Things are very tense at the virtual meeting of the City Council's Transportation Committee, as a Deputy @ChicagoDOT commissioner introduces a new measure to rename Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable.

"Racist bullshit," says Ald. David Moore (17th Ward).

Moore says the new ordinance from CDOT is "not appropriate" and would "totally change" what he is trying to do to honor DuSable.

Aldermen have literally no idea what this substitute ordinance would do, and are having trouble agreeing where Lake Shore Drive starts and ends.

First Deputy Commissioner Tom Carney says the department's proposal is designed to make sure it is only the name of Outer Lake Shore Drive that is changed.

Carney says Moore's measure could also change the name of Inner Lake Shore Drive (forcing 1000s of address changes)

Moore exclaims: "That's fucking bullshit."

Aldermen admonish Moore for violating the City Council's rules and the meeting is recessed.

And we're back.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) wants to know why there has been a last minute change in a proposal that has been in limbo for 18 months.

"It seems real racist to me."

Taylor: If you can afford to live on Lake Shore Drive, you can afford to pay $20 to get a new ID.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th Ward) says what is happening is "absolutely racist" and says calls for "decorum" amount to "racist tone policing."

Lightfoot's administration is playing the "oke doke."

Ald. Ed "Chin Mask" Burke (14th Ward) has joined the debate, his first public comments since federal prosecutors accused him of making anti-Semitic remarks caught on tape. https://news.wttw.com/2021/04/21/ald-ed-burke-thoroughly-corrupt-federal-prosecutors

Burke is taking us all on a tour of efforts in the (checks calendar) 1970s to rename parts of Lake Shore Drive for Chicago Bears founder George S. Halas

Burke is now waving around an atlas from 1930s?

IDK, y'all.

Have aldermen received a copy of the new ordinance from @ChicagoDOT?

Unclear. It is definitely not online or available to the public.

. @ChicagoDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi logs on and tells Burke that portion of Lake Shore Drive is an honorary designation.

"What about the atlas?" Burke asks

Biagi: Um, yeah, that's not an official designation. Mapmakers can do whatever they want.

Burke: I yield my time

And now Ald. Mike Rodriguez says that Burke has maligned the labor leader Rudy Lozano, who has a street named after him in Little Village

Carney: The new measure was drafted because the designation of "Outer Lake Shore Drive" is not an actual thing and this attempts to do that

After all that, there is no motion to accept the measure from @ChicagoDOT so it dies an ignominious death, claiming an hour of my life I will never get back

Now up: Ald. David Moore's initial proposal to rename (outer?) Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptise Pointe DuSable, Chicago's first non-native settler

It is opposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Ald. Sophia King: We got the same pushback when we tried to change Congress Parkway to Ida B. Wells Drive.

Originally, King (and @AldReilly) wanted to rename Balbo Drive for Wells. Balbo Drive, named for an Italian facist who supported Mussolini, remains to this day

"We should be leaders and do what is right," King says, adding that it will celebrate Chicago's "true diversity" and make Chicago even more iconic.

Moore says he has discussed this "to exhaustion" with the mayor's staff.

The only thing that would have to change would be three harbors.

Moore says that's the compromise

Of course there is an Outer Drive, Moore notes, pointing to the @cta's 127 route

Moore says Lightfoot is welcome to rename the Riverwalk for DuSable and his wife, calling that proposal "complimentary" to his own

Moore apologized to any kids who heard him use expletives, says he is very emotional and passionate about making sure DuSable is honored properly

Moore says he walked by the bust of DuSable at Michigan and the river dozens of times, did not know it was there

The outer drive goes from 67th Street to Hollywood, Moore says.

After Moore finishes apologizing for his f-bombs, Transportation Committee Chair Howard Brookins realizes more aldermen want to be recognized to speak: "Oh shit."

Ald. Brendan Reilly says he favors changing Outer Lake Shore Drive for DuSable, but not inner drive (forcing 1000s to change their addresses)

Says he will not support a measure that he is not certain makes that distinction

We are 105 minutes into this committee meeting, and Ald. Jason Ervin just pointed out that the ordinance before the aldermen does not property clarify where DuSable Drive would stop (and clarify what the Outer Drive is)

. @ChicagoDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi apologizes for getting the measure to aldermen in time for proper consideration

Biagi says they were trying to implement Moore's vision

King: "We changed Lincoln Yards the day of the City Council meeting."

King says it is interesting what gets held up, says there can be no doubt that racism plays a role.

"Let's do this, let's do this today. Let's stop the shenanigans and move forward."

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, summing it all up:

"I'm confused about what we're doing here."

Brookins, the chair: The committee will vote "on the spirit" of Moore's proposal and then at some point a measure "fixing it" and "making it legal" will be introduced before it goes to the full City Council on May 26

"I just want to know what it is I am supposed to be voting on," Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson says.

"Tell me how to vote, chairman," Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson says.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor reads out her cell phone number, asks any one who has a problem with her calling what she sees as racist, racist, to give her a call.

"I said what I said."

The measure is passed, unanimously, and Brookins adjourns "this tumultuous meeting."

Thanks to everyone for following along.