Thursday, February 26, 2009

In Need Of A 'Side Gig?'


"Time Out Chicago" may have just the thing for you! Read all about it here. Comments are open after the Q&A, just in case you have a comment after reading this.

15 comments:

  1. I wish there was some law/ordinance that could be enforced to keep those people from hanging out right there. It's just a matter of time until those guys get bored or drunk enough to damage something or someone.

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  2. I wonder if the U-Haul does anything about them hanging around and "helping out"..or if they like the fact they are there to aide in the moving of their clients?

    I know that spot is always full of trash and broken glass.

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  3. TOC this week also has a piece on Uptown, Wilson Yard, diversity, housing options, etc.

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  4. These guys stand right under the pretty conspicuous sign on a red background that reads "NO LOITERING." It's pretty surreal.

    Once I was walking past that spot when I heard one of those guys yell at a passing car, "Hey, we're were for hire! Just tell us who..." No kidding. I do call that "day labor."

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  5. Boy, there is no winning with this crowd. People on this blog express spite for people who are poor and homeless, though not, of course, for being poor and homeless. Then when people do what they can to provide for themselves and improve their lot in life, more spite and contempt comes their way for their efforts.

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  6. Not really, Sean.

    It's not spite for the person, or their lot in life - it's a matter of the disregard for civility which gets the dander up.

    Being poor, or homeless, isn't a crime, nor should it be treated as such.

    Drinking and/or urinating in public is.

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  7. yo, and naturally this guys out working hard to try and make a living to survive elicit these comments because they are assumed to be drunks who urinate in public and harrass people.

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  8. No, Sean. They drink (you can see photos of their empties if you search UU). Heck, you can see them drinking if you drive down Broadway. They harass people going down the street. This has been experienced by many, many people in Uptown.

    This has been going on for many, many years.

    They get arrested on a regular basis for possession of crack, assault, battery, etc. I go to court as a court advocate for them, and this stuff is all in the court records.

    People have offered to work with them to find regular employment. They never show up.

    Now, Sean, who's guilty of making assumptions?

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  9. Oops, TSN. You used some reasoning. Nothing but the sound of crickets will follow, but be sure Sean will resurface on some other thread and not skip a beat about how UU readers hate the poor.

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  10. Did any of you read the story here? It pretty much focuses on one guy who also has a job with the park district. Are you all saying he is a drunk and a public nuisance? Or are you just being prejudiced against people in need of work who try to get jobs at the U-hual and stereotyping them all as public pissing drunks who harrass passerbyes? It is clearly the latter. Posters here always try to pretend they are taking a high road or focusing on ideological differences, but really, underneath it all is just scorn for the poor being in their presence in what they want to be a middle class yuppie hood devoid of any of the multitude in society struggling for one reason or another to get through life. The article on this guy could be seen by many as inspiring as it is clear from the article that the guy is working hard, but the comments by the UU posters are so negative. Truman square... who are the 'them and they' you are referring to? The guy in the article? Kinda reminds me of racist whites who refer to blacks as 'them' and 'they' in a negative sense as if they are all the same. And holey moley, if what Truman posted sounds like good reasoning to you, I'd suggest you get an education, maybe take some philosophy courses on logic and reasoning, maybe learn what specious reasoning is.

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  11. Sean, if you need to point fingers (and it appears you do), you may want to point the finger at yourself. If you read the article, you would have noted that this guy states he is standing around U-Haul from 7am to 6pm, 7 days a week, rain or shine. If you take it for face value that he also works for the Parks Dept, then he's working at U-Haul during his other work hours. Something is not adding up here, and it' just not your faulty reasoning.

    Now I know you delight in calling people silly names, but really, you're past elementary school. It's just not necessary. Please don't water down the harmful effects of bigotry with false accusations. It only slows down our progress with creating a more just society.

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  12. Given that the police have warned the public that some of the men who hire themselves out at the U-Haul have unresolved drug issues, have used this gig as a way to stake out their victim's new residence, and have refused steady employment, is there any reason why one would want to encourage a family member to hire one of these guys out?

    If we wouldn't want a family member to hire one of these guys, why would we then say it's okay for them to do this? I'm just wondering.

    Wouldn't it be better for them to work for a moving company and get some type of job benefits? This guy has been doing this for 20 years and he has no sick time, no paid time off, no benefits. How could anyone say they are on the side of the poor and find this okay? Maybe the real bigot is the person who has no problem with these guys remaining stuck in poverty.

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  13. The sad part (and very predictable) is that Sean's opinion will not be affected in anyway with some simple use of logic. It will resurface on some other thread with the same vengeful judgmental finger pointing that again divides the community. Rather than unite, he leads by the ole "divide and conquer" approach. Unfortunately for him, his approach no longer works because we have caught on to his little bag of tricks.

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  14. holey moley, smarmy condescending is not the same as good reason or logic and it is apparently the only thing you have to offer here. You say something does not add up in the guys story? Isn't it possible that he does work part time for the park district and when he spoke of being out at the Uhaul he was really referring to the days he is not scheduled at the park district? Yes, clearly it is possible, but as the interviewer did not ask follow up questions to clarify this, we can't really know. But you are just trying to deflect attention to my original comments drawing attention to the knee jerk negative comments regarding this otherwise neutral or positive story that have been posted here. You know I am right and you are trying to obfuscate my point with your smarmy attacks. What is sad and predictable is that instead of acknowledging my points or applying any reason you will just respond with more tripe. That's all from me on this one.

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