#Chiraq and the film production tax credit

Via RAGE ig

I'm very ecstatic that Englewood will have its time in the limelight thanks the famed director Spike Lee. Although knowing the basic premise of that film - which is regarding inner city gang violence - it's probably not always in the best light. We do hope that this sheds light on a problem that occurs in many neighborhoods in the city.

Since news broke about the opposition to Lee's "joint" expected to be titled Chiraq, we've learned there are many who aren't happy with that title. One of those people who isn't happy is Mayor Rahm Emanuel another person who isn't happy is 4th ward Alderman Will Burns who is seeking to keep Lee's production from receiving a tax credit.

To be sure this isn't recent news exactly and it appears to have been reported in the local press in recent months. It was something worth posting, however, it was also important not to overwhelm this blog with posts about movie coming to this part of town. Still I saw that Rich Miller talked about this news on Thursday with the following comment:

I’m not sure what I think of this. I don’t like government interference in the arts, but when you take the money, I suppose you sometimes have to pay the piper, or however that saying goes…

One way to look at it is that yeah Ald. Burns wants to say don't make a movie that puts Chicago in a bad light. Especially if the belief that this term "Chiraq" could be legitimized by this movie.

Personally Lee should make the movie he wants to make which hopefully will bring gang violence in Chicago to light. It seems people want to smack Lee around because he's from New York and he's doing a movie about Chicago. What does it matter perhaps we need an "outsider" to take a look at what's wrong here.

Also not that I totally understand the idea behind tax credits, but we all know Lee can raise funds for his productions. Just look at what he did for those people who helped finance his more well known "joint" Malcolm X. If Ald. Burns is successful in holding back that tax credit, it would be expected that Lee won't be hurting for long.

BTW, Resident Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE) President Ay-Sha Butler wrote her 2¢ on Lee's Chiraq. The film will affect her community so therefore it's important to see how an Englewood resident views this coming production.

Crossposted sixthward.us!

Chicago Tonight: Spike Lee Film #Chiraq Triggers Black-On-Black Violence Debate

[VIDEO] Little did I know when I posted excerpts of Mary Mitchell's column Monday morning @ The Sixth Ward. that Chicago Tonight took on this subject on this past Thursday's program. BTW, if you're unable to watch the embedded video on this blog please click the "VIDEO" link within the brackets above.

Here's the description of the program you see above:

A new Spike Lee film about black-on-black violence that is still in early production has already stirred up controversy just with its title: Chiraq. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he doesn't like it because it stigmatizes communities and gives the whole city a bad name. We talk with a local filmmaker with an anti-violence message, as well as experts on black-on-black violence to get their take on the controversy.

Joining us are Anthony Sturdivant, a man from the west side of Chicago who is trying to combat the gun violence in his community with a series of short films on YouTube called "Think Before You Shoot", Waldo Johnson, Associate Professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and Eddie Bocanegra, a former gang member who’s committed to preventing violence and Co-Executive Director of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention programs.

A lot of focus is on the term "chiraq" what was it's origins and the responses to this title. For example, how many veterans of the Iraq War would challenge the "chiraq" designation.