Photo: Flier Warns Humboldt Park Of Man-Bun-Having 'Urban Colonists'

By Mae Rice in News on Jun 7, 2016 3:57PM

The flier above, essentially a PSA warning of gentrification and gentrifiers, was spotted in Humboldt Park by an astute Imgur user this weekend. The flier advises locals to watch out for Millennial gueros —especially those that vaguely resemble Bon Iver—on quests for artisanal coffee. These people (full disclosure: me, though I don't have a beard) will displace "el corazón y el alma"—the heart and the soul—of the neighborhood.

This flier is just the latest salvo in the heated discussion about gentrification and displacement in Chicago, especially on the city's West Side. In mid-May, hundreds of protesters took to the 606 trail to protest the wave of gentrification and displacement it's triggered in the neighborhoods it runs through. Back in late March, Logan Square renters also took to the streets to protest rent hikes and mass evictions from notorious landlord M. Fishman. And in February, a collective of performance artist-witches gathered to "hex" Northwest Side gentrifiers.

A recent study also found that in Pilsen—a gentrifying, historically Hispanic neighborhood not unlike Humboldt Park—Hispanic residents are being displaced in the thousands as rents rise and the white population grows.

Basically, it's hard to argue this flier is entirely unreasonable (and even harder to argue it's not funny). If you made it or know who did, shoot us an email at tips@chicagoist.com.