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17 FOOD | Steamed buns 11 BOOKS | Love and communism 18 MUSIC | Th e Tangents FREE February 11-17, 2021 • Vol. 46, No. 30 Little Love Stories p13 February 11-17, 2021 | Illinois Times | 1 KEEP IT LOCAL. Support local businesses 2 | www.illinoistimes.com | February 11-17, 2021 OPINION Young writers Go Scorpions put fears aside to write This I Believe And good luck GUESTWORK | Liz Murer UPON FURTHER REVIEW | Bruce Rushton At nearly six feet tall and topping 300 pounds, that it’s never fi led lengthy IRS disclosure forms pride in my word and my work,” Johnson says. “I Let me start off by saying, the Dameon Johnson is big. And he thinks big. required from charities realizing more than don’t want anything to diminish that. Whenever I thought of writing this 700-word For years, the former Springfi eld High School $50,000 in annual revenue. Th e commission has do something, I set out to do the best job I can.” piece somewhat scares me. Yep, that is lineman pleaded. Can we scrape together $60,000 a $10,000 annual budget, according to its grant Never having run a program this size, the East right, it scares me. Both our son and or so for a feasibility study to help create STAR application. Organizations with small budgets, Springfi eld Community Center Commission daughter are excellent creative writers. Village, a $300 million sports complex with no experience managing grants or that are new to plans four meetings with a Peoria-based prison Surely it is a trait they inherited from outdoor ballfi elds and indoor playing areas and a proposed endeavors weren’t penalized when nearly ministry that helps ex-inmates, as well as meetings their father. My most recent writing water park somewhere near Dirksen Parkway? 400 applications were scored by the state. Johnson, with prison offi cials and city officials, according to date has been composing a few He asked Sangamon County. He asked the to the grant application, which mentions the thank you notes for various Christmas Springfi eld Park District. He asked the Springfi eld commission’s experience with youth athletics and gifts, and I haven’t quite fi nished City Council. Everyone said no. mentoring programs. those yet. Last month, the state of Illinois said yes. Nearly 20 years ago, Johnson formed the Words and thoughts fl ow easily In a state grant package worth $809,000, the Springfi eld Scorpions, a youth football team that through my head, but never transfer East Springfi eld Community Center Commission, started out at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central quite as eloquently to paper. I a nonprofi t Johnson created in 2012, has been Illinois. “He created his own team and he raised get tangled up with the need for awarded money for STAR Village, which his own money,” recalls former Ward 2 Ald. Frank perfection and thus end up giving up. would employ 2,000 people, according to the McNeil. “I think he had some assistance from the Let me just say that if any of these commission’s grant application. Hotel and Leisure Boys and Girls Club, but he did most of it himself, young Th is I Believe writers share my Advisors, an Ohio company slated to produce a and by organizing the parents. Th ey were a good fear, it wasn’t in the least bit evident. feasibility study, is budgeted for $30,000. A budget little football team. Th ey were tough – nobody in Th ree years ago, I joined the in the grant application also includes $206,000 for Springfi eld would play them. Th ey were driving Sunrise Rotary Club of Springfi eld. architectural and engineering services. No site has to Bloomington and East St. Louis to get games. Our weekly Wednesday morning been identifi ed, nor has fi nancing, aside from the Th ey were well-coached, and Dameon had them meetings invite speakers from state grant, been secured, although the commission under control.” Th e team, McNeil recalls, lasted throughout the community to share in its grant application says that it has “a great about seven years. their thoughts, expertise and wisdom fi nancial partner” that will help secure capital. “A lot of them went on to college,” Johnson on a variety of topics. I learned about In addition to STAR Village, the grant includes says. “Some of them went to trade school. such topics as horse therapy, Route 66 money for helping 30 ex-inmates fi nd housing and Unfortunately, we had some losses along the way.” landmarks, the importance of adding jobs. Johnson, an internal investigator with the Dameon Johnson, head of the East Springﬁ eld Community Th e day after we fi rst chatted, Johnson called micro greens to my diet, philanthropy, state Department of Human Services, will be paid Center Commission, has big plans and money from the back. He wanted to know how I’d gotten a copy of the Kidzeum of Health and Science, state. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAMEON JOHNSON a monthly salary of $5,555 as director of workforce the grant application. I explained that it’s a public owning and running a small business development. record, given public money is involved. Johnson, during COVID, the World War II Th e money is coming from marijuana – state who’s also trying for a state license to grow pot Memorial, and even the importance law requires that 25 percent of pot taxes go for who is the commission’s chief executive offi cer, says near the Wabash Avenue-Interstate 72 interchange, of chalk. grants aimed at helping communities ravaged that he was optimistic, but he confesses surprise pointed out that applications to grow pot aren’t In addition to the above, Sunrise by the war on drugs. Johnson’s nonprofi t, when the Illinois Criminal Justice Information public records: How is this any diff erent? Rotary has partnered with NPR headquartered in his east side home, landed more Authority announced the winners. “A lot of people are having a lot of questions Illinois and the Th is I Believe project. state weed grants than all other local applicants – “I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the about how we did it,” Johnson said. “Anyone Th is project invites high school seniors including the City of Springfi eld, the Springfi eld press release,” Johnson recalls. “We knew our could get that (application) and copycat what to write a statement of personal belief. Urban League and Illinois Legal Aid – put together. chances were good, but not really this good.” As we’re trying to do.” He also disputed that Th ere are few limitations to the essays, Th e East Springfi eld Community Center the city’s biggest pot-grant winner, he acknowledges marijuana tax revenue is public money. Only 20 beyond a limit of 350-500 words. Commission, created in 2012, is small enough feeling pressure. “If anybody knows me, I have percent of the population, he said, uses pot. “It’s Th ey can be about almost any subject not like it’s property taxes or sales taxes,” he said. matter that addresses their belief. “It’s just from the people who bought the product Remember my opening paragraph Editor’s note in Illinois. … Th ese things (applications) should that expressed my fear of writing? be further protected than they are.” He requested Th ese young writers put their fears With so much else going on, Abraham Lincoln seems almost forgotten on his birthday my help. aside, if in fact they had any, and this year. A few brave Republicans are trying to rescue his party from Trumpism, and the “I would appreciate anything your wrote powerful, moving, informative, president from Springﬁ eld is still the one most quoted in House and Senate speeches, organization could hold in secrecy as much as intimate, at times funny, at times gut- but we’ve gotten so used to Lincoln he rarely awes us anymore. Yet he remains a quiet you can,” he said. wrenching, honest essays. Th eir beliefs inspiration. He was a white male typical of the day, who grew stronger over time in his anti- Journalists shouldn’t keep secrets. I’ll be happy are bold, creative, diverse and perhaps racist views, and then when he had power used it to enlarge freedom for others. Now is the to report how this all turns out. even similar. We adults need to listen to these beliefs, even if our own view time to continue the work of Lincoln. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO Contact Bruce Rushton at [email protected]. continued on page 5 February 11-17, 2021 | Illinois Times | 3 OPINION Is vaccinating legislators now a good idea? POLITICS | Rich Miller Th e immediate partisan reaction to the you can’t get big things done if you treat the Pritzker’s chief legislative aide last week, governor’s reversal on whether legislators General Assembly purely as a nuisance or an according to a FOIA fi led by WCIA TV. should be allowed to be vaccinated during obstacle. Kifowit pointed to Mayor Lightfoot’s Phase 1B was fairly predictable. And you can’t get anything at all done decision to vaccinate aldermen and pointedly “Governor Pritzker is prioritizing young if lots of legislators say they don’t want to noted, “Th e longer the Governor denies the healthy felons and Springfi eld politicians return to Springfi eld unless and until they’re legislature a safe way to work, the longer it over high-risk adults,” the Illinois Republican vaccinated.

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