David Moore signs the permit for St. Sabina party but he insists residents are not okay with the title of Spike Lee's Chicago-Iraq movie.
- Jun 13, 2015
AceShowbiz - Chicago Alderman David Moore (17th) backs off. He initially refused permit for a block party marking the end of filming for movie "Chiraq" but now he reverses his decision. He says he grants the permit after talking to residents living in the area where the party will be held to see whether or not they support the event.
The block party is scheduled to take place on Saturday outside St. Sabina's Catholic Church. It's an annual St. Sabina summer block party but this year held to celebrate Spike Lee's controversial Chicago-Iraq movie which is expected to address the real issues in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.
"I was told by many of the residents that they support the party, but not the name. Many of the residents also shared how much they appreciated me coming to them to seek their opinion," Moore said as quoted by Chicago Sun-Times. "I was not given the time to talk with residents about the block party before meeting with a representative from St. Sabina, and learning flyers had been passed out already."
He's not the only alderman who takes issue with the "Chiraq" title. In an attempt to thwart the movie's production, Alderman Will Burns (4th) called on the Illinois Film Office, last month, to deny Lee's request for a $3 million film production tax credit.
Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina said, "I'm still a bit amazed at all these conversations, particularly coming from two of the aldermen regarding the negativity on this name of this movie. I just really wish there was as much outrage about the daily shootings as there is about the name of a movie. Seemingly we're more concerned about the perception of others than we are about the residents right here."
