The scene at 3838 Broadway in nearby Lakeview earlier today. The classic neon sign has been removed from the Hotel Chateau.
A reminder that there's an appeal to donate new or gently used men's and women's clothing to the residents of the Chateau due to the bedbug infestation inside.
why did they take the sign down? Is the building being demolished? I always envisioned that building being renovated into a kitschy boutique hotel with a South Beach theme.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's going into the proposed "Chicago museum of drug abuse and ghetto souvenirs".
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ReplyDeleteJoey-
ReplyDeleteA letter from a lawyer making assertions is not really evidence in any scientific sense. It is an opinion from a lawyer- a logical opinion, to be sure, but an opinion none-the-less. The perception from the point of view of the Alderman or his aide would probably be rather different. Naturally either side would write their perceptions of a situation and course of event to their own favor, omitting or embellishing as needed.
I would be interested to know if the lawyer who authored this letter has been willing to or has followed up with his legal threats or if it is all bark and no bite.
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ReplyDeleteJoey, you are delusional. I live a block from the shuttered Somerset Place and the only lost revenue from its closing is in drugs, liquor and prostitution. I used to skip the Argyle bus stop so I wouldn't have to fight my way through the crackheads and whack jobs screaming at each other as they wandered freely in front of the building. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there have been any more instances of dead crackwhores stuffed in motel closets since it closed either, so in my opinion, it's a win-win for the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteYo Irishpirate, i mean Joey.... How about an editor on those long posts? It's like reading a Stephen King novel around here.
ReplyDeleteLess is more.
Kshizzle, you are right to be critical of Somerset but the fact that a resident of Somerset was the victim of murder has absolutely nothing to do with your otherwise accurate criticism. The man who murdered Maratta Walker was a dangerous man capable of murdering any other Uptown resident, whether they were a condo owner or a drug addict. And referring to a woman who was murdered and hidden in a closet as a crackwhore is disgusting.
ReplyDelete@Scott, I'm sorry if I sound insensitive, but all I remember hearing about her when it happened was that she was exactly that, a crackwhore, who was a resident of Somerset Place and should never have been allowed off the premises to begin with. If my information is incorrect, please enlighten me as to what a model citizen she was, and I'm serious about that. I really want to know.
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ReplyDelete@Kshizzle, I have no idea what kind of woman Walker was. I am certain I never met her and I spent a few minutes looking around on Google and it definitely seems like she was arrested more than once for drugs & prostitution. I still see absolutely no merit in calling her a crackwhore.
ReplyDeleteI suppose my larger point is this: her criminal background does not make her immune to becoming a victim herself and in the case you were referring to she was, without a doubt, the victim.
@Joey, actually, I thought the residents of Somerset Place were relocated for their own benefit. The neighborhood and I just happened to be the additional lucky beneficiaries. If the people responsible for running that facility had been doing their jobs, it would still be serving those patients and co-existing harmoniously with the rest of the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThe key words here are "co-existing harmoniously." As a property owner, I don't care how noble and worthy your cause or intent might be, if you are unable to control your residents, upkeep your property and ensure a safe environment for everyone involved, then you are not welcome in my neighborhood. I and my neighbors work too hard to let our property values be dragged down by negligent and indifferent landlords like those responsible for Somerset Place and Lawrence House.
@Scott, I don't subscribe to the opinion that being a murder victim elevates Maratta Walker's status to anything other than what it was when she was alive, especially since she was most likely in the process of turning a trick when she was killed. It just makes her a dead crackwhore, hardly worthy of martyrdom.
She was a mentally ill person (schizophrenia and seizures), drug addict, criminal and prostitute. Her family talked to her daily and entrusted her care to Somerset Place, never dreaming that she would end up murdered in a hot-sheet motel by a career criminal. She died horribly. Somerset Place wasn't supposed to let her off the property without someone from the staff or a family member accompanying her. They never even filed a missing person report or contacted her family when she disappeared.
ReplyDeleteMentally ill seniors walk away from nursing homes every day and sometimes get into trouble and die as a result. I see no difference between Maratta Walker and Grandpop, except I don't see many people describing dead senile 80-year-olds in derogatory terms.
I am not martyring her in death, nor am I comfortable denigrating her. Her family thought they had found a safe place where she could be saved from her demons. Somerset was negligent in every way.
She was not "turning a trick," unless tricks last for days. She was on a bender with the guy, and then he killed her and kept right on partying until her body started to smell.
As far as I'm concerned, Chicago is better off without the negligent Somerset Place "nursing home" and the Chicago Lodge motel. I am only sad that someone had to be brutally murdered to make it happen.
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