For some years now, the Lakeview neighborhood has been plagued by controversies surrounding the alleged mistreatment of youth of color who claim to have been treated unfairly by business owners on account of their race and perceived class origins. On Sept. 1, the local grassroots organization Gender JUST staged a surprise afternoon protest to highlight the problem and to demand a meeting with the Northhalsted Business Alliance. [ Full disclosure: This reporter is a member of Gender JUST. ]
About 60 protesters, including several LGBT youth of color, made an unexpected entrance into the office of Knecht Chiropractic Clinic, 3444 N. Halsted. The owner, Andrew T. Knecht, is the president of the alliance.
According to Sam Finkelstein of Gender JUST, the group made several attempts to arrange a meeting with members of the alliance to address the tensions between youth and business owners. Finkelstein said that they sent Knecht two separate letters, to his office and care of the alliance's office at the Center on Halsted, as well as e-mails. The letters went unanswered, according to him, which prompted the group to take direct action.
Finkelstein made an appointment as a patient with the clinic, whose door requires people to be buzzed in. At the scheduled time, he entered and about 20 protestors who had been waiting for his signal rushed in after him, while the remainder spilled out onto the sidewalk, where they stood chanting, "NHBA, you can't make us go away" and "Queer youth under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!"
Inside, Knecht came out to talk to the group, whose spokesperson, Ahkia Daniels, explained that they were there to arrange a meeting after unsuccessful attempts to contact Knecht. Knecht responded, "I have never gotten an e-mail from you. What is this in regards to?" After hearing the complaints, he said that he was willing to meet with them anytime adding, "Why don't we have the business owners and you meet together?" The two sides agreed that they would set up a meeting, reiterating that they had tried to communicate with Knecht.
After leaving Knecht's office, the protestors made their way down the street to the Center on Halsted, where they staged a brief rally. The group consisted of Gender JUST members and groups like the National People's Alliance and Sex Workers Outreach Project ( SWOP ) , Chicago.
LeVea Nole, a transgender youth and member of Gender JUST, said that she had experienced discrimination when she was told to leave a clothing store by a salesperson who said, "You're trying to steal," without any proof of the same. She also claimed that the white friend who was with her was not asked to do the same.
Asked why her group participated in the action as an ally, Serpent Libertine of SWOP said they "wanted to show support because a lot of sex workers are LGBTQ, and the Sheriff has been cracking down on sex workers." She said that the problem with such tactics was that it did nothing to address the issues faced by sex workers, like a lack of safety and poverty.
On the phone afterwards, Knecht told Windy City Times that while he did not know of Gender JUST prior to the action, he "definitely would like to be part of a solution." He also added " [ Lakeview ] should be an open environment for all people." According to Finkelstein, the two groups are currently negotiating a date on which to meet: "We're moving forward."