What's In a Name?

Spike Lee is filming a movie in Chicago. The film is tentatively titled Chiraq. Is the title evocative? Absolutely! Is it catchy? Definitely! Will it cause the economic downfall of Chicago? Not be even an infinitesimal amount.

The powers that be lead by Ald. Will Burns wants the state of Illinois to deny Lee the millions of dollars in tax credits normally given to filmmakers who come here because he says the title reflects badly on the city. No one knows what the film is actually about although the talk is that the film is going to shine a spotlight on the great number of shootings that have happened in the city the past several years.

Mr. Lee held a press conference earlier this week to address Ald. Burns and others who are making the claim this film will be bad for the city (http://abc7chicago.com/entertainment/chiraq-director-spike-lee-speaks-on-upcoming-film/721816/). Father Michael Pfleger, Senior Pastor of the Faith Community of St. Sabina whose church has been a leading congregation in the Black community, wisely noted that Ald. Burns and his cronies are missing the point. He stated the powers that be need to be concerned about the escalating violence in the city instead of the title of a movie that will bring woefully needed jobs and money to the Black community.

Lee reminded the assembly that similar statements were made when he was filming Do the Right Thing. There were predictions that the Black community was going to take to the streets in anger and tourism in the cities was going to be adversely affected. It was predicted that fights were going to erupt at the movie theaters and people would be wise to in their homes by nightfall. He told the crowd that all the pundits were proved wrong. Much ado about nothing.

Lee was correct in his statements. We did not take to the streets. There were no riots in the theaters and the film went on to become a modern day classic.

St. Sabina is located in the Englewood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. I grew up in Englewood and remember the vibrant neighborhood it once was. Now there are blocks of vacant land and abandoned storefronts. There is very little in the way of economic development unless you believe liquor stores, fast food establishments, currency exchanges and storefront churches economic development. Schools have been closed and there are few grocery stores or stores of any kind. The Englewood of my youth was a magical place. Mention Englewood today and people shake their heads in dismay. So a film bringing much needed revenue, hiring locals and utilizing locations normally unseen in a Hollywood production is a major boost to the residents on the south side.

Burns claims that titling the film Chiraq will make it harder to bring economic development and jobs to those communities. Considering there has been no economic development or jobs brought to those communities prior to Lee’s movie, I’d like Ald. Burns to tell us why there hasn’t been any before Chiraq came to town.

Throughout all the posturing by Ald. Burns and Mayor Emanual, it is the message of Father Pfleger that needs to be echoed throughout the city and discussed in every corridor of City Hall. Why haven’t the mayor and the city council done much in the way of stemming violence in our city? Why did the mayor close school in the neighborhoods that need them the most? Why haven't the mayor or the city council responded to the Guardian newspaper article from earlier this year about Homan Square, an off the books location used for torture and detention? Why is the city encouraging Whole Foods to open a store in a neighborhood that can ill afford the prices Whole Foods charges? With the number of vacant lots, why is the city encouraging community gardens? Why? Why? Why?

This whole mess is just another way to play divide and conquer in our community. As long as we focus on the idiocy of Burns and others like him, we miss the real issues that plague us. As long as we take sides for or against the title Chiraq, we avoid looking at the problems that birth violence. Problems like poor education, closed schools, lack of adequate healthcare, little or no economic development and the like.

Movies and television shows have been made in Chicago for decades. Never has anyone threatened a director with withholding tax credits for a production. Does the alderman intend to question the title of every production that comes here? Or is this just another ploy to keep the status quo of an already downtrodden area of the city? Only Burns and his ilk can answer that question. I can only answer one. What’s in a name? When it comes to what really matters? Not a damn thing!