Lightfoot and COVID19: Chicago at the crossroads

When we first offered our support to then candidate Lori Lightfoot, giving her kudos for her idealism and chutzpah, we asked the rhetorical question of why one would want the job of leading the nation’s third largest city, as it lay adrift in legendary corruption, legacy issues and historical economic problems. We could also ask that question again, as she deals with the Covid19 pandemic, and the myriad of problems that she has encountered in trying to tackle, the challenges of managing that, plus the pitfalls of merely running the daily operations of a city that needed to turn the corner.

Fresh from the last battle with the Chicago Teachers Union, and the subsequent strike, Lightfoot is grappling with a near Greek chorus of woes: not the least of them is the still enduring belief, among some African American residents, that the virus is a hoax and that the wearing of masks, and other personal protection equipment, are unnecessary, as the old adage, from the black community states, “When it’s your time to go, it’s your time,” and that wearing a mask, or other face coverings, is pointless, as death is all in the hands of the Almighty.

Ironically, it’s Chicago’s black community that was initially the one that was hit the hardest, but now, the Latinx community is leading in infections and deaths among the city’s minority groups.

Adding to the mix is the anger of many of the Chinese community who feel that the black community has blamed them,and their relatives, for bringing the virus to the US, and one self identified Chinese public transit rider was overheard saying, “if they are going to call me a Chink, then I am going to call them the N word.”

In a city of deep racial and economic segregation, these existing racial tensions have begun to worsen with the virus, creating even more tension; and the backlash from the black community is virulent, with some saying that, “no one will ever eat at a Chinese restaurant again!”

Worsening still is the protest from some residents of the stayathome order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and who are saying that he has violated the US Constitution, by overreach, and that not only  are they illegal, but unconstitutional; a mantra that has been repeated over and over again, despite national infection rates of over 80,000 that far surpass that of Europe.

Some social observers,and public health officials, have seen this misunderstanding as a sad and unfortunate reality, that has made many Chicagoans feel that the regulations, and orders, to stem the thrall of the pandemic is no more than an inconvenience.

Also the political divide in a blue state has taken an unwelcome tone, and as one elderly NorthSide white woman told us, “this is all a plot by Pritzker and Lightfoot, who is in cahoots, with Bill Gates, and as Democrats, they hate America, and all it stands for.”

Continuing along the political divide was the sight of a middle aged white woman, walking along a major commercial avenue, again on the North Side, with a white paper plate pinned to the back of her winter parka, stating, “I admire and support President Trump.”

Next up on the dissatisfied list are two local churches who defiantly held Sunday services, despite the stay at home order, and newspaper photos showed them, at one service, without masks, and not always meeting the minimum 6 foot distance for the required physical distancing, in what seems a thumb nosing act toward Lightfoot, that said, in effect, not simply, “dare me” but “double dare me.” and in response Lightfoot fined them for their disobedience that continued on  Sunday.

Adding to the mayor’s woes was that proper test kits have only recently been acquired, and the still weak effort of contact tracing for those that are asymptomatic, making a course towards matching Pritzker’s phased in plan for reopening business, more of a minefield than a reality, despite all best intentions.

Chicago, like many older urban core cities in the US, faces a pandemic of its own with a backlog of pensions, and some mandated; not to mention the loss of sales revenue, and loss of convention and tourism dollars, especially from the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Center, known locally as the McCormick Center.

Reported loss of revenue was $11.3 million in March, according to Crain’s Business, versus $1.6 million in February, with expected revenue to drop by 30 percent, to $ 225 million in the future.

Current estimates are that there has been a $7 million loss of total revenue to the city.

Close on that same page is the loss of Cook County taxes that have been given a reprieve by board president, Toni Preckwinkle.

Crain’s noted that “Preckwinkle is waiving a series of county fines and fees and deferring tax collections, '' she said in a release, adding it "will assist our businesses in terms of cash flow to the tune of $35 million during these trying times."

The deferral will not stress the county's budget, Cook County Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki said. "We can provide this relief and delay of collection because we're in a relatively better financial position than most other entities. Our businesses can use this money now that would otherwise be coming to the county. They can use this to cover payroll, rent or just to keep the lights on."

Within the national framework, recent testimony to the US Senate by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell there seems to be a commitment to help cities and states like Chicago and Illinois, as he promised to provide whatever help the Fed could provide, but as economists have noted, he needs help from the Trump Administration, and the Congress to make that commitment a reality.

Joined to that was the passing by the US House of Representatives by the Speaker Nancy Pelosi of a $3 trillion bill that contained $3 million for local and state governments that would help to reach some of the goals from the Lightfoot administration.

The mayor is also facing some criticism for a slow response to the Latinx community, now 42 percent of all Covid19 cases, in Chicago, despite being only 30 percent of the population, reported the Chicago Sun Times last week.

They also noted that many members of this community are working in jobs that cannot be done at home, and often are working shoulder to shoulder that further exposes them to infection. And one local activist Jorge  has suggested that Lightfoot send the police to the various factories ringing the city to ensure that protective measures are being enforced.

Another glaring problem is that of the homeless, who cannot shelter in place and are often the only people on the streets, sitting in bus shelters, or sprawled on the sidewalk, with piles of shopping bags, and old suitcases of belongings by their side.

There was a suggestion by some that the Chicago Housing Authority house them in empty CHA units, but that suggestion was met with silence by the mayor’s office, as well as the agency, reported the local alternative newspaper, The Reader, who also quoted one official that said those units were not habitable, a statement that spoke volumes about the stock of units, but also a much troubled city agency, with less than a solid reputation.

Most advocates have said that homelessness is a public health problem, and now with the pandemic it is a twinned problem for the city. And, with most experts stating that a vaccine may not be seen until July of 2021, the problem for that population will only increase.

Rounding out the challenges in meeting the virus, and its effects, is the Chicago Transit Agency and the cleanliness of its trains and busses, all of which have faced a public relations test between what is shown  smiling sanitation crews with mops and suds, versus the reality of dirty seats, and an eternal bedbug problem that makes for some painful rides for essential workers.

Bus rides are now free, during the virus crisis, and with the drivers area roped off, passengers are required to enter the rear door, with the exception of seniors, the disabled and those with baby carriages; yet since those issues are enforced, or not, by drivers, as most seasoned riders know, there are glaring exceptions; for example, we have seen elderly women told by drivers that they must enter through the back, and some passengers, seemingly, in their 80s, attempting to haul themselves up the back steps as the driver stares straight ahead, ignoring all requests for help to allow them access through the front door.

The change in boarding and free rides seem to spring from an agreement to keep the bus drivers from walking out of their jobs, in protest of health concerns, and Lightfoot’s promise to keep trains and buses running.

Meanwhile CTA trains are, paradoxically, still suffering from thefts, stabbings, and general lawlessness, despite former interim police chief, Charlie Beck, along with the mayor, saying in March, that police would be riding trains, as well as staffing the platforms.

David Brown, the new permanent police chief, has not yet addressed the problem.

Within a recent 72 hour period CTA text alerts showed “police activity” up and down the red line, but also on the blue lines, crisscrossing North side stations as well as those on the South, and on trains going to and coming from O’Hare airport, making the trains an unsafe way to travel  for essential workers.

Chicago public libraries have recently reopened but with hour long visit restrictions, and only one hour long internet sessions for the public terminals,some have wondered why they bothered to reopen.

The racial and wealth gap has already stretched internet access to the limit, especially for children, and many residents see this as fostering the gap. Certainly the fact that the overwhelming majority of librarians are white, and in a city with a greater than 30 percent African American population, lacking an increase in black professional librarians further adds to the displeasure of many black residents.

It’s not over till it’s over is an old saying, and despite increases in flattening the curve for Chicago, the future can’t promise much, until the advent of a vaccine, and in the interim, Chicago, America’s most quintessential city, is struggling to maintain even a new normal during this pandemic. 

Updated 15 June 2020 at 1:05 p.m. CDT