Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Reminder: Town Hall Meeting Tonight At 6:30pm At Truman College

As if you had not heard, there will be a Town Hall Meeting on Public Safety tonight at 6:30pm at Truman College in the cafeteria. We have heard that Ald. Shiller will be in attendance as well as someone from her staff. We suggest residents bring both cameras and video cameras to document the meeting as it is sure to be an interesting one! Be sure to bring your questions and comments as well. We are pretty sure you might have a few things on your mind and if you do, we suggest you email a concerned resident named Molly Phelan who is taking suggestions for fighting/reducing crime in Uptown and will give those suggestions to our elected officials. They can be reached at helpuptown@gmail.com
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15 comments:

  1. WindyCityEagleJuly 30, 2008 at 11:54 AM

    Just a friendly reminder from legendary bouncer Dalton:

    "Be nice. If someone gets in your face and calls you a racist, I want you to be nice. Ask them to calm down. Be nice. If they won't calm down, walk away, but be nice. If they're still in your face someone can break up the situation and you'll both be nice. This is a meeting about safety, its nothing personal"

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  2. madhungarianJuly 30, 2008 at 12:10 PM

    Agreed. I give her plenty of credit for showing up and, um...doing...her...job...

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  3. My Cat is My AvatarJuly 30, 2008 at 12:12 PM

    Good point 'eagle. Even tho we are passionate, we must remain respectful and appropriate. It would undermine our efforts if people are hostile.

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  4. Scott TreacherJuly 30, 2008 at 12:34 PM

    re Dalton-

    nobody puts Swayze in a corner.
    'Roadhouse' rules, was just on basic cable 2 days ago.
    I swear by its code.

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  5. UnknownJuly 30, 2008 at 12:46 PM

    DO WE KNOW IF THE MEDIA WILL BE PRESENT? I FORWARDED THE INFO TO LOCAL NBC, FOX, ABC, NPR, WBBN.

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  6. yoJuly 30, 2008 at 12:49 PM

    You'd think CAN-TV would send someone.

    If I were them, and a scheduled guest had to bail for a public meeting, I'd follow them there.

    But, that's just me.

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  7. Man On The StreetJuly 30, 2008 at 1:01 PM

    You'd think CAN-TV would send someone.

    CAN TV doesn't "send" people out. Regular citizens like yourself take the classes, learn how to work the equipment (including portable video cameras, etc.) and create their own shows. You could create your own "Uptown Update: The TV Show" if you wanted to. I'm in the process of taking the "portable and editing" classes at CAN-TV studios for work (I work for a state agency). Alas, I live just a bit over the border in Edgewater (but still have a vested interest in what goes on in Uptown).

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  8. AndyJuly 30, 2008 at 2:59 PM

    I'm very glad she is coming. I think if anyone begins a shouting match or starts name-calling, killing them with niceness is the best policy. Let those people look foolish.

    Wanting a cleaner, safer neighborhood isn't the priority of any certain race, is it? I thought it was just what all citizens of Uptown want and deserve...

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  9. ltn318July 30, 2008 at 3:27 PM

    I am out of town but I really wish I could be there! In my absence, I hope everyone sticks to the message we laid out for the rally:

    EVERYONE in Uptown deserves to live in a safe neighborhood.

    By saying only this, you can respond to anything: to being called a racist, to being called a classist, to being told to move to Lincoln Park. All you have to say is that everyone in Uptown deserves to live in a safe neighborhood. Because if those name-callers argue with that statement, then they are proving that they don't have the best interests of the neighborhood at heart.

    Best of luck tonight!

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  10. CowboyJuly 30, 2008 at 3:36 PM

    I can't be there tonight but I'd love to read about it later tonight and watch any videos on youtube.

    I bet Schiller won't be there but I'm almost certain that COURAJ will be present pointing out that any attempt to curb crime or make the neighborhood safer will hurt the poor and minorities and will likely involve violating their civil liberties.

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  11. billyjoeJuly 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM

    It will be interesting to see it meeting attendants can remain calm and not start venting or attacking Shiller, regardless of whether she shows up.

    If nothing else, Steans and Harris will make themselves and their names more familiar to registered voters. Addressing crime is a great issue for getting attention.

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  12. ChuckJuly 30, 2008 at 3:56 PM

    Let's not count this chicken until we see her come through the door and seated at the ready. She's only recently cancelled an appearance that is far less hostile and far more controlled in her favor than this meeting will be. It is not the slightest stretch to find out she is a no-show for this, too.

    Should she bless us all with her holy presence, we should really thank her for coming each time we speak directly with her. Again, kill her with kindness. Should she be unpleasant in return it would make for some very bad press.

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  13. CowboyJuly 30, 2008 at 5:07 PM

    "Thank you gracing us with your presence Lord Vader!" sounds appropriate. Can someone bring a video camera and a CD player and play "The Imperial March" from Star Wars when she speaks or walks around.

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  14. billyjoeJuly 30, 2008 at 7:56 PM

    There's a great, silly scene in the movie, "Billy Jack" when the Freedom School hippies testify at a meeting of the local city council, whose majority members are mostly redneck and conservative. There's lots of name calling and vocal mayhem (" . . . .Because you're a filthy little girl," to which the Freedom School students respond by mocking the National Anthem). In the end some of the city council members agree to visit the Freedom School and find out what its students (one of them played by Howard Hesseman) are "alternatively" learning.

    Anyway, maybe there will be a parallel encounter between the Uptown Update crowd and Ald, Shiller worthy of a movie scene like that.

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  15. marathonman1977July 30, 2008 at 9:19 PM

    Shiller was there...and I actually think there was a good dialogue, even though there was a lot of finger pointing. I'm really excited about what I can do to help the neighborhood, starting with attending my first CAPS meeting.

    I hope other people will take some action.

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