Che “Rhymefest” Smith kicks off his campaign for alderman of the 20th ward tonight at the South Loop nightclub The Shrine. Already Kanye-endorsed, the rapper will be joined on stage tonight by Lupe Fiasco. But his campaign is already facing less glittery attention.

Two weeks ago, CW writer Tobi Haslett covered Rhymefest’s press conference announcing his intention to run, emphasizing the bizarre and potentially dangerous blur of Smith’s star status with the ambiguity of his political platform. Tonight’s show comes while Smith is still scrambling to limit the damage of recent media coverage of a 2001 guilty plea for misdemeanor domestic battery, and a 2005 conviction for a misdemeanor gun charge for firing shots in the air after an altercation with a real estate agent at his home near Indianapolis. Smith’s biggest opponent, the incumbent Willie Cochran, says he new about the charges but wanted to wait until closer to February’s election to bring them to voters attention. In a November 4th article, The Chicago News Cooperative (CNC) reported his sarcastic response. “That’s just what we need in an alderman.”

In the same article, Smith said he thinks voters will forgive his troubled past. “I’ve grown and evolved. I’ve learned to be a better man than where I come from. I come from a background that I call Poverty Incorporated. That’s no excuse for bad behavior, but that experience is why I’m here in my community, trying to make a difference.”

The wavy line between redeemed native son and ego tripping celebrity is getting harder to define by the week, and probably won’t get any clearer as February approaches. To be fair though, it isn’t limited to Rhymefest. Speaking to the CNC, the rapper at least showed he knows his environment. “Welcome to Chicago Politics.”

The official flier for the campaign kickoff

This week’s issue of the Chicago Weekly includes a Perspectives piece by University of Chicago alum Ryan McCarl about an attack on the UofC Men’s Cross Country team that left one student permanently injured. At press time we still didn’t have all the details on the attack, but since then we’ve found out the whole story.

Two weeks ago, on Friday, October 15, 15 members of the Men’s Cross Country team were running west along Garfield Boulevard, a route they’ve often run before. At about 3:50, when they reached Garfield and State, an eastbound green Buick sedan drove by and opened fire with paintballs. Second-year Andrew Wong turned to look at the car and was struck on the bridge of his nose by a paintball, which ricocheted into his right eye. His cornea was scratched and his iris was partially (and permanently) detached, allowing bright light into his inner eye. Wong went to the ER that night and has seen an ophthalmologist several times since then. Read the rest of this entry »

South Side Masonic Temple; flickr/MEEP!!!

Landmarks Illinois released its 2009-10 Chicagoland Watch List for historic buildings this week. It includes the South Side Masonic Temple at 6400 S. Green St. in Englewood. The building apparently has a number of auditoriums in a variety of architectural styles, from Art Deco to Islamic Revival. The Masons have been out for decades, and after a failed attempt to renovate the building into a high school in the ’90s it’s been essentially neglected. Landmarks Illinois maintains the building is still structurally sound, but for how much longer is unclear.