I'd been reading all about the ways Chicago 2016 has been reaching out to real Chicago citizens and I guess I got a little carried away and decided I'd go to one of their community meetings. This one, billed as a Robert Taylor Working Group Meeting on the Chicago2016.org "Community Meetings Calendar" webpage, seemed like it could be particularly interesting.
I mean, look how fun they make these meetings sound!
Chicago 2016 is committed to reaching out and providing a forum for dialogue to all Chicagoland communities. The bid strives to actively engage in participation and conversation with all neighborhoods and communities.
Well, I shouldn't have gotten so carried away. After CTAin' it all the way down to 40th and Indiana and then hoofing through a trash-strewn side street to S. State, I finally arrived at the Hansberry Square Community Center, the appointed venue.
There, a pleasant receptionist laughed and then told me that the meeting was not open to the public at all; it was only for the development group. It was also apparent I was not the first person she'd had to tell.
I guess "community meeting" could be misinterpreted...after all, there are lots of "community meetings" that aren't open to the public. What is a board meeting but a meeting between members of a community of like-minded professionals all working for the same company? What is a police interrogation but a meeting between members of the community of men?
Next time I'll call.
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