Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel shakes hands of commuters Monday October 4, 2010 at a CTA train stop on Roosevelt Road. Jose More/Chicago News Cooperative
Rahm Emanuel‘s road to the mayor’s office had a wobbly start Monday morning.
It was an interesting curtain-raiser for a political campaign – one that gave supporters and detractors something to seize upon. Juan Rangel, the CEO of the United Neighborhood Organization, said he was encouraged that Emanuel decided to make the predominantly Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood one of his campaign tour’s first stops.
However, as Emanuel plied a handful of southwest Chicago neighborhoods, there were moments of decided awkwardness and Emanuel seemed to grow impatient with the media bustle as the morning came to a close.
Either way, the loosely-planned affair – which began around 8 a.m. at an El stop on Roosevelt Rd. and headed for intermission after a stroll down 18th St. on the West Side – made very clear to Emanuel and observers that he wasn’t in Washington anymore.
Upon his arrival to Pilsen shortly after 11 a.m., Emanuel was immediately confronted by a small group of residents who were protesting the proposed demolition of a field house at Whittier Elementary School. Emanuel listened to them for a few moments then asked if they could speak more after his walk. They instead opted to unfurl a big white banner and follow behind, chanting.
Emanuel made a quick stop at a coffee shop, Café Jumping Bean, and then headed down to the Mexican restaurant, Nuevo Leon, where he spent about 10 minutes chatting up patrons.
Rangel said he had been talking with Emanuel for the last few weeks, after the former congressman and White House chief of staff had reached out to him. Rangel stopped short of giving Emanuel an endorsement, but defended him against the anti-immigration charges that have been leveled against Emanuel by some opponents.
“I think he is up to the job,” Rangel told reporters, adding that the Chicago Latino community is “an open canvas for any candidate.”
Emanuel’s visit also brought supporters from the campaigns of rivals Gery Chico and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who criticized the former congressman as an unwelcome, unfriendly outsider.
“This is a sanctuary city. He has no business here,” said Tanya Lozana, a Gutierrez supporter who said she was with La Familia Latina Unida.
Robert Reyes, who works with the Chico campaign and who showed up at Nuevo Leon, challenged Emanuel on his connection to convicted ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“We want Rahm to be honest about Blagojevich selling his Senate seat,” said Reyes.
As for Emanuel’s swing through the neighborhood, Reyes harrumphed: “Obviously, he tried to stage an event and it failed.”
Meanwhile, the Whittier protestors blocked Emanuel’s van as he tried to leave, and only stood aside after Emanuel took one of their fliers.
Michelle Palencia, a Whittier parent, said she was not impressed by Emanuel’s handling of the situation.
“He never answered our questions, never talked to us, had somebody pick him up and rescue him,” Palencia said. “To me it showed that he is not right.”
Jose More contributed to this report
