August 2, 2019 – What’s bugging people? That’s what 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins was trying to learn at this year’s Bughouse Square Debates.

Staff from his office were on hand at the July 27 event in Washington Park that was hosted by The Newberry Library. From noon to 4 p.m., orators of various ages and backgrounds were given ten minutes to speak on any issue important to them.

The idea was to find at least one irksome concern voiced at the “open soapbox” that could be solved with a city ordinance. According to a Hopkins aide, the ward office expected to be looking at suggestions over the following week.

Complaints ranged from Alan Sydel’s opposition to the current scooter test program to concerns by family physician Dr. Laura Chamberlain about the growing danger of 5G radiation from mobile phones.

(Left) Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks about the anniversary of the Chicago race riot of 1919 at the 2019 Bughouse Square Debates.

Scooter rules ignored, says orator, and injuries are up

The proliferation of what Sydel described as a poorly managed test of the scooters by ten different companies, each with 250 scooters, has already created problems. The safety rules set by the city for the four-month test program have already been widely ignored, Sydel said, charging that the “scooters have been found beyond the pilot program area” in just about every neighborhood – “the Mag Mile, the lakefront, abandoned on curbs, and on sidewalks.”

“Scooter-related injuries are up, as there are no helmet laws. Some injuries have required surgeries,” he said, adding that some cities testing the scooters have already removed them from their streets.

Chamberlain, who described herself as a “longtime activist,” warned that 5G radiation is expected to be “the next level of technology for cell phones,” despite concerns by doctors and scientists who have been “sounding the alarm” as far away as Switzerland and Ireland, where concerns, she says, include an increased risk of cancer.

Kevin Burroughs, the unofficial Mayor of Bucktown, warned city officials against legalizing any kind of serious gambling in Chicago.

“Spurn the Jack of Diamonds and spurn the ponies,” Burroughs warned, noting that he himself was a victim of the racetrack as he sang an anti-gambling ballad he’d written to the 1950s tune of Willie and the Hand Jive. (Right) Alderman Hopkins (wearing tie) and Sargent Chris Schenk of Chicago Police Department’s 18th district.

A librarian complained that books as we know them are being replaced by “e-books,” and libraries “need to get back to books, not rock concerts just to get people in the doors.”

“You can’t read in the library anymore because there’s too much racket,” he said.

Others were more philosophical, tackling issues that had little to do with Chicago. North Sider Doug Binkley (aka D.H. Robinson) called for more creativity in bringing down what he described as the “fascist regime.”

“We need something like the Arab Spring, which brought down some bad governments. We need sustained protests against things like putting children in cages. And we need to stop the drumbeat of war against Iran,” said Binkley.

Curtis Harris called for more mental health facilities, especially for people with autism. Mary Edsey said she’s bothered most by the divisiveness that has developed between family and friends following the 2016 elections, while a self-described hip-hop activist said, “it’s time to either poop or get off the pot regarding impeachment.”