Archdiocese should have been aware of D & P’s mob ties

The Phoenix/Stanislav Goluvchuk

Josephine DiFronzo is the president of D & P Construction — but law enforcement officials say her husband Peter and his brother John, alleged Chicago mob leaders, are pulling the company’s strings from behind the scenes.

That’s nothing new.

A quick and simple Google search for “D & P + Mafia” could tell you as much.
Here’s something else Google can tell you: the recent Loyola Phoenix article about a D & P garbage dumpster being used to remove debris from the construction site for the new St. Joseph Seminary on Loyola Ave. east of Sheridan Rd. wasn’t the first story written about the archdiocese using the waste removal and trucking company’s services.

A 2005 Chicago Sun-Times story reported D & P’s connections to “made men.” Reporters approached the archdiocese and inquired about a D & P dumpster on site at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church near Orleans and Division in Old Town, but according to that article, “Neither the contractor overseeing a project to convert an old rectory into a parish center nor the archdiocese’s construction office apparently was aware of D & P’s history.” An archdiocese spokesperson was quoted, saying that the contractor agreed to remove the dumpster and hire a different firm, and commented that, “We don’t micromanage our projects to the extent we would know who’s doing the waste hauling.”

“We’re not making any judgments about this company,” the spokesperson said.

I should note that Henry Brothers Construction, who is actually building the seminary, is the company that hired D & P as a contractor. The co-owner of Henry Brothers claimed in last week’s article that he had no knowledge of allegations of mob ties, didn’t know the owners of D & P and had never met them. He added that his company has been working with D & P “for a few years,” and that the company “provides a good service at a very competitive price.”

Yet, even if the archdiocese didn’t hire D & P directly, the fact remains that waste receptacles from a possibly shady company were being used, ironically, at a seminary construction site across the street from a university rooted in the Jesuit tradition of social justice.

D & P’s involvement is an awkward situation for the archdiocese to explain. Although, I’m only assuming it’s awkward because we never actually got an explanation. However, two things we can read into are the speedy removal of the D & P dumpster at the archdiocese’s request after a Phoenix reporter called to inquire, and the lack of a response to those inquiries.

This situation suggests that the archdiocese has a problem saying, “Sorry, we messed up.” They apparently also have problems staying clear of D & P, which the FBI claims has paid and intimidated its way to securing contracts.

To be clear, I’m not alleging that the archdiocese is in cahoots with godfathers. Despite history repeating itself in the form of D & P dumpsters on archdiocese construction sites, that doesn’t necessarily indicate a mob conspiracy. Wow, that’d be a story. Just think …

I will offer this constructive criticism: Whatever it takes, the archdiocese should stay away from D & P and make sure contractors can clear a simple Google search before something potentially embarrassing slips through the cracks.

Lupe Fiasco 'fights to stay true'

May 2011 cover of XXL magazine

Reviewing Lupe Fiasco's latest album, Lasers, was painful for me on a few levels. Anyone who knows anything about your beloved blogger knows that I'm Lupe Fan #1.

I think he's one of the best lyricists to ever grace a track, and he's one of the most sincere, enlightened individuals in music. His first two albums, Food and Liquor and The Cool are two of my favorite rap albums of all time.

But while Lasers wasn't as bad as the turd sandwich Wiz Khalifa recently coughed up, it was still a very lukewarm album. It serves as a testament to how record executives can suck the life out of even the most righteous rappers. I think Lupe's fans understand the struggles he went through with Atlantic Records to retain his artistic integrity despite his label's insistence that he, "dumb it down."

Lupe has been vocal about those struggles and adamant that he wants to waste no time in getting back to the real shit his fans love. That's why he's been working on Food and Liquor 2, which is reportedly "half done" already. Hopefully his label doesn't strangle this album too. But if they try, I foresee fans -- and the Chi-Town superstar, putting up one hell of a fight. Whatever it takes to avoid another Lasers-like effort.

I'm with you Lupe. But if you do release another album like Lasers, I'll cry as I write the review, but I will throw that album under the bus...literally and figuratively.

A Classic: Dumb people outbreeding smart people -- Joe Rogan explains the pyramids

Joe Rogan explains it all. You have to hear the WHOLE thing to really get this. … “LoL”

State Police back down from Koschman review

In a puzzling move, the Illinois State Police recently decided not to review the David Koschman homicide case, rejecting requests from Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. What a shame. What an embarrassment.

Although many details around the case are yet unclear, what is obvious is that Mayor Richard J. Daley's nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko was involved in the 21-year-old Mount Prospect man's death.

Police have at least indicated that it was Vanecko who threw a punch that hit Koschman in the face outside a Rush Street bar and sent him on a fatal fall that resulted in brain damage and killed him 11 days later. However, no one was ever charged for any crime connected to what the Cook County Medical Examiner called a homicide.

The case was closed in 2004, the same year the incident occurred. The case was opened again earlier this year, but then closed again... still, heavily shrouded in doubt. Conflicting witness accounts and questionable handling of the case by the Chicago Police Department are signs for some that CPD detectives involved did not do all they could do to make sure justice was served. And now it's looking like CPD isn't the only law enforcement agency avoiding the case.

The Chicago Sun-Times' Michael Sneed asks this question in a recent column: Is Alvarez, State Police playing hot potato with Koschman case?

I think there might be a little hot potato going on as Sneed speculates. Read the article linked to above for an interesting look into the idea. 


To end this on a positive note — while it's discouraging that the state police won't review this case, at least Chicago's inspector general is said to have an independent review on slate. 

The Chicago Sun-Times has done an awesome job of staying on top of this story. The articles listed below are essential to understanding what is, and what isn't going on in the Koschman case.

The Watchdogs, Part I: Questions arise in 2004 death involving Daley nephew

The Watchdogs, Part II: Years after death, mom’s anguish won’t end

The Watchdogs, Part III: Witness says Koschman wasn't the aggressor

The Watchdogs, Part IV: Koschman homicide case closed without charges

Sade Feat. Jay-Z - The Moon & The Sky

I'm so in love with this song. And Sade...but that's nothing new.

Government Shutdown? What about the children?

My 11-year-old niece...just because.

A government shutdown is no joke. Some poor family (that doesn't follow the news for some reason) expecting to cap off a road trip with a visit to a national park is going to be turned away because the place is shut down due to the budgetary stalemate between Republicans and Democrats.

What a downer.That family will probably eat a mediocre meal at a nearby Denny's before a long drive back home. The children will ask why. Mom and dad won't be able to offer a simple enough explanation that makes sense. There will be tears. 

Especially because, as CBS News reports, "Shutting down the National Park Service - which draws approximately 800,000 visitors a day at 393 National Parks, monuments and historic sites - would represent a loss of $32 million a day in revenue from admissions/fees."

Isn't that just ironic as hell. Our legislators, our chosen representatives, can't come to agreement on a budget, let alone a temporary bill that would avoid a shutdown -- and the decision will hurt local economies that benefit from the tourism national parks bring them.

But of course, the impact the shutdown can have on people goes far beyond national parks. This article from MSN Money details other ways that citizens might be hurt.

"There's no question it would inconvenience the public in ways large and small. Consider some of the impacts of the three-week shutdown in 1995-1996 -- all of which could be repeated this time around:

1. New patients were no longer accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health. In addition, NIH disease hot lines and CDC disease surveillance were stopped.
2. Work on more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases in the federal court system was suspended.
3. Hundreds of thousands of "nonessential" federal workers were furloughed for three weeks, from mid-December 1995 to early January of 1996. (Some of those workers eventually received back pay for their missed days.)
4. Of $18 billion in Washington, D.C.-area federal contracts, $3.7 billion (more than 20%) were affected adversely by the funding lapse.
5. The National Park Service closed 368 sites, for a loss of 7 million visitors. The National Park Service administers 84.4 million acres of federal land in 49 states and other federal territories. Since 2008, park visits have totaled 285 million annually.
6. National museums and monuments closed, including the Smithsonian and other government buildings, with an estimated loss of about 2 million visitors.
7. More than 600 toxic waste dump sites went untended and uncleaned during the last shutdown. About 2,400 Superfund employees did not work.
8. The recruiting and testing of new law enforcement officials -- including 400 Border Patrol agents -- were suspended.
9. During the last shutdown, 20,000 to 30,000 applications for visas by foreigners went unprocessed each day, along with 200,000 applications for U.S. passports. Airlines also suffered, as many prospective travelers were unable to fly.
10. The Department of Veterans Affairs had to cut many of its services -- including health care, welfare, travel and finance -- as the department could not process compensation claims.
11. The shutdown meant a delay in processing alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives applications by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
12. The National Weather Service did not produce its regular reports.
13. New Social Security claims were not processed, because the agency furloughed more than 61,000 employees. As the shutdown continued, the agency regrouped, recalling workers to start processing new claims again. "

If we are lucky, our elected officials can reach some sort of solution by midnight, when a shutdown would go into effect. To be honest, I don’t have much hope that a shutdown can be averted. But hopefully it doesn’t drag on too long. That would be an even worse joke on the American public than the one attempted at the top of this blog post.

UPDATE: a short term deal was reached and a shutdown was avoided, but things are far from over. 

Music Review: Rolling Papers

If you bought Rolling Papers expecting to be wowed by lyricism and engaging content, you went to the wrong source; Wiz Khalifa is no poet laureate and his music shows no concern for anything of real substance. He strays from complex rhyme schemes, intricate wordplay and thoughtful content.

Instead, Rolling Papers is heavy on melodic, infectious choruses and simple rhymes about weed, women and swagger. While there's nothing wrong with that approach in itself, and while such an approach can yield excellent results if properly executed, Rolling Papers is missing the talent and originality to make it a strong album.

The album suffers from a lack of sonic diversity, which combined with Khalifa's low-level lyrical dexterity results in several songs on the album sounding the same. Outside of "Fly Solo," a surprisingly introspective, downbeat track that makes use of an acoustic guitar sample, the production on Rolling Papers is more often than not a mix of synth-heavy, pop-rap beats that are heavy on melody.

Lyrics like, "And they say all I rap about is bitches and champagne/ You would too if every night you seen the same thing," on the opening track of "When I'm Gone" pretty much sum up what you get from Khalifa. He stays in his comfort zone. However, despite his shallowness, catchy songs such as "On My Level" and the much-remixed "Black and Yellow" show Khalifa at his finest, with the young emcee effortlessly dropping smooth boasts over up-tempo beats. The tracks are simple, but they go down smooth and are fun to listen to.

Khalifa also shines on tracks such as "The Race," and "Rooftops," where he proudly declares, "Used to not be allowed in the building, but now we're on the rooftop." The song, which is boosted by a solid assist from New Orleans rapper Curren$y, is a bass and snare-heavy track with bell-like synths that is both celebratory and thoughtful.

If there's one thing to applaud Khalifa for, it's his honesty. The emcee doesn't present himself as a deep, contemplative rapper. And in his defense, that's not what a lot of people want these days.

Khalifa is similar to much of hip-hop's new school; he sings and typically raps on top of poppy, electronic or soft-rock instrumentals. That seems to be the direction that much hip-hop, or what passes for it, is headed for these days. The problem is that while he has impressive charisma, Khalifa's skill doesn't make him a standout, and with the rise of more skilled rapper/crooners such as Drake and Kid Cudi out there, what makes Khalifa special? Nothing. He pretty much always uses simple A-B rhyme schemes, and is a mediocre singer.

Each song on Rolling Papers feels like an attempt at Top 40 radio fame. In case you haven't heard, most rap on mainstream radio sucks - and this album sings the same tune.

Illinois House smoking bill compromises health for profit

If you’re still upset that public smoking bans are keeping you from smoking a cigarette in your favorite restaurant, bar or strip club, a recently proposed Illinois House bill aims to make sure you can light up in these establishments as you please — despite the obvious dangers this poses to public health.

Illinois House Bill 1310 seeks to give municipalities the power to “issue a smoking license to certain eligible establishments,” including private clubs, adult entertainment establishments and bars. The bill is sponsored jointly by Reps. Randy Ramey Jr., R-West Chicago; Daniel J. Burke, D-Chicago, Anthony Deluca, D-Crete; and Robert Rita, D-Blue Island.

The Smoke Free Illinois Act, which went into effect in 2008, made it illegal to smoke in public places and within 15 feet of doors and windows. It was passed with the acknowledgement that secondhand smoke poses a danger to the public. House Bill 1310 would undermine that notion.

Proponents argue that a smoking ban is anti-business and pushes businesses to nearby states without such staunch smoking laws. They think this measure is pro-business and claim that the municipalities selling the licenses to establishments will reap significant revenues for the state.

They are missing the point: Cigarettes can kill, and while you apparently have the right to smoke yourself to death, you shouldn’t have the right to be an unhealthy influence on people around you. “At least 69 of the toxic chemicals in secondhand tobacco smoke cause cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

To be fair, it’s important to note that the bill passing wouldn’t be an automatic mandate for smoking licenses for every establishment; in fact, local governments would still have the choice to yay or nay selling licenses, and even if they were in favor of the proposed law, special ordinances would need to be adopted. Also, under the planned bill, municipalities can control the number of licenses they dish out, and establishments would be required to post signage showing that they allow smoking.

But the fact that smoking in public places might be limited to a few places if the bill is passed doesn’t matter. What if your favorite bar or restaurant (or strip club) is one of the places that buys a smoking license and you have to be subjected to secondhand smoke, or worse, avoid the establishment altogether? It might seem like this bill only cracks the door a little bit, but at what cost? How much further will proponents of smoking in public places push the envelope if they get this small victory?

Music Review: Fear Of God

Ever since Pusha-T, one half of the rap duo Clipse, announced that he was signing a deal with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, fans have been giddy with thoughts of what a solo project from the Virginia-born MC would sound like.

If Fear Of God is any indication, Pusha won't let them down. The mixtape features him spitting fiery lyrical barbs and larger-than-life boasts while telling his usual stories of cocaine profits, hot cars and even hotter women. While that might not sound out of the ordinary for a gangsta rapper, what sets Pusha aside is his lyrical grace.

He's at his best on "My God" where he declares, fittingly for the occasion, "There'll be no waiting, I have no patience, this is the end for all my unrecognized greatness."

Pusha gives his take on Drake and Bun-B's "Put It Down" on "Cook it Down" a track boasting about his cocaine culinary talents that might be better than the real version.

His "Blow Funk Flex Freestyle" is another standout, with clever lines like "A bird's eye view got me channeling my vision, turn one to two now the kilo's got a sibling."

While the Kanye West collaboration, "Touch It" is a solid track, it's not as good as you would expect given West's involvement. Its fatal flaw is the hook, which gets a little cheesy after a few listens.

"Can you just touch it, touch it, or just kiss it kiss, girl do somethin'. Do somethin'," Kanye says annoyingly. "Raid," featuring 50 Cent and Pharell, is another track with star-studded collaborators but underwhelming results.

The mixtape also suffers from a few missteps in terms of beat selection. For example, Pusha borrows the instrumental from "Money on My Mind," a 2006 Lil Wayne song that has already been freestyled a million times by artists. Pusha also raps over Soulja Boy's "Speakers Going Hammer," which is just plain corny, even if the lyrics are on point.

Despite these flaws, Pusha saves every track with his trademark coldblooded yet insightful lyrics and bold bravado. That's why Fear Of God definitely warrants several listens.

AUDIO // Download Pusha-T's new mixtape on his website.

State Police to review David Koschman homicide

David Koschman

In about 10 days, it will have been 7 years since David Koschman died from brain injuries suffered outside a Rush Street bar in an altercation with a nephew of Mayor Richard M. Daley and White House Chief of Staff William Daley who left Koschman unconscious in the street.

The 21-year-old Mount Prospect man died 11 days later.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide. Police knew that the Daleys’ nephew, Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko threw the punch that connected with Koschman’s face and sent him on a fall that resulted in fatal brain damage. But no one was charged for the crime; it was ruled self defense, and the case was closed with countless questions still unanswered. The case was opened again earlier this year, but then closed again, still, with numerous questions unanswered.


Now the Illinois State Police department is gearing up for an independent review of the case, keeping alive the hope many have that justice is served. I commend Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez for requesting the review. The Sun-Times also deserves a great deal of credit for not letting this questionable handling of a homicide case involving someone with obvious connections to Chicago power simply fade away. They have been persistent, resourceful and scrappy in digging for the truth.


Read the full story from the Chicago Sun-Times here and read a previous blog post from me about this issue here.

Business as usual? My thoughts on despicable Chicago police actions recently caught on camera

As a black kid growing up in Chicago, I heard all types of horror stories about the Chicago Police Department.

Most of them were urban legends. Most of them were simply fueled by paranoia from a disenfranchised people. But as illustrated by individuals like John Burge, who allegedly took part in the torturing of some 200 or more men, most of them black — there's more than myth fueling anti-police sentiment. It doesn't take a genius to see that CPD has more than its share of bad apples.

The video at the top of this post shows two rotten cops inducing the sort of psychological terror that reinforces attitudes present long before N.W.A. made an anthem summarizing how many people in minority communities feel about the police. The incident was first reported by Chicago Public Radio, in this post on their website from Steve Edwards, who also happens to be a professor of mine at Loyola this semester.

While details about the circumstances of this video are still murky, one thing is obvious: the officers in this video decided to drive a youth, most likely a gang member, to a hostile gang's turf, open the doors of their SUV and allow rival gangsters to threaten and demean the youth.

One might argue that this scary moment might discourage the unidentified youth from gang life. But does something like this really deter the young man from gang life? Does the young man here feel grateful to the police for scaring him straight, or is he more hateful of authorities because they made a victim out of him? If you pick up on the tone of this post, you already know what my verdict is; this sort of behavior breeds hate. And that’s not what the world needs now, there’s enough of that going around.

Hopefully those two officers get what's coming to them. They aren't fit to be on the force or to be in any position of authority. I wouldn’t even want them hired as security at Lincolnwood Mall.

The Fraternal Order Of Police, the union representing CPD officers, railed on former Superintendent Jody Weis, and made his time at his post a living hell. The union even gave him a vote of "no confidence" last March and claimed the rank-and- file didn't believe the guy had their backs. Weis left his post on March 1 this year, after his $310,000-a-year contract expired.

When his appointment was announced in 2008, I thought the department could benefit from a shake up with a stranger to its ranks, especially in light of a long history of scandal and misconduct. But the union never seemed comfortable with him calling the shots. For example, decisions such as shuffling top police officials and handing off investigations of officer William Cozzi's alleged brutality to federal authorities rubbed rank-and-file officers the wrong way.

But the whole point of hiring Weis was to bring in an outsider who wasn't afraid to ruffle some feathers and put an end to what Weis called "business as usual."  The CPD has a long way to go to accomplish what Weis was brought in to do.  How do you tell anyone who has seen this video that "business as usual" no longer takes place?

You can't. Not with a straight face.

A pointless video, but eh whatever it gave me a chuckle

Vanilla Ice in his 1991 feature film debut, "Cool as Ice"

Chris Brown unleashes the dragon (I'm making fun of his hair, btw, that's a Sisqo reference...duh!)

People are creatures of habit. That's our nature, but also, often enough, our tragic flaw. And because of that, we recognize change as a good and necessary process, as long as it's in the right direction.

With that said...

Damn. Chris Breezy, why did you have to go and backslide?

The Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other news outlets report that Chris Brown got violent after an interview with broadcast journalist Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" this morning. Brown apparently grew irritated by Roberts' persistent questions related to the domestic abuse incident (psychopathic beat down, to be frank) involving his former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.

According to the Sun-Times, "Chris Brown stormed off the set of his “Good Morning America” appearance Tuesday morning and reportedly went into a violent rage backstage. The singer, who is said to have turned his life around since being charged with felony assault in 2009, was yelling, ripped off his shirt and threw a chair through his dressing room window TMZ reports."

Yikes. 

Not cool, Chris Brown. Not cool.

Here's a little tip: if you're on probation, don't get violent behind the scenes of a nationally televised newscast and throw a chair through a window, sending glass onto the sidewalk below and potentially endangering people. Because that might make the long arm of the law put the smackdown on you. As it should. With this incident comes the possibility that Brown could see prison time for violating his probation, if he actually faces any charges. 

It's obvious that Brown has a problem with his anger — a problem that seems to pose a risk to people around him when he blows a fuse. I sincerely hope he can overcome these problems, both for himself and for everyone who ever has to come in contact with him. 

The sad part of this is the fact that by all reports, Brown was making strides to become a better person, maybe the type who doesn't rage and turn into a violent monster when a woman upsets him.

And while he is trying to direct people's attention to his new album, which I'm giving the Voldemort treatment and refraining from naming, this latest incident is sure to give fans flashbacks of the horrible day when they heard that Brown had run amok all over Rihanna's beautiful face. 

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All goes bananas at SXSW

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All was one of the most anticipated acts atSXSW, and from what I hear, they didn’t disappoint. 

The California collective, especially standout Tyler, the Creator -- also took the time to spazz the fuck out.

Tyler demanded that someone, “man the fuck up” after he was hit in the nose by a Mountain Dew bottle during one set (first video). Predictably, the offender refrained from manning the fuck up, with the foresight that his confession would lead to a swift beat down that would be recorded and go viral soon after.  It’s a sad world we live in where you can’t even get your ass beat discretely without the incident spreading across Youtube the next day.

Even though he got popped in the face, Tyler also dealt out some pain to the audience when he reportedly broke a fan’s nose on accident after diving into the crowd from atop a speaker (second video).

To top things off, OFWGKTA stormed off the stage during one performance because of frustrations over technical difficulties (third video).

I guess boys will be boys?

Music Review: Nostalgia, ULTRA

Frank Ocean

Nostalgia, ULTRA

Self released

February 16

4.5/5

Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, ULTRA is refreshing, but still holds familiar elements of popular R&B, as the singer blends prodigious lyricism, polished vocals and infectious beats to great effect.

       

Relatively speaking, Ocean is an oddball compared to the other young debauchees in Odd Future Wolfgang Kill Them All. The 23-year-old crooner is happily hedonistic much like other members of the upstart hip-hop collective; but his subject matter is much less grotesque.

Ocean’s superior songwriting skills are his debut album’s most striking strength.

Nostalgia, ULTRA is written with a high degree of lyrical intent and depth, regardless of if Ocean is wailing that people must “believe in something” on the doleful, soulful, “We All Try,” or if he’s singing playfully about leveraging his musical talents to woo women on the brashly comical “Songs For Women.”

Another standout track is the bouncy “Novacane,” a song about Ocean’s indulgences in drugs and sex — and about how he “can’t feel nothing” despite these pleasures.

Ocean offers more intriguing wordplay on 808-laced tracks “Dust,” “Love Crimes” and gives a stirring, passionate effort on the heavy-hearted “There will Be Tears,” his rendition of British star Mr. Hudson’s 2008 song by the same name. Keeping with his borrowing ways, Ocean samples the Eagles, “Hotel California” for one of the album’s biggest attractions, “American Wedding,” a sobering, downbeat take on love and matrimony. 

Nostalgia, Ultra is packed with R&B tracks you can nod your head to, while soaking in silky smooth vocals and dissecting insightful lyrics with minimal sonic distractions. The album isn’t overproduced and Ocean appears to have a great ear for beats that compliment his voice. As a bonus, he rarely auto-tunes himself, which is, of course, the next best thing to no auto-tune.

While the album features Ocean singing over a typical mixture of electro, soft rock, hip-hop, dance and soul beats, the content of his music is far more creative and diverse than most artists on the R&B landscape. Ocean is open and passionate, and doesn’t shy from taking listeners through every twist and turn of his existential crisis.

Paying homage to Nate Dogg

West coast hip-hop crooner Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, better known as Nate Dogg, died Tuesday at age 41 of complications stemming from multiple strokes. His soulful voice will be missed in hip-hop. In his honor, I'm posting this video, "Regulate" which was one of his first major hits back in the day, and one of my favorite songs ever. Gotta love that G Funk. Rest in peace big homie.

Taking a look at the Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011

 

Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011 into law on March 7, in advance of Illinois’ redistricting of House and Senate districts.

The bill is aimed at ensuring that minority communities don’t have their electoral power watered down during the map-drawing process, which happens after every census to reflect changes in population and demographics.

The law mandates that legislative districts must be drawn to "create crossover districts, coalition districts, or influence districts" that work to the benefit of racial and language minorities.

Here are more specific definitions of the districts named above:

Crossover district: Where a racial or language minority "constitutes less than a majority of the voting-age population but where this minority, at least potentially, is large enough to elect the candidate of its choice with help from voters who are members of the majority and who cross over to support the minority's preferred candidate."

Coalition district: Where "more than one group of racial minorities or language minorities may form a coalition to elect the candidate of the coalition's choice."

Influence district: Where "a racial minority or language minority can influence the outcome of an election even if its preferred candidate cannot be elected."

On one hand, you might say, why keep people apart, why not forge solidarity and unite their voices? On the ideological level, that’s absolutely valid. However, in a practical sense, such an approach doesn’t address the reality that groups do have separate interests, needs and political aims. This bill tries to help ensure that groups won’t have their voices drowned out due to district dynamics.

For example, in the redistricting following the 2000 census, Chinatown was sliced into four state representative districts. Asian leaders had advocated for some Asian communities to be put in the same district, especially since Chinatown’s population had increased by 60 percent in the decade before. This was to concentrate and bolster the political voice of a constituency which shares common needs and values. This bill helps minorities and immigrant communities be heard in Springfield.

One downside pointed out by critics contends that four public hearings aren’t enough to inform the state, and that the new law doesn’t explicitly call for officials to share maps of the districts before they are decided.

But just because the law establishes minimums, that doesn’t mean it can’t exceed expectations and go the extra mile; Gov. Quinn and legislators should go through this process with the utmost level of transparency, and collaboration with every Illinois community. Maps should be explained, critiqued, and reflective of what citizens want, not of what the politicians who profit from their votes want. It could muck the process up, but at the benefit of ensuring that there are no behind the scenes political games going on.

Grant Hill wants you to know he isn't a bitch

Grant Hill. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia 

Commons.

Phoenix Suns swingman Grant Hill is neither a “bitch”, nor an “Uncle Tom” and he wants to make sure that Jalen Rose, the rest of the Fab Five — and maybe even you and I— get the point.

“The Fab Five,” is an ESPN film about the college careers of the famous University of Michigan 1991 freshman recruiting class of Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. In the film, which debuted on Sunday , King succinctly states his opinion of two Dukies in particular who he felt lacked cajones.

 “I thought Christian Laettner was soft, a bitch. And I thought Grant Hill was a bitch,” King said in the documentary, which documents the Fab Five’s experiences from 1991 to 1993.

To make matters worse, Rose, executive producer of the show, has said that he thought the black players recruited by Dukes were all “Uncle Toms,” a slur used to imply that a black man is meek and deferential to whites.

Hill, whose Duke Blue Devils defeated Michigan in the 1991 NCAA national title game,  wrote a blog for the New York Times today that said “It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events,” for him to see the Fab Five’s remarks.

Now, I’m black, and while that doesn’t make me an expert on blackness, I can say this: Calling a black person an “Uncle Tom” is a surefire way to piss us off, and it’s often an unwarranted claim. I know firsthand. As early as kindergarten, I was picked on by some of my black classmates because I spoke very well — “like a white boy,” as they put it. The teasing didn’t stop there, in fact, it continued all the way up to high school. The ironic thing was that I’ve always considered myself to be very in tune with my roots — and very in love with my identity as a black person. It’s very painful to hear someone make derogatory remarks about your pride and identity, especially in light of all the adversity blacks have face in the U.S., just because you are different than them.

The Fab Five. From left to right, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, 

Chris Webber, Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard.

“In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families,” Hill said in the blog. “He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.”

If Rose thought that coming from a middle class, educated background and being black was betraying the race or being subservient to whites then that says a lot about his lack of maturity as a college student. But then again, maybe that’s the point in all this; Rose is expressing a point of view he held as a teenaged basketball star fresh out of high school. King has also said as much.

Whatever the case, I’m glad Hill gave Rose a piece of his mind and slipped in a few barbs while he was at it. Hopefully this doesn’t get blown out of proportion or explode into a bigger bickering war.

If Hill is as classy as I think he is, he’ll leave things at this: “I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.”