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'Bum Bait' Signage In Bucktown Causes A Stir

By aaroncynic in News on Apr 23, 2015 2:25PM

Rat abatement signage in some neighborhoods is so common it’s almost hardly noticed. But a new series of signs styled after the familiar “TARGET: RATS” posters the City hangs to inform residents of rodent poison has caused a stir. A bright yellow sign that reads “TARGET: BUMS,” and features a caricature of a homeless person in crosshairs has been found dotting the Wicker Park and Bucktown areas. Bill Healy, a 31-year old freelance reporter alerted DNAinfo Chicago of one of the signs he found on the 1600 block of North Wolcott Ave. Tuesday afternoon.

"To see something like this in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods, it shows what a disconnect there is and it's a sad state of affairs that people are taking the time to do it,” Healy told DNAinfo’s Alica Hauser. “It's also sad that it was put up and taken down and put up again in a short period." After seeing the offensive sign, Healy tore it down but another one was posted in the same spot the next day.

The signs, which have popped up in the 32nd Ward anonymously, read in part “stop enabling bums,” with a bulleted list of instructions that include:

  • Keep all handouts securely in pockets, billfold or purse.
  • Properly dispose of all cardboard boxes.
  • Return all shopping carts to point of origin.
  • Don’t give bums a free meal.

The sign also reads that “bum bait has been placed where bums can find it but where it’s unlikely to be found and consumed by children or pets,” and suggests if a full liquor bottle is found and consumed by a “real person,” poison control should be notified.

Alfred Mojica, a resident of Wicker Park said he was offended by the sign. "I don't think it's appropriate. How can you tell whether someone is a bum or not? It looks real, the seal looks as if the city put this out,” Mojica told DNAinfo. Steve Jensen, President of the Bucktown Community Organization, said that while the piece might be a “provocative” way of getting people to talk about the issue of homelessness, that the signs continue to go up after being taken down is a waste. “A lot of time was put into it and it’s a shame that the person who put the time into it couldn’t put it toward real homeless issues,” Jensen told CBS Chicago.

While some have pointed out that the signs could be satire, that commentary falls pretty flat considering the lack of context. It might hit on stereotypes about homeless individuals, but there’s nothing clever about dehumanizing a vulnerable class of people, especially when both the City and plenty of individuals in it already take care of that job.

[UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.] Alderman Scott Waguespack commented on the issue after we reached out to his office. "I thought the signs were done by someone(s) who doesn't understand the issue and doesn't represent most people who know we have a problem and know there are other ways to deal with the problems," said Waguespack in an email. "Over the past few years, and especially since the mental health clinic closings we have seen a huge increase in the number of homeless with mental health issues. The closings created bigger problems we deal with every day in every neighborhood."

Waguespack said his office has been taking the signs down.