Naperville makes it on to a lot of “best” lists, among them Best City for Families, Safest City and Best Places to Live. That’s pretty good for a town with a bizarre road plan, too many bars and woefully inadequate parking.
A lot of it, in my opinion, is because of inherent civic-mindedness. There has always been a core of people who step up and do whatever is needed to make the town better, like build the Centennial Beach, our many parks and, of course, the Riverwalk.
Our development of a research corridor and our proximity to large laboratories attract highly educated folks whose liberal thinking and sense of community encouraged the development of school and park district programs and innovations such as Naper Settlement.
There are two problems with that kind of success. The first is you attract snooty rich people. You don’t get rich in America by worrying about improving your neighbors’ quality of life. You cocoon with your treasures, not build a better community.
The second is that, pretty soon, people start asking “what kind of person lives here?” Unfortunately, that quickly transforms like Mr. Hyde into “what kind of person belongs here?” In other words, who fits the evolving, or some would say devolving, image of a Napervillian.
When I first came to town, ignorance and fear of black people were widespread. They weren’t allowed to swim at the beach, and a squad car would follow any car containing even a single black person until it left town.
A lot of folks think that Brian Crooks’ experiences with the police while growing up here are simply the residue of that malignant racism. I think it’s more complicated than that. I think the police stop black people primarily because, in their eyes, they don’t seem to belong here.
For years, our black readers have written me, telling me how they or their family members were stopped and rudely questioned because the police couldn’t believe they could afford such a nice car or could have purchased a house in such a nice area.
When a family member attempted to vouch for them, they were ordered to return home or face arrest. Occasionally the order would be given by an officer with his hand on the handle of his service weapon, which any drover from out west will tell you is a really dangerous thing to do.
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I used to own a Ford Aerostar that I liked very much. Eventually, I gave it to my son, who is white. It was showing a bit of age, OK quite a bit, but still ran pretty well. Suddenly, the police began stopping him for no reason. He has never had a ticket.
Where are you coming from? Where are you going? Why are you here? How long will you be staying? They thought he simply couldn’t belong in Naperville. After he bought a reconditioned Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, he was never stopped again.
The poster boy for not fitting in here is Scott Huber, a terrific guy who knows a lot about gardening and electronics and has an impressive knowledge of Christian theology. Frankly, the way he has been treated – with stupid laws passed just to drive him out of town and now an arson attack that burned up his stuff – has been absolutely shameful.
Shame on us that we let our narcissistic self image drive us to do such awful things. Sure, his lifestyle isn’t the prettiest or perhaps the best for him. But you know what, that’s not our call. He doesn’t need judging, he needs friends and a helping hand. He belongs here. We’re a much better city with Mr. Huber than without him.
The list we should try to head up is best city in which to enjoy the pursuit of happiness no matter what that means to you. That’s because the most tolerant and welcoming city is, after all, the best place in which to live.