Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Chains That Bind

A reader writes in with the following pic:
"I walk past the Currency Exchange at Broadway and Wilson and have been witness to all of the peddling you have featured on UU so frequently. I noticed recently that the peddlers who sit on the milk crates all day are now chaining them to the fence next to the building (see photo) and they are able to do this so easily because the gate is broken (see bottom of photo). It's about time this business takes a stand. They are doing nothing but enabling this behavior. Who owns this blighted strip mall anyway?"

UU Note:
Looks like a job for Don Nowotny and his bolt cutters.

4 comments:

  1. I'm always stunned, at the antics of this corner.
    Is it a flea market? Is it a hotbed of grifting/crime?
    I'm not sure.....but I DO wonder about the owners of this strip. Are they aware??

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  2. I DO wonder about the owners of this strip. Are they aware??

    My question is always, do they care? I've had too many experiences with Uptown's slumlords to give them credit for giving a damn what happens so far from their comfy homes... as long as they make a profit.

    We keep hearing people defending Uptown's squalor in certain areas by saying things like "Uptown has always been for the poor and always will be and you can't change it" (which we all know is a lie -- the magnificent buildings around here weren't built by or for the poor). Then there's the ever-popular "Move to Lincoln Park if you don't like it here!"

    Given these sentiments from the politicos around here, I can't imagine your average Uptown slumlord -- like the one who owns the strip mall at Broadway & Wilson -- thinks the people around here deserve anything better than crap areas like that.

    The only language slumlords understand is money. Hit 'em in the wallet and suddenly they're oh-so-very-concerned about the condition of their property. But not until that point.

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  3. As of this morning, the guy is still at it, selling ski caps and tube socks from his little bazaar on the street corner. He set up shop around 11 am (dragging his pitiful merchandise in a shopping cart).

    Is there any way we can drive this guy out? Broadway is an utter disgrace as is, but if we can discourage this ghetto behavior, perhaps it's a first step to improvements.

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