Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration spent $814,000 on a giant fence as part of an effort to shut down one of the city’s largest and most visible homeless encampments ahead of the Democratic National Convention, City Hall records show.
The massive barrier was part of an “emergency” effort to permanently lock out unhoused people from the location near the United Center, where the convention was held, the records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
The Johnson administration had refused to say how much taxpayer money went toward blocking off the green strip of land between the 1100 block of South Desplaines Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway just north of Roosevelt Road, until after the nationally televised gathering was over. The Sun-Times has been asking for those records, which should be public under state law, since July, when that tent city was cleared of its residents, the tents and the items they left behind.
I talked to a co-worker the other day. He is not Russian, not Eastern European – nothing that would make him especially sensitive to the current political situation. I do not recall what prompted his comment about “as a Russian,” but I replied as usual that “it is not what defines me.” He proceeded with, “You are not denouncing your Russianness” and “It has nothing to do with this political situation.” It started to be more serious than a breakfast conversation in the cafeteria, but I couldn’t drop it at that point. I replied that I felt like I had everything to do with the situation because it’s my generation that didn’t follow up after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolving of the Communist Party. It was my generation that let it go, and thereby I do feel responsible.
He said: I have Ukrainian neighbors on one side and Russian neighbors on the other side, and my Russian neighbors are afraid to speak Russian. And then he talked about his closest friends who are Russian and about some bets and about drinking. The latter one is a serious trigger point for me, so I said that this conversation was making me uncomfortable.
We both had to go to our desks, but I hope to continue this conversation with him. I want to ask him whether his Russian friends feel that they have something to do with what the Russian government does or if they do not think it is related to them. As for speaking Russian, I am acutely aware that at this moment in history, the Russian language for Ukrainians sounds like German during WWII for many European nations, so I do not think it’s appropriate to speak Russian in their presence (unless it’s their initiative).
Recently, I read an essay by Michael Shishkin – a Russian writer who is not at the top of the list either in Russia or internationally. I was deeply moved by this essay – my thoughts and words exactly. I agree with him that it is extremely important to understand that everybody born and raised in Russia, no matter how progressive or even radical was their upbringing, carries the baggage of imperialism. The paragraph which particularly struck me was this one:
Throughout my life, I felt I could stand steadily on the foundation of the great Russian Culture. Nowadays, there is emptiness under my feet.
Also, the way he describes the silence of the Russian writers and other intelligentsia as “hosting regular events” and “pretending that nothing is happening.” That’s exactly how I feel when I read about cultural events or new productions in Russia: I can’t take it in that people “do normal things.” And yes, I am hypocritical, I know. And yes, I understand that living under permanent pressure is impossible, and a person’s mind finds ways to accept reality as a norm. And yes, I understand that I am making many people upset. And no, I do not think I am always right, and I do not think I have any moral right to criticize others. Still, I want to be honest and convey how I feel.
Igor was at Union Park on the last day of the DNC and took lots of pictures. Usually, I post the link to his album and also post selected photos in my blog, but this time, I do not want to post any. Here is a link you can check out. And if you click it, you’ll probably realize why there are no pictures here.
I always strive to present an objective picture, and this time, an objective picture is not appealing: I do not want to multiply any Palestinian propaganda here. If you do not see these people and their posters, you might think there is some truth in what they say. But if you just take a look, there will be no mistake. That proves my point that these days, anybody who agitates people against Harris is an enemy of good. I do not know how else to put it – it literally means that this individual is on the dark side of things. And since I know that Igor captures such events with all possible objectivity, I can tell that there were way more supporters of the Palestinian extremists than anybody else. Ukrainians and their supporters, pro-choice activists and pro-life activists, communists, and socialists, all of them combined, made a lesser crowd than pro-Palestinian protesters. And I can’t get over it.
On a separate (but still DNC-related) topic, there were lots of comments about “CTA has done a great job keeping the stations clean.” I do not disagree with that; it was hard not to notice the unusual cleanliness. However, the immediate questions are: 1) why does it have to be a convention to make this change? 2) what did it cost in terms of time, labor, etc? I do not like shows like this, and I genuinely want these questions to be answered.
I was not in the office that only day when the actual clash with police happened. And yes, it was indeed right by our office, this only serious one. The pictures made by a photographer whom I know look horrific. To be clear, I have no pity for these pro-palestinian demonstrators. I think the way they are acting, the slogans they chant, and the posters they carry – all do a great disservice to everybody, including themselves. I do not even want to copy the pictures I saw. On the one hand, they look a lot like Soviet propaganda from the 1970s: police in a capitalist country assault the workers fighting for their rights. On the other hand, the posters which protesters carry, tell a different story.
Anyway, it was a huge mess, and over 50 people were arrested (and again, I have no pity). But since it happened literally in from of our office (the Israely consulate is located on the thrid floor of the train station) many people in the office were scared, and on Wednesday and Thursday, even fewer people were in the office.
Today, one of my co-workers told me that his friend who works for Chicago Police told him that there would be even worse tonight, so if I was staying late… I told him that I have a journalist son who has a little bit different information, and I was right. I still do not have details from Igor from the Union Park, and possibly he will blog about details himself.
I only took some pictures when I was walking around Monday night waiting for the Planned Parenthood fundraiser to start.
Finally, I went to reception.
It was crowded, as you can see, and loud, as you can imagine.
From the official event photo gallery
Also, it was scheduled very late, and the talks started even later, because the speakers couldn’t get from the United Center to Carnival, where reception took place. I didn’t see a single person I would know (although the guest list promised some familiar faces). I left at ten, because otherwise, I won’t have even five hours of sleep, and before I left, one guy started to hit on me (out of all events in the world, at the Planned Parenthood event!). Now I think that it would be better if I would just donate money and not show up!
One positive thing: I wore a dress which I bought for Vlad’s wedding, and ended up not wearing, but liked it enough not to return to the store. So here is it:
My friend who lives on the West Side was planning to visit me the upcoming Saturday. We planned this day several months in advance: my schedule is busy, and it’s a long way to her. She uses paratransit, so she needed to arrange a ride. On Monday she texted me: sorry, I won’t be able to come. When we talked the next day I asked her what happened. She said: I know we planned this visit several months ago, and I know that it might mean I won’t see you for several more months, but the there will be protests because of the DNC.
I told her: wait, the DNC does not start until Monday. She though for a moment, and then said: I know for the fact, that there will be protests over the weekend. She continued: you know how they sometimes go wild, and if the car happen to be in the middle of it, they might encircle the car, and then the passengers will be in trouble, and I do not want to end up in jail. I paused for a moment to process and said: you are right. I have nothing to say.
I managed to find an alternative time for her visit, so we will see each other before fall, but it looks like the prevailing mood in Chicago for the next week is worry about what is going to happen. It’s sad, but not unjustified.
About a week ago, Vanille Chicago announced a new line of cookies, and when I saw them, I placed an order immediately. My friend Lena whom I was going to visit and her husband just became US citizens, and the upcoming elections will be the first one for them.
The reason I ordered a couple of Trump cookies and macaroons is that I wanted to have an opportunity to bite his head off!
Lena lives in a Democratic neighborhood, but Michigan is a swing state (which was news for Lena and her husband). They know that their voices are essential, and I hope that there are enough people in Michigan to defeat Trump.
I got out of my office building and hopped on the J14 bus to get to the Art Institute. I was smiling, because I saw the Big News just twenty minutes before. And everybody was smiling. And those who didn’t smile when they got on the bus started smiling when they got themselves situated and took out their phones. The seats on the right and on the left of me started to fill as the bus was making stops. A lady on my right looked up at me and asked: Did you hear? Yes, I did! They were fast to decide! Well, not that fast … but I am glad it didn’t take days! Yes! And now the question is, what’s next!
I got off the bus and went straight to the Art Institute. Today was the first day of the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit preview. I almost never can make it to the first preview day, and that’s the best time to see a new exhibit with very few people attending. Miraculously, there was almost no line at the bag check, and the virtual line for the exhibit was also almost non-existent.
While I was there, I received several texts from my friends – Did you hear? – Yes, I did! I do not know how many people around me were answering similar texts, but there were a lot of smiles around. OK, this could be all for Georgia O’Keeffe 🙂
I knew were I wanted to go when I got out of the Art Institute – just across the road to Amorino!
Several new flavors, including biscotti and cinnamon:)
And when I got off the Red Line, I saw that sign by the Jarvis Square Tavern:
Another Russia-related Kafkian story. I knew my Russian passport was to expire in 2024, but in January, June seemed far away, and then life happened. Three or four weeks ago (not like life stopped happening, but I suddenly remembered that I was about to create a huge problem) I realized that I needed to apply for a new passport immediately: if I did not have a new passport before the old one expires, I would have to go through the “citizenship verification process.” That could take several months, and only then could I apply for a passport.
I went to the Russian Consulate in New York website and filled in the application. Then I needed to make an in-person appointment (they are not accepting applications by mail.) I started to look for an available slot, and it turned out that the first available was in mid-August. I took it, but I knew this was two months after my passport expiration, so I also signed up for a queue to receive the offers for the spots that could be released and offered to people in the queue.
Now, check out what were the conditions to stay in this queue:
Each time they send you a slot, you have to accept or reject it within 24 hours, otherwise they kick you out of the queue
On the other hand, if you login to the portal more than twice a day, they disable your access because “you might be a bot” and require you to reset your password, and you have to wait for an hour before you will be allowed to reset it
After you reject, the next offer comes almost instantaneously, and if you reject it, you are out of the queue
And all of the appointments that were offered to me were after my August appointment!
Although I tried very hard, it was impossible for me to keep monitoring all of these conditions while doing my day job and the conference, so eventually, I was kicked out. Not knowing what to do, I emailed the Consulate, asking them what I could do and what would happen if I did not get an appointment before my passport expired.
To my surprise, they replied in a couple of hours with the following: Right now, there are several openings on the following days (days listed). Do not get into a queue; go to the portal and reserve your spot. I did as they said and booked an appointment for May 2. I hope that it will go well, although there is a whole bunch of things I need to prepare, including cash for the services (they are not allowed to use banking systems at the moment) and a stamped return envelope. But at least I have an appointment!
P.S. If anybody wonders why on Earth I need a Russian passport, here is why. 1) Even if I choose to denounce my Russian citizenship, I have to have a current passport; otherwise, I can’t legally do this. 2) I do not want to pay the Russian government the fees that I have to pay for citizenship 3) If I don’t have a passport and don’t properly denounce the citizenship, I can’t get a visa to Russia either.
There is no connection between these two subjects except for the timing. On Tuesday, my neighbor and I were at the Chicago Symphony concert for the all-Russian (except for one Finnish piece) concert. The conductor was Hannu Lintu, and I didn’t like him. I didn’t hear any of his personal interpretation of either of the pieces. Yes, all the pieces were very well-known, but when Riccardo Muti conducts Tchaikovsky, it’s always a discovery, a revelation. The piano soloist was from Uzbekistan, and although his technique was excellent, he also didn’t add anything of his own vision to Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Yes, this piece was so often performed in the Soviet Union that I remember almost every note of it, but once again – I heard more original performances! Also, for the anchor, the pianist played the “Neapolitan song” from Tchaikovsky’s Youth Album, and I was like – is it a joke?
The last piece was Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, and once again, I was wondering how one can make such a bold, unruly, almost hooligan-like piece so boring!
Usually, we do not talk much on our way home, or we talk about the show we just attended, but since we agreed on our disappointment, she asked me whether we could talk about Navalny. On February 16, she messaged me at 7 AM, expressing condolences, and I replied that although I was outraged with yet another political murder, Navalny’s views were not much better. She said that she wanted to hear more, and we agreed to talk about it.
By Tuesday, she watched that documentary, and said that she started to understand why I said what I said. We had a longer conversation, and I told her why I saw it as a problem that many people in and outside Russia would consider Navalny a good alternative to Putin, which, again, does not by any means justify this political murder. I gave her a short version of our conversation with Lena over the weekend and told her why I believe that “Navalny’s return” was staged. All I know about Putin supports this conclusion, as much as I hate conspiracy theories.
Hettie's Reflections 