PILSEN — The latest anti-gentrification messages urging "white people" to get out Pilsen may be misguided, but the frustration behind them is warranted, one Pilsen leader said Tuesday.
Nelson Soza, executive director of the Pilsen Alliance, said that while the "White people out of Pilsen!" stickers that popped up at Bow Truss take the wrong approach, gentrification is causing real problems in the neighborhood.
"While the racial character of the message directed at the gourmet coffee shop on 18th Street must be rejected, the sense of frustration must be noted before divisions deepen," Soza wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.
The coffee shop, at 1641 W. 18th St., was once again hit with anti-gentrification messages over the weekend, this time reading: "White people out of Pilsen!" The latest anti-gentrification messages are in the form of stickers fashioned to look like the Chicago flag.
Bow Truss has been vandalized five times in the last few weeks, owner Phil Tadros said Monday, calling the messages "racist."
Bow Truss Coffee Roasters in Pilsen was again hit with anti-gentrification signs, this time reading "White people out of Pilsen." [Phil Tadros]
Soza said the frustration in gentrifying Pilsen continues to grow as low-income families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades and Mexican-owned business are pushed out, being replaced by "wealthier, more educated, mostly white single people."
"In general, newcomers and historic residents live parallel lives, not interacting with each other," Soza wrote. "Bow Truss is the result of that trend, as is Thalia Hall and other new businesses, [which] clearly cater to the new neighbors...Everyone who has been living in Pilsen should have a chance to stay in Pilsen."
Stephanie Lulay discusses Pilsen's gentrification issue:
Alderman 'disgusted'
On Tuesday, Ald. Danny Solis (25th) said he "completely disagreed" with the Pilsen Alliance's decision to send the letter to residents, saying that the "White people out of Pilsen" messages were "completely unacceptable and outrageous."
"I'm disgusted," he said. "Intolerance in this day and age, and vandalism, we're not going to put up with it."
Solis said Soza, executive director of the Pilsen Alliance, intended to further spark controversy in the neighborhood with the letter.
"They ought to know better," said Solis, who is Mexican-American. If the stickers had targeted Mexican or African-American Pilsen residents, the whole neighborhood would be outraged, he said.
The alderman said he doesn't know who is behind the anti-gentrification messages, but he plans meet with Near West Side District Police Cmdr. Ed Kulbida in an effort to address the issue. Byron Sigcho, a former aldermanic candidate and Pilsen Alliance board member, said he doesn't know who posted the signs, either.
Ald. Danny Solis (left) talks with Jon Pounds, executive director of the Chicago Public Art Group, at Bow Truss in Pilsen in February. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
Before he was appointed alderman nearly two decades ago, Solis said he was arrested four times while fighting for social justice causes, including overcrowding and housing issues. The former activist said he "can't imagine" who is behind the latest signs on 18th Street.
"This is the wrong way to get your message across," he said, adding that a majority of Pilsen residents welcome new businesses.
Sigcho, a Pilsen Alliance board member, said that he plans to meet with Tadros at the coffee shop Wednesday. In an e-mail to supporters, Soza alleged Bow Truss had not contributed to neighborhood fundraisers.
In January, anti-gentrification signs reading "Fresh Roasted Gentrification Served Here!" and "Wake up and smellllll the gentrification" were plastered over the windows at Bow Truss. The next weekend, the shop was hit again, prompting the Chicago-based owner to ask those targeting his store to come forward and talk about the polarizing issue.
While the coffee shop is part of the latest wave to spark attention, the gentrification debate in Pilsen has been brewing for decades.
In the mid-1800s, Pilsen was settled by Irish, German, Polish and immigrants from other Eastern European countries. By the end of the century, Czech immigrants inhabited the area, and by 1970, Latinos became the majority in Pilsen. As of the 2010 Census, the majority of Lower West Side residents continued to be Latino.
Pilsen Alliance will host a meeting addressing the gentrification of the Pilsen neighborhood at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Rudy Lozano Library, 1805 S. Loomis St.
Bow Truss Coffee Roasters opened in Pilsen in August 2014.
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