Hardly anyone passing this corner thinks twice about the Brehon Pub, on the 700 block of North Wells St, in River North, these days, but for a while, this was perhaps the most famous bar space in the country. A free YoChicago T-shirt for the first person who can tell us why. Hint: it has nothing to do with the quality of the Guiness. Yo staff are, of course, not eligible. Neither are current or former employees of the Chicago Sun-Times.
it’s where that cop beat the crap out of the guy working at the bar…the cop was the brother of the cop who beat the crap out of the bartender who cut him off even though he had about 150 pounds on her. Ass kicking family, huh?
It was the location used to sting a bunch of crooked city inspectors…
Randal, you’ve basically got it, but you, or someone, can earn extra points for supplying the name of the old bar used in the investigation.
The Mirage. Better Government Association/Suntimes sting against crooked cops and city inspectors.
ARRRRRRRGH
Irishpirate,
Let’s give full credit also to the crooked city crews selling city asphalt etc. 60 Minutes also had a hand in this and did some fine work showcasing city employees going about their usual business.
I was converting a 3-flat in DePaul into my home while this was going on. The upshot: it cost my contractors (and me indirectly) several hundred dollars in additional bribes. Note that I only learned about this after the fact.
In true Chicago worker fashion, building inspectors seized the opportunity to double the customary price of payoffs. Their rationale: “the heat’s on, man. I can’t do it for $50 any more.”
Nothing has fundamentally changed in Chicago in the nearly 30 years that have passed since the Mirage sting.
If we ever had a Mayor who wanted to stamp out corruption, corruption would end.
“the heat’s on, man. I can’t do it for $50 any more.”
ugghhhhh.
talk about your “penny-wise-but-pound-foolish” gold medal winner, I just cannot fathom why people risk losing a decent paying job and imprisonment for such chump change.
Randal,
Send me your size to Val@YoChicago.com and I will send your t-shirt to you.
Carter,
When you look at the big picture – how pervasive low-level corruption is, and how few people pay any penalty for it – there’s not much real risk. It’s kind of like rolling through a stop sign in their view. It’s also a way of getting back what you have to pay out in political contributions to get / keep your city job. Ugghhhh is right.