Si Se Puede

As seen inside McDonald's on Wilson and Sheridan.

An attempt at righting a wrong

The theme of this blog is reconciliation.  I hope to spark discussion about how humans resolve their errors through the process of confession, soon there followed by reformation.  I want humans to be able to admit their errors with confidence so that the person we come to know is one forged with the errors of our ways.

Today's topic is only one where I can introduce the errors.  What I hope is that necessary reforms are constructed and those humans that have made mistakes hold THEMSELVES fully accountable for their actions.

In the July 8, 2008 issue of the the New York Times, reporter Stephanie Strom tells us the story of problems with ACORN.  ACORN is the association of community organizations for reform now.  It is a non-profit organization with many affiliates throughout the United States and abroad.  It advocates for reform to address the needs of low income persons.

Acorn chose to treat the embezzlement of nearly $1 million eight years ago as an internal matter and did not even notify its board.

...

A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke.

Wade Rathke is the one of the founders of ACORN.  It was founded in 1970 in Arkansas.  To say this dilemna is of utmost importance to Wade Rathke is a claim nobody can deny nor challege.  This was Wade's brother.  A family member with a connection to Wade few can identify.  What can a person do?  Their own brother is embezzling funds from the organization his brother founded and leads.

He[Wade] said the decision to keep the matter secret was not made to protect his brother but because word of the embezzlement would have put a “weapon” into the hands of enemies of Acorn, a liberal group that is a frequent target of conservatives who object to its often strident advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income families and workers.

Sound familiar residents of Uptown?

An employee of ACORN, the brother of the founder and current leader, was embezzling nearly 1 million dollars from an organization with a budget of around 100 million.  This is a huge deal for a non-profit organization.  Their reputation and history is often the only thing they have to stand on when raising funds and seeking volunteers.  ACORN formed a small group of people and swept this story under the rug.  They even kept it from their own board of directors.  The small group created a payback schedule where the Rathke family agreed to pay $30,000 per year until the debt was repaid.  At least they reconciled to repay money stolen.  But an obstacle to reconciliation looms.

A donor has offered to give Acorn the rest of what the Rathkes owe, and an agreement to that effect should be finalized in coming days, Ms. Lewis said.

When employees steal a million dollars from their employer they should be prosecuted.  Countless persons that ACORN has assisted, previously with their reform programs, have themselves been sent to jail for theft.  With criminal records, their path to emerging to a position where they are self sufficient and no longer rely on the services of ACORN is permanently damaged.

When people make mistakes, in order to ALLOW them back into respectable, law abiding, honest society, one must confess their mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and repay their debts to whomever, and whatever, they owe to them.

Dale Rathke owes about 1 million dollars to ACORN.  He owes a much greater debt to those whom he still must reconcile his transgressions.

What we can draw from this in Uptown is that our residents and visitors will make mistakes.  Some of them will be long term residents that make mistakes.  Other will be visitors that make mistakes.  What they all will be are humans with their own self interests.  Our goal should be to learn from those mistakes, but encourage those that made them to see the greater importance in their reconciliation.

We can only abandon so many mistakes.  For they are only made good when our fellow humans react and adopt them on our behalf.  Brandon Shepard, thank you for your courage and selfless act of adoption.  I pray that your awareness does not go unanswered.

Now Departing Uptown, Dirt, Lead, and Arsenic

The clap of thunder and lightning was marvelous overnight, but this perfect storm was just a prelude to the one now touching down at Wilson Yard. Tom Skilling did pick up the weather pattern experienced by all Chicagoans last night and into the early morning. However, this pattern seemed to have come out of nowhere.

Out the door this morning, I noticed the parade of dump trucks heading east on Wilson. At first I considered the plot of Diehard 3 where the dump trucks are departing the New York Fed with a payload of gold. But this is Uptown. Where do we hide our gold?

Of course, the gold in any city is none other than its land. They aren't building new land unless your John Streeter hosting a gala celebration and all your invitees are piles of trash. They must be going to Wilson Yard for there is little chance that 18 dump trucks are necessary to remove all the hot air emitting from Alderman Shiller's office.

And they were. A merry group of rubber, steel, fuel, and the ingenious power of might drawn from the human foot, they marched into our mine and slowly walked away with our gold. Left behind, an air powered amalgamation of dirt, lead, arsenic, and the droll of listless human emotion, is our very own resort of indignation.

Luxury High Rise Demolished Into Luxurious Single Family Townhomes

Former baby, infant, child, teenager, student, activist, tenant, resident, publisher, advocate and current adult and alderman, Helen Shiller met with JDL Development about a zoning change. Seems that the property that used to be located on Strattford but was torn down to make way for the fabulous 22 story luxury high rise at 541 W. Cornelia is back under construction.

The Sun-Times June 25th report states that

Letchinger said he made the switch in cooperation with Ald. Helen Shiller(46th) because the market has been sour and the site poses construction
challenges for a high-rise. "The upside for us is far less, but it's still a
profitable deal, and it reduces the risk," he said.

What could have been? 22, no 28, floors of luxurious entire level units is now being turned from rubble into dust. Gold plated, diamond etched dust.

James Letchinger, president of JDL Development Corp., will build just four townhomes on an empty lot at 541 W. Cornelia.
...
The four homes will be marketed at about $3.2 million to $3.6 million. Letchinger said the property cost him $4 million a couple years ago.

Just four? What? It's a perfect site for mixed income housing? It has access from two streets? *headbang* It's right near the harbor for persons of mixed income to mend their sea legs together. *headbang*

I'm crushed by this news. Alderman Helen Shiller has convinced someone to underdevelop.

More coverage of this issue in a special report to the Chicago Tribune published in the Business section of the July 6th Sunday Edition and complete zoning coverage by the Belmont Harbor Neighbors Association which I must add is an awesome organization. Internet archives of zoning documents? Imagine what they're block parties are like?

I love the smell of compressed air in the morning

This piercing noise is much preferred to the sound of bullets and shaken spray cans. Blast early, blast often.

Hello World

This blog is a reflection of what I see, hear, and think about the Uptown neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. Uptown is my home. The people of Uptown are my neighbors.

The goal is simple: no more Francis Oduro's. People that live in Uptown have the right to be safe and secure. The people that study in Uptown have the right to be safe and secure. The people that work in Uptown have the right to be safe and secure.

These are universal rights to which every human in entitled.