Economist.com Cities Guide: Chicago Briefing - September 2005

News this month

Daley goes down?

The federal probe of corruption in Chicago has stretched to the highest echelon of city government: on August 26th, prosecutors questioned Richard Daley, Chicago’s mayor, about his hiring and promotion practices. While no charges were filed against the mayor, he looked shaken at a press conference immediately after the two-hour questioning. He hired John Villa, a lawyer who specialises in defending other lawyers, to sit with him during the inquiry.

Federal prosecutors began investigating corrupt practices in a single municipal program in 2003; the probe has since widened to include hiring practices and alleged cronyism throughout City Hall. A recent poll gave Mr Daley a 53% approval rating, the lowest of his 16-year tenure. Another poll found Jesse Jackson junior—a US congressman and Mr Daley’s most likely mayoral challenger—gaining popularity.

Pay up

Chicago officials may raise taxes on properties inside the Loop, the city's main business district, claiming more funds are needed to pay for downtown property improvements. The new revenues would fund Millennium Park’s $7m annual maintenance cost, and pay for seasonal decorations downtown. But opponents say a tax hike will deter new businesses in a city already losing corporate tenants, worsening the city’s 20% office vacancy rate. The levy would affect both commercial and residential property; owners expect to pay between ten and 40 cents more per square foot, a cost that would inevitably be passed on to tenants.

Property-owners now pay about $7.18 per square foot for office space downtown, compared with about $3.18 in the Cook County suburbs. Opponents of the tax may petition for a vote to over-ride the hike. If a majority of the district's property owners and residents vote against the plan, they can defeat it.

Building bridges

On August 28th, Chicagoans dedicated a bridge to Emmett Till on the 50th anniversary of his death. Till was a black 14-year-old Chicagoan who, while visiting cousins in Mississippi, was beaten to death for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His killers, the woman's husband and his half-brother, were swiftly acquitted by an all-white jury, and no one has ever been punished for Till’s death. Earlier this year, his body was exhumed from a suburban Chicago cemetery, and a Mississippi prosecutor re-opened an investigation into his death, though both of the original defendants are now dead. The gruesome photographs of the boy’s bloated, mutilated body at his funeral helped to incite America's civil-rights movement.

About 50 people, including local elected officials, came to dedicate the bridge, which spans the Dan Ryan Expressway on the city’s south side. This is not the first time a city has honoured Till—Chicago has already named a street after him, as have New York and Tennessee.

Fast-food nation

A recent study conducted by Harvard’s School of Public Health had some alarming news for anyone concerned about adolescent obesity: in 2002, almost 80% of Chicago’s schools had at least one fast-food restaurant within a half-mile. Statistical mapping found nearly three times as many fast-food restaurants within a mile of schools than would be expected if they had been randomly distributed. This seems to indicate that fast-food restaurants deliberately target youth markets.

Other studies have shown that almost one-third of American teens eat fast food every day, and consume more fats and sugar and fewer fruits and vegetables than ever before. The Harvard study’s organisers chose Chicago as a representative American city, though Chicagoans entering kindergarten are more than twice as likely to be obese than those in other cities.

Going, going, gone

As summer draws to a close, the hapless Chicago Cubs find themselves in a familiar position: losing. The Cubs had a good start to the season, stirring hopes that the team’s 97-year championship drought might finally end. But the Cubs are now all but eliminated from playoff contention. The team has traditionally countered its miserable skills in the field with high-scoring feats at bat; this year, however, they have opted for mediocrity in both categories.

The team’s only source of pride has been Derrek Lee, a talented first baseman who has a good chance of winning baseball’s first Triple Crown (awarded for leading the league in the three principal offensive categories). But Mr Lee is scant consolation for long-suffering fans. To make the Cubs’ lot even more dismal, their cross-town rival, the White Sox, have the best record in the league.

Catch if you can

September 2005

Without Sanctuary

Until December 5th 2005

From 1882 to 1968, 4,743 people, 3,446 of them black, were killed by lynch mobs, often in public, with law-enforcement agents in attendance. This is according to Tuskegee University records; the actual number was probably much higher. This small but powerful exhibition displays about 55 photographs (including postcards, incredibly) of lynchings. Central to the exhibition, and to its relevance in Chicago, is the 50th anniversary of Emmett Till's death. Till was a 14-year-old from Chicago who, while visiting cousins in Mississippi, was murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The exhibition also features the work of anti-lynching activists, including Ida B. Wells, the NAACP and the Association of Southern Women to Prevent Lynching.

Chicago Historical Society, Clark St and North Ave. Tel: +1 (312) 642-4600. Open: Mon-Weds, 12pm-8pm; Thurs-Sat, 9.30am-4.30pm; Sun, 12pm-5pm. Entry: $5. For more information, visit the exhibition's website.

More from the Chicago cultural calendar