As a member of a family that has made its home in the Beverly neighborhood for nearly 100 years, I read the story on the Chicago City Council remap case with great interest (Metro, July 8). In a supposed attempt to increase minority representation in the City Council, a federal judge is considering a proposal to remove the eastern portion of Beverly from its historic home within the boundaries of the 19th Ward.
Like thousands of other Beverly area residents, I find this proposal objectionable on a number of fronts. First, such a move by Judge Elaine Bucklo would represent an arrogant abuse of power by the federal judiciary. Declaring a legislative map unconstitutional is one thing, but the idea of a judge arbitrarily drawing political boundaries from the ivory tower of the federal bench is an outrage.
Second, as reporters Andrew Martin and Gary Washburn pointed out, Beverly residents are proud to live in one of Chicago’s few racially integrated communities. The successful integration of the neighborhood has been fostered by many community organizations that have worked hand-in-hand with 19th Ward Ald. Ginger Rugai and her predecessors. Splitting the 19th Ward in two would damage the effectiveness of these groups and threaten the stability of the neighborhood.
Finally, the remarks attributed to Judson Miner, the lead attorney on behalf of the remap plaintiffs, are indicative of either stunning ignorance or blatant dishonesty on his part. If he truly believes that “a lot” of residents of Beverly do not realize they live within the 19th Ward, he is completely out of touch with the political realities of Chicago and too naive to be involved in this case. Those of us who have decided to make Beverly our home want to promote racial integration in our neighborhood and preserve the sense of community we have established.
