ, the Community of Uptown Residents for Affordability and Justice, along with Queer to the Left, the Edgewater-Uptown Greens, Jesus People USA, and other community groups, have been working hard to stop the Freed Plan from moving forward. They organized a large turnout of concerned residents for the CDC Public Hearing, which took place, Tuesday afternoon at the Chicago City Hall. Over 1000 people have signed petitions about the Broadway Lawrence TIF, calling for TIF funds to go to low-cost affordable housing,.and almost 2000 postcards protesting the "Plan" have gone to Mayor Daley and another 2000 to Commissioner Berg.

Debbie Gould, a member of COURAJ and Queer to the Left, says the CDC is ignoring what the people are saying. "Over seventy-six percent of the voters supported the 1999 Affordable Housing referendum, which tells the state and the city to do everything they could to increase the amount of low-cost housing," says Debbie. "The CDC doesn't appear to be listening to us. The only reason people in community supported the TIF was to get low-cost housing. For the first project to be for high-end condos, is a betrayal of the process."

Larry Pride, another member of COURAJ, was disappointed they lost the things they were asking for, but he is trying to dwell on the positives. "The fight has to go on and eventually, we will shift the focus back to housing."

There's seems a lot of agreement that yesterday's hearing was Chicago politics "as usual" and once again, the voices of the people were not heard. The Freed Plan will now go before the City Finance Committee, then to the City Council for final approval.

COURAJ will continue their work of bringing affordable housing to Uptown. Larry wrapped it up nicely with, "if you don't ask for what's needed in the community, you'll never get it!"

At the end of the hearing, several activists stood up in a row and displayed a series of signs across them, that read:

"This Is Democracy? You Tell Our Children!"


For background information, see my story,
"Goldblatt's Protest Heats Up a Cold Day in Uptown!"
www.chicago.indymedia.org/front.php3