CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE | APRIL CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE Remember resale shops this Record Store Day By LG How a refugee finds a home in Chicago Alberto Aguilar’s art and life Max Budovitch 8 Kerry Cardoza 16 2 CHICAOREADER - APRIL ll CHICAGOREADER | APRIL | VOLUME NUMBER THIS WEEK IN THIS ISSUE TR - ­ ­ reconfi guredfortheTrumpera placestofi ndvinylthatnobody’s @ andasearchforamissinggayteen eventhoughtofreissuingyet revealsTheAbsoluteBrightnessof 30 ShowsofnoteElectricWizard LeonardPelkey LeeFields&TheExpressionsPixel P Gripandmoreshowsthisweek TB IEC 33 SecretHistoryofChicago SK KH MusicLouisMyerscofoundedone D EKS ofthegreatbackingbandsinthe C LSK D P JR blues CEAL FEATURE 35 EarlyWarningsBoneThugsn M EP M 12 PhotoCelebratingfriedfi shand HarmonySamPrekopAngieStone A EJL SWDI CITYLIFE faithonFridays andmorejustannouncedconcerts BJ MS 04 ShopWindowAchildren’s 35 GossipWolfPopinsurgents SWMD LG boutiquespecializesindenim WhitePplplayafundraiserfor G DD C S MEBW 05 PublicService HoistFesttheformerMama M LC AnnouncementOop!Ack!It’stax FILM jammersinBandycelebrateanew S C -J timebaby 22 ReviewThreeshortfi lms tapeandmore FLCPF TAECS demonstratethepowerofpuppets CNB D C NEWS&POLITICS 23 MoviesofnoteTheBest OPINION D C LC NLC 06 Joravsky|PoliticsLori ofEnemiesisasignifi cantcivil 36 SavageLoveDanSavage CC MDLC S F IG AG Lightfootcannegotiateabetter rightseradramaHighLifeis off ersadviceonhowtomake KTH JH JH agreementatLincolnYardsand beguilesandsometimesmoves yourfantasiesfeelrealwithout IH DJ MK S andPeterloomakesantiquated catfi shinganyone K MM B M JRN MO L O Y politicalrhetoricsoundrousing P LP KS KR ARTS&CULTURE CLASSIFIEDS BS DS A W 16 VisualArtAlbertoAguilardraws 37 Jobs ---------------------------------------------------------------- nodistinctionbetweenartandlife 37 Apartments&Spaces D DJD D P E&P 19 DanceThesurrealWhipped 37 Marketplace KK CreamcomestotheAuditorium O MSN L Theatre COMICSSERIALS ADVERTISING 38 Yourfaveindiestripsreturn! -- -@ THEATER C @ 20 Review LotteryDaybrings SD PF IkeHolter’sChicagoCycletoa V PS FOOD&DRINK triumphantclose AM 14 RestaurantReviewAkebab 21 PlaysofnoteAdmissions MUSIC&NIGHTLIFE SA R JL crawlfromthelakeandbeyond isasearingindictmentofthe 26 Galil|FeatureThri and O PG L D SK A R whiteliberalelitePinocchiois vintagestoresareamongthebest LM-H CR MTP NA VMG --- JLSB ---------------------------------------------------------------- DC [email protected] -- STMREADERLLC BPDRL FEATURE TE R S JS ‘The house is yours’ A-S V CC EB Resettlement agencies say refugees are moving ---------------------------------------------------------------- to the suburbs in search of cheaper homes and R ISSN-­ better-paying jobs. STMR LLC SM SC IL B MB 8 -- C ©C R P C IL A C R R RR T® ll APRIL - CHICAOREADER 3 KK W. th, -- CITY LIFE @koolkidz Shop Window Cool jeans This south side children’s boutique satisfi es your thirst for denim. “IWANTALLthe kids to be super cool!” says Aisha Burris, owner of Kool Kidz 2144 in Bev- erly. The 23-year-old opened the children’s clothing store in December 2018. Burris says that after getting pregnant as a teen, she didn’t want to be a statistic. “I wanted bet- Aisha Burris, Kool Kidz 2144 ter for my son, for myself. I wanted the young girls to know that just because you have a baby young, your life is not over.” sellers. The shop also sells a few locally made The shop’s aesthetic—whimsical yet taste- products, such as Beyoncé T-shirts (featuring ful, not shying away from minimalism and the singer’s face, $20) and “Lil Geek” hoodies dark hues—is in tune with the latest children’s ($80). decor. There’s a mini Pac-Man arcade game, a Kool Kidz joins a cluster of small local bou- neon “Support your local girl gang” sign, and tiques on 95th Street that have become shop- black walls covered with chalk drawings. Kids ping destinations for fashion enthusiasts: can enjoy the play area or help their parents Curve Culture (plus sizes), Dez DeMe House shop for jeans with all kinds of finishes and of Styles (fashion-forward garments), and details, like frayed hems and motocross-style Fashion Geek (sportswear). Burris says it was panels. Burris buys denim pants, skirts, and always her dream to bring something to her shorts ($30) and jackets ($40) in Los Angeles neighborhood that was not only high-end, but from brands like Hayden Girls and Haus of also aff ordable. “We deserve that,” she says. JR. Stylish sneakers ($75) are among the best —IG ISAGIALLORENZO 4 CHICAOREADER - APRIL ll CITY LIFE Less scrolling. The concept of War Tax Resistance is still technically not legal. ROBERTCOUSEBAKER More strumming. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT Oop! Ack! It’s tax time What to do instead of declaring your she shed a sovereign state FORTHEMANYof us who are still pay- at locations all over the city and select sub- ing our fair share while corporations and urbs. This initiative can help single taxpayers the 1 percent stand around gawking gleeful- who earn up to $30,000 annually or families ly (“How droll,” they chuckle as the rest of who jointly earn up to $55,000 annually. us squabble over minimum wage), we might In addition, the AARP Foundation offers need help understanding how much we owe. free tax preparation for the public, and you If you haven’t started getting your stuff don’t have to be a certain age or an AARP together from last year’s wages, you better member to qualify. Go to the AARP site to get to the IRS site and file for an extension fi nd locations, days, and times. posthaste. The offi cial IRS website still has an A reminder that the concept of War Tax open and fairly easy-to-use slate of tax infor- Resistance (in short, refusing to pay some or mation available. If you have a simple return all tax as a direct-action protest against mili- (one W2, single fi ling, no extra property, etc.), tarization) is still technically not legal when it Give your digital life a break. you may want to just file on your own using comes to federal taxes in this country. As of the free interface at the same IRS site. April 2019, the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Connect over music, dance & more. If you need a little free one-on-one help, Fund Act (aka congressional bill H.R. 1947) several organizations have open hours all over has not been ratified, cosponsored, or, hon- Anyone can play! Find your spring class the city and suburbs. Tax Prep Chicago, a col- estly, even taken out for lunch. So if you at oldtownschool.org laboration between the nonprofi ts Center for consider yourself a War Tax Resister, offi- Economic Progress and Ladder Up and the cially we’ll have to say you’re on your own. city of Chicago run free walk-in tax help sites —SC-J ll APRIL - CHICAOREADER 5 NEWS & POLITICS Alderman Brian Hopkins urged for the council to ignore Emanuel’s request. MARISSADELACERDA asked the council to postpone the vote on the the Sun-Times: “I think [Lightfoot] might be $2.4 billion projects, saying: “I made it very happy for the cash infusion coming in over the clear to the mayor-elect that I would not move course of the next 20 years from those poten- forward on these projects if she wanted to tial projects.” delay the process.” Planning chief David Reifman seconded this Second Ward alderman Brian Hopkins— notion, saying, “These sites are absolutely who’s sort of the Natarus of our times, minus critical as we consider our fiscal issues and Burt’s self-deprecating charm—urged for the our need to grow our tax base without in- council to ignore Emanuel’s request. “The creasing the burden on existing residents and mayor’s not on the fi nance committee,” Hop- businesses.” kins pointed out. Sigh. True. But of all the things for Hopkins to This is either willful ignorance or just plain suddenly fi nd his spine on. old ignorance. Either way, O’Connor and Anyway, the deal was postponed. Reifman might as well be telling us the earth is Even as I write that sentence, I can barely fl at. One more time: There will be no “cash infu- POLITICS believe it. Ordinary community activists sion” from these TIFs and they won’t decrease forced the mayor to at least temporarily back “the burden” on taxpayers. Quite the opposite: o on a TIF deal. As the guy who’s been pound- like all TIFs, they’re property tax hikes that will A new deal ing the anti-TIF drum since the Reagan years, increase the tax burden on us all. I feel like Sally Field when she won her Oscar: Neither Lincoln Yards nor 78 will add new Lori Lightfoot can negotiate a better agreement at Lincoln Yards and 78. You like me! You really like me! property taxes to our co ers from the moment I’ll calm down by pointing out that this fi ght their TIF districts are created until the mo- By BJ is far from over. Again, it’s only a postpone- ment they fade away in at least 23 years—or ment. For all I know, advocates for both TIF longer, should some future mayor choose to deals may have already bamboozled Lightfoot extend them. o appreciate the significance of it matter? Back then Burt was always bellow- into complying with their demands by the Instead, all the new property taxes gener- Mayor Rahm’s retreat on Lincoln ing about something. time you’re reading this. ated in these TIFs will be used to pay for the Yards and the 78 projects, let me take The CDC unanimously approved LaSalle Damn, the mere thought has got me howling projects. In the case of Lincoln Yards, Ster- you back in time to a previous TIF Central, as did the city council. Since then the at the moon. ling Bay, the developer, will essentially take debate. LaSalle Central TIF’s gathered over $261 mil- In a perfect world, Mayor-elect Lightfoot property tax dollars that would otherwise go TThe year was 2006. Taylor Hicks had just lion in property tax dollars—far more than all and the City Council would blow up the cur- to schools and police and fi re, etc.