Idiots on parade

Ok, let me see if I get this straight (as it were); a couple moves to Boys Town on Halsted, then decides that there is too much noise at a local club, then tries to legislate the entire ward as a 'dry' (alcohol free) ward. Aiee caramba!, I don't even know where to begin kvetching about this blockheaded, hate-your-neighbor attempt at moralized by fiat, but what did they think when they were buying the condo in the first place? Did they think they were moving to Skokie? I bet they are very popular with their neighbors.

This really sounds like the whole Lounge Ax fiasco (which ended badly for the club, ask Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, or read Greg Kot's book).


Where are we living anyway, Afghanistan? Look, if you have a problem with a specific club being loud, don't shut down every bar in the district!
Chicago Tribune: Halsted noise foes seek dry alternative:

When Evelyn and Tom DiLisio chose to live in the newly built Dakota in East Lakeview, they bought an apartment on the north side of the building, next to the nightclub Circuit.

For two years, the thumping bass has kept them up at night and now--after a dispute involving two city agencies and a gay-rights advocacy group--they have filed a petition to the Board of Elections to have the 3rd precinct of the 46th Ward, and as a result, the club, voted dry.

Their attempt to ban all alcohol sales in the area has prompted angry reactions from other Dakota residents and community members.

"We all live here because we like the neighborhood," said Dakota resident Steven Heintz, who lives on the other side of the building and serves on its board with Tom DiLisio. "The famous Halsted Street--there's no other city-sanctioned LGBT [lesbian gay bisexual transgender] entertainment venue like it."

In a July letter opposing the initiative, neighboring Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) wrote, "While the intended goal of these residents is to shut this one business down, the proposed move could change the character of this area forever."

Before the Dakota was built on the site of a former bar at 3631 N. Halsted St., Circuit had grown from its Boystown cafe roots into a busy dance club, drawing 800 to 1,000 on a typical Saturday night. They were coming for the music--loud, bass-heavy, throbbing dance music. "Who wants to go to a party that sounds like a jukebox?" asked co-owner Mike Macharello.