Sign Stealing: A Petty Piece Of Chicago Political History

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2024

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Stealing political signs has been a thing since candidates started printing signs. The tactic was widely used by the Chicago political machine, and its origins trace back to the late 1800s when saloons and politicians worked closely together.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's election season here in Chicago.
0:02.1	As a prosecutor, I took on the Catholic Church.
0:04.5	Chicago's number one for corporate expansion.
0:06.5	She even got 5,000 new Google jobs.
0:08.1	As state's attorney, I'll prosecute violent crime.
0:10.8	The Democrat who will put crime and your safety first.
0:13.7	That means TV ads, endorsements.
0:16.1	And in a city where politics ain't beanbag, that also means some good old political hijinks.
0:24.9	Like campaign signs, disappearing in the dead of night under the cover of darkness.
0:32.9	It's a time-honored tradition.
0:37.0	A Chicago Sun-Times headline in 2007 read, Stealing Signs, It's a time-honored tradition.
0:40.5	A Chicago Sun-Times headline in 2007 read,
0:43.8	Stealing signs business as usual in 50th Ward.
0:46.2	And the thieving still happens today.
0:49.1	Curious City listener, Ingrid Wasmer, wondered,
0:51.0	who's behind these shenanigans?
0:55.5	There's a history of signs being stolen out of yards in alderperson elections in the 50th ward,
0:58.8	sometimes at night.
1:00.5	I'm curious who's doing this and why has the practice
1:03.2	never been reprimanded.
1:05.5	For Ingrid and her family, who live in the 50th ward,
1:08.3	this question is personal.
	...

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