Take Back Illinois
This past election day saw a billionaire gubernatorial candidate who enriched himself on public pension funds “take back” Illinois. But in most black wards on the South Side, Republican Bruce Rauner won less than five percent of the vote. In the 20th Ward precinct that voted inside the church of Pastor Corey Brooks, one of the prominent Rauner supporters whom the Weekly featured two weeks ago, Pat Quinn beat Rauner 275 to eleven. In the 9th Ward, home to Pastor James Meeks and the Salem Baptist Church, which, with over 15,000 members, is the largest African-American church in Illinois, Rauner won just 3.08% of the vote. Both Brooks and Meeks have been named to Rauner’s twenty-six-member transition team, along with former Governor Jim Edgar, former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, and sixteen powerful businesspeople. On the night of the election, after it became clear Rauner would win, Brooks tweeted: “Now everyone will have to work for our vote no more taking advantage of us. That’s all I am going to say for a while.” A few days later Meeks told the Sun-Times, “It’s not about me. It’s about failing schools.” Rauner, who spent $65 million on his campaign—$25 million of which was his own—also says that when he takes office it won’t all be about him. We’re not crossing our fingers, though.
This Isn’t the Museum You’re Looking For
Last week’s release of the renderings for the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts stirred up nearly enough attacks to take down an X-wing fighter. Critics quickly panned the 110-foot-tall mountain-like structure, whose shining white façade will rise in bumps and smooth curves to a circular observation deck above, as “a land-eating colossus,” “straight out of the Republic of Alderaan,” and “Greco-Martian.” The museum, which will house pieces from film director George Lucas’s art collection in addition to Stars Wars memorabilia, is drawing ire not only for its unusual design, but also for its placement on the lakefront, which the Tribune referred to as an “attempted land grab.” In a terse, three-word statement sent to the Weekly via inter-galactic mail, noted architecture critic and lakefront conservationist Gial Ackbar registered his own disapproval of the project: “It’s a trap!”
Rahm Still Not Cool
During a lunch break on a cool October day, Rahm Emanuel slipped in his headphones and started bumping Chance the Rapper’s acclaimed mixtape Acid Rap, which his aide downloaded for him from DatPiff. Leaning back in his chair, Rahm listened to the words of the second track, “Pusha Man/Paranoia”: They murkin’ kids; they murder kids here. / Why you think they don’t talk about it? They deserted us here. He scratched his head for a moment, furrowed his brow, and then skipped to the next song, “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” which he enjoyed much more. So much more, in fact, that when he came off his break he decided he wanted to give this “Chance” fellow Chicago’s Outstanding Youth of the Year award for his “outstanding contributions to the youth of the State of Illinois.” So he did, and rightfully so. But here’s hoping this co-sign won’t bring the honoree’s fan base down to the size of the honorer’s.