Aldermen on Evanston’s Human Services Committee voiced support Monday night for a plan to place signs proclaiming “All People Are Welcome” at city buildings.
Equity and Empowerment Coordinator Pat Efiom said the design for the signs had been developed by a staff committee. She said the committee also hoped to get city employees talking about what it means to be welcoming.
Alderman Judy Fiske, 1st Ward, who chaired the committee meeting said, “I think its a good way of branding the community” and added.
Alderman Cicely Fleming, 9th Ward, asked about adding text in Spanish to the signs. Efiom said the committee had struggled with trying to decide whether to try to fit just one or several additional languages into the design.
She said the city needed to establish a broader policy about providing translation services and what languages to translate material into.
Efiom said the plan was to produce 11 of the signs at a cost of $110 each.
Fiske said she’d “love to see some decals we could give people” to place in their stores, on their cars, or on their front doors.
The sign program, Efiom said, is patterned after a Skokie Cares project that recently distributed yard signs reading “Skokie welcomes everyone” in that community.
Drip, drip, dripping with irony
It’s silly season in Evanston.
Why do we need signs saying everyone is welcome? Is there a problem not welcoming peeps in Evanston? Are there places nearby that do not welcome everyone?
Are conservatives who voted for President Trump welcome in Evanston? Do the signs mean President Trump or his kids would be welcome in Evanston? How about conservative speakers or ICE agents? How about the diversity of political thought?
Oh these signs are dripping with irony.
Al
Al where have you been, I have missed your common sense logical comments. No Al they will not be tolerant of any of the people you speak of. Intellectual diversity is not allowed. Funny how they call us conservatives facist when they only protect speech that fits with their narrative and attempt to silence anyone who thinks differently. And Talk about spend spend spend I love how the city makes up a postion for Efiom so she can spout regressive left ideals such as implicit and explicit bias and white privilege at 110,000 dollars a year of tax payer money. 90,000 dollars for art, and now God knows how much these signs will cost. Keep shaking them up AL.
Do we consider the Flat Earth
Do we consider the Flat Earth Society “Intellectual Diversity?”
Such a waste of money…
So who exactly isn’t currently welcome??? I am so sick and tired of these PC signs. Waste of money and even a bigger waste of money paying the people to come up with such dribble.
The City of Evanston
The City of Evanston announced last month that they have a general fund budget defecit of over $5 million dollars this year (http://evanstonnow.com/story/government/bill-smith/2017-07-09/77929/city-faces-multi-million-dollar-budget-crunch).
Which fund will cover the cost of over $1000 for these signs? If the aldermen or mayor are donating these signs from their personal bank accounts, fine. If not, it is beyond fiscally irresponsible, and I don’t know how aldermen can justify this expense in any way.
Budget Crisis?
I assume the city found the money to make up the budget deficit. I mean if a person with a completey fabricated and “only in Evanston” job title like equity empowerment coordinator is presenting the idea of pretty new signs to welcome everybody, then it must mean the city has the money to pay for police, fire, and other basic services. Right?
Wonderful Idea
With budget-gate going on this could be done by laying-off only one more employee. Who would think that the savings realized from the loss of one employee would be used to pay for this crazy money-wasting project.
This idea is so goofy that the entire Human Services Committee should be replaced.
Who is really Welcome ?
Well I guess the liberals can notch one more ‘equity star’ in their belt and sing Kumbaya.
Of course what they mean is we welcome you if you vote Democrat, champion every liberal cause, believe all crime is the result of white discrimination and the only moral code is what the far left says.
And of course make the taxpayers pay for your signs and programs.
Agree with the comments above
I’m glad I left Evanston recently. I love the town itself, but the ‘leadership’ is really drifting off course.
I refused to be a captive, very high tax-paying sponsor of the silly, wasteful liberal projects. I’ll still come back for dinner and drinks occasionally, though.