Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’re looking into the pro-Palestinian encampments on the campuses of Chicago universities.
How are students there feeling? What are they demanding?
Plus, we’ve got reporting on the story behind a West Town mural, why faux flowers are blooming in Chicago and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Students at Chicago’s college Gaza encampments hope police, threats stay away
Reporting by Nader Issa, Cindy Hernandez, Jessica Ma and Ellery Jones
Students’ hopes and fears: Pro-Palestinian encampments on the campuses of Chicago universities haven’t faced the same levels of violence and police response as others across the country. Those involved in the demonstrations are hoping it stays that way, though one student and organizer at U of C said, “It’s hard not to feel this larger looming presence, this sort of constant background threat.”
Key context: Student protesters have recently had tense confrontations with police at campuses including New York’s Columbia University, City College of New York and UCLA. The same hasn’t played out in the Chicago area so far. At Northwestern University, an agreement between the administration and student organizations de-escalated protests. Encampments remain at schools including the University of Chicago and DePaul University as of Thursday afternoon.
What do protesters want?: Protesters’ demands have focused on divestment — demanding universities cut ties with Israel and businesses supporting the war in Gaza.
Bracing for potential confrontation: University of Chicago protesters have developed a safety plan, including deploying marshals who have de-escalation training and barriers to shield praying students from photos. Officers have been at the encampment all three days but haven’t interfered, students said.
CPD’s approach: Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said this week he was not interested in breaking up the encampments. “We’re out there to make sure that people who want to protest can do it and exercise their First Amendment rights,” Snelling said according to Fox 32.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- The case for slowing down: The default speed limit on Chicago side streets is 30 mph, but lowering it to 25 could “go a really long way” toward reducing traffic deaths, which have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, city Department of Transportation officials said.
- Millennium Park music and film schedule: The city has announced a stacked lineup of free programming from July 1 through Aug. 8. Music highlights include GZA, Corinne Bailey Rae and Seun Kuti, while “Barbie,” “Coco” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” are among the movies set to screen.
- 3 stars for ‘The Fall Guy’: Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, this film is pure popcorn entertainment — an absolutely ludicrous yet consistently entertaining, old-fashioned action/romance combo platter that plays like a feature-length pitch to the Motion Picture Academy to add a best stunts category, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
OUR CITY IN COLOR 🎨
West Town mural was painted to bring color during the pandemic
Reporting by Genevieve Bookwalter for the Sun-Times
Erick Chavez doesn’t typically draw people he knows. He doesn’t paint on commission.
Instead, as you pass by his mural in the viaduct at North Elizabeth and West Hubbard streets in West Town, he’s sharing a moment with passersby of an unknown woman whose face he re-created in vibrant spray-painted colors.
Chavez, 39, who grew up in Little Village, lives in Cicero, where his bedroom is his art studio. But Chicago is his canvas.
Originally a graffiti artist, Chavez now paints public spaces with brightly colored murals in which he aims to capture moments that inspired him.
“I like to work with very bright colors,” Chavez says. “I’m talking like the brighter the better. With this one, I wanted to make a big environment where you’re going to stop and see this. Even if you don’t understand it, you’re going to stop and see it.”
Chavez painted this mural in August 2020. It’s the only one left of four that he clustered in the neighborhood.
“I wanted to paint something that stood out in the middle of a pandemic,” he says. “I wanted to use a lot of colors and use a bunch of different designs to convey vibrancy.”
BRIGHT ONE ✨
These flowers are fake, but Chicago businesses are embracing them in a very real way as a means to attract customers
Reporting by Stefano Esposito
Chicago has begun to bloom in faux flowers, joining cities like New York and London in embracing elaborate floral displays to catch customers’ eyes.
The trend took off in the COVID-19 pandemic when businesses began to reopen. Restaurant owners who had invested money designing interiors were faced with how to lure back customers to the sidewalk sheds they’d put together.
Carlos Franqui, a New Yorker originally from Puerto Rico, has become an in-demand designer for lush silk flower displays. His arrangements range from about $40,000 to more than $200,000.
Avi De Yparraguirre, who owns the French cafe Maison Marcel, has Franqui’s pale pink flowers ramble over the building’s whitewashed exterior. He won’t reveal how much he paid but says the flowers were worth the money.
“It was a good investment because there were a lot of restaurants closing at that time,” he says. “Nobody knew if [your restaurant] was open or closed.” He says the flowers sent a message that the cafe was back open for business.
Franqui’s team so far has decorated a couple of other restaurants in Chicago. He says his “overgrown” designs are inspired by the tropical rainforests of Puerto Rico.
“If there is an abandoned building, nature will reclaim it and cover it,” Franqui says. “Life will always find a way.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Chris Woldt
