Chicago - A message from the station manager

The Weekend Desk Report

By Steve Rhodes


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Paging Peter Falk
Lori Lightfoot’s position (‘it’s erasing history‘) on this is among the most mystifying of her administration. She should appoint a task force, perhaps aided by the Chicago History Museum, to review all of the city’s properties, from buildings to statues to street and park names. It’s a no-brainer.
And to offended Italians: I would think you would be mollified by how much pizza we eat in this city, but if you want to pick out someone else to replace Columbus wherever he is in these parts, form your own task force – or hold a contest – and I’m sure the city will be quite agreeable.


I believe someone else – or perhaps many people – has suggested replacing all Columbus statues with Columbo statues. I am so behind that.
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P.S.: Lightfoot statement today in part:
“For several weeks, my team has been working to develop a plan to pursue that public conversation, and to engage in a comprehensive review of our public icons to identify which should change, and where we need new monuments and icons to be erected to ensure the full, robust history of our city is told. The details of that plan are forthcoming, but please know that we hear and take seriously these questions.”
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Here we have yet another example of a Lightfoot trait I’ve written about before: She says something immediately in response to a question that is just plain weird, bizarre, thoughtless, defiant, whatever, and then later actually considers what she had previously shut down and engages the debate. This has become such a pattern that I told someone recently that I’ve learned to ignore her first controversial reaction and instead watch what she does, which is almost always a ton better and what she should have said/done in the first place.
I’ll reiterate that I don’t consider this to be a messaging problem, because messaging essentially falls into the realm of too-often cynical political strategists working to sell their program by crafting language that is rarely honest in order to propagandize the public through the media. I consider this to be a communication problem by someone – the mayor – who is either undisciplined in keeping certain thoughts to herself (though I’m not at all advising her to censor herself) or doesn’t yet grasp the nature of public communication and the impact her reactive thoughts have on the rest of us.
For example, I follow the news pretty closely and I had no idea she and her team were considering how to move forward figuring out what to do with our public properties. I’m not saying that was never reported – perhaps it was – but I hadn’t seen it until I stumbled by chance up on her statement today.
Now, I’d take her style of Rahm’s any day; he employed an army of smoothies desperate to “win the day” with the media every day, no matter what it took. Lightfoot’s style is both rougher and more honest. But it’s also less competent in the communication department.
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Police Riot
Meanwhile, you’d think police would be on their best behavior in the current environment, but no, they seem hellbent on making every one of us believe that every one of them truly is a pig.
“An 18-year-old activist who had just spoken to a crowd protesting at the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park had several front teeth knocked out by a Chicago Police officer Friday evening, according to video and multiple elected officials,” Block Club Chicago reports.
“An outraged Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) said Miracle Boyd, 18, of the group GoodKids MadCity was assaulted by a police officer during the tense Friday night protest where police pepper-sprayed protesters trying to tear down a towering, nearly 90-year-old statue of Columbus.”
Boyd was hardly the only victim last night. But the assault on her was one of the most maddening.
“Ald. Taylor said watching video of the attack horrified her. Taylor’s daughter is good friends with Boyd, who could not be reached for comment Friday night.

“I’m going to tell you right now, if this was my kid – and Miracle is one of mine – I would burn this city to the ground,” Taylor said. “You beat people up over a statue? You rough them up over a statue? They’re so busy protecting white supremacy, they’re so busy protecting a Christopher Columbus statue that they beat her.”

And yes, some cops have felt provoked – or maybe were provoked, though certainly not in Boyd’s case – but their job is to keep their cool. This was an embarrassment to CPD, Lightfoot and police chief David Brown.
Also, the Columbus statue is a no-brainer. Lightfoot should have had it removed in the first place; she could have still gone ahead with whatever her team is cooking up regarding statues, buildings and street names throughout the rest of the city.
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New on the Beachwood . . .
Trump Administration Shelving Bank Redlining Probes
If you don’t investigate, you don’t have cases!
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The Fox News Coronavirus Misinformation Machine
Laura Ingraham is the worst.
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The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #313: Opening Daze
Is this really happening? Plus: Launching College Football; Corey Crawford Is “Unfit To Play;” Don’t Bank On The Chicago Marathon; Fluky Fire Singe Sounders; Red Stars vs. Reign, and more!
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All 9 FreeCreditReport.Com Commercials
Now instead of looking fly and looking phat, my legs are sticking to the vinyl and my posse’s getting laughed at.
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Solar Panel Camouflage
Panels on a terracotta tile roof, for example, could present a photo-like image of the tiles underneath, making them practically disappear. An acre of panels in a field of clover could present an image of a field of clover.
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Weekend ChicagoReddit

Cook County Tax Sale from r/chicago


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Weekend ChicagoGram


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Weekend ChicagoTube
Monet in Chicago – A Conversation with the Art Institute, Half Acre, and the Chicago Brewseum

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Weekend BeachBook
Laura Ingraham’s Descent Into Despair.

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California’s Surprising History Of Confederate Monuments.

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The True Story Of The Heartthrob Prince Of Qatar And His Time At USC.

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Weekend TweetWood
A sampling of the delight and disgust you can find @BeachwoodReport.


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Remember, these positions are elected; therefore police union bosses reflect the views of a majority of their voting members.


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The Beachwood One More Question Line: Oppa.

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Posted on July 18, 2020