PREMISE



The political process in its most immediate practice occurs when a citizen or 

group of citizens brings pressure upon their government to redress grievances 

and address issues of concern to citizens. This is the heart of social activism. This 

is also the ideal. The true practice has much to do with access and money and too 

often, very little to do with the legitimacy of the issue. Those citizens without 

sufficient money or influence must employ tactics appropriate to the situation.





TREATMENT



The South Loop Campaign is the first segment of a thirty-minute video documentary 

tentatively titled The Other Convention which is one part of a three program series 

entitled Conventions. The intent of the series is to examine how the democratic 

process unfolds in one city at a particular point in 1996. The first program looks at 

community action organizations committed to political action, the issues involved and 

the tactics used by these organizations to achieve results.



The South Loop Campaign organized by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is a 

perfect example of a legitimate issue needing address by the government. The goal of 

the campaign is to maintain or replace the existing one thousand SRO units in the 

South Loop. The campaign is both legitimate from almost any viewpoint and certainly 

achievable. The campaign is not opposed to development but wants development 

without displacement.



The Problem

The South Loop represents prime urban real estate. Economic circumstances make 

it ready for upscale development. For the past several years, buildings have been 

turned into loft space. Close to the center of the city and the lake front, with plenty of 

vacant land and vacant or low-revenue generating but rehabilitatable buildings, the 

South Loop is a developerÕs dream. The mayor lives in the South Loop and has 

recently pushed the City Council to turn Meigs Field Airport into a lake front park. SROs 

and mixed-income housing may not fit into a developerÕs plans. The South Loop 

Campaign seeks to keep the area a mixed use neighborhood with mixed incomes 

and to prevent developers from displacing current residents thus aggravating an 

already serious housing problem for low-income citizens.



The documentary will examine this issue utilizing the following shooting sequences:



¥	Interviews with John Donahue, Executive Director of the Chicago Coalition for the 

Homeless, Matt McDermott and Les Brown organizers of the campaign. The intent 

is to focus the issue giving the history of the area and the ongoing status of the 

campaign



¥	A visual tour of the area.



¥	Interviews with effected residents.



¥	Any public actions the campaign may organize.



¥	Any strategy discussions to which we may get access.



¥	Acquisition of news footage from the July 25 action footage.



¥	Acquisition of the 18th St. ground breaking footage.



¥	Acquisition of footage and possible collaboration with the Chicago Video Project.



¥	Possible interview with John Knight of Mandel Legal Aid at the University of 

Chicago.



¥	Possible acquisition of footage of lower Wacker Drive sweeps.