General Meeting: Bring back our bus!

Confused by the 31st Street Bus hours?  Yeah, so are we.

Want to try to do something about it?  Us too.

Bridgeport Alliance is frustrated and disappointed that the new 31st Street Bus route will not live up to the expectations of our community. The Monday-Friday hours will not allow for those who need to get to work, do their shopping, or have leisure time on the weekends. The 10 am - 7pm schedule will not allow for many riders to use the bus to commute to work or school. The failure of the bus to go to the museum campus prevents children in our communities from learning opportunities that they deserve. 

The 31st Street bus pilot program’s rough target is 830 riders a day. We need to make sure that happens. 

Please join us at our general meeting on 5/26 (7 pm) to continue this discussion.  Our meetings are usually just over an hour, and have a strict, timed agenda.  All are welcome to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion.  We meet at the First Trinity Community Center, 643 W 31st Street.

General Meeting: March 31

This is no April Fools: BA's next meeting will be Thursday at 7pm in the Community Hall at First Trinity.  We look forward to seeing you there!

General Meeting: February 25

It may be the depths of winter, but the grassroots are still alive.  If you want to feel the green, attend BA's general meeting on Thursday at 7pm in the Community Hall at First Trinity (643 W 31st St.).  We look forward to seeing you there!

General Meeting: January 28

Start the new year right: with social justice.  Attend BA's general meeting on Thursday at 7pm in the Community Hall at First Trinity (643 W 31st St.).  We look forward to seeing you there!

Election! Party! Meeting!

Tomorrow's a big day for Bridgeport Alliance!  Our annual election is at 7pm in the Community Hall at First Trinity (643 W 31st St.).  We'll also be having our monthly meeting--in fact, November's and December's, rolled into one.

But wait, there's even more!  After the meeting, there's a party!  We'll be celebrating the return of the 31st St. bus.

Hope to see you there!

Here Comes the Bus!

Bridgeport Alliance is proud to announce that its efforts have been met with partial success!  As announced by Alderman Patrick Thompson earlier today, the Chicago Transit Authority has agreed to reinstate the 31 bus line on an experimental basis.  

This victory comes after three years of work by Bridgeport Alliance, which has organized many meetings and events to both raise awareness and push decision makers to reinstate the 31st Street route.  Our 2014 lobbying trip to Congressman Dan Lipinki’s front door—we found him gardening—was particularly spirited.  See our photo petition here and our Bike and Rolls along the route here.  

Recently, building an alliance with North Side activists by forming the CTA31/CTA11 Crosstown Bus Coalition was particularly powerful.  The support of Aldermen Patrick Thompson (11th Ward), Ameya Pawar (47th Ward), and Michele Smith (43rd Ward) has also been pivotal.  

Stay tuned for more information about a celebratory party!

We would like to thank the Crosstown Coalition, the aldermen, and the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community for being our staunch allies.  Especially, thank you, people of Bridgeport and Chinatown, for your fighting spirit.

Information on the specifics of the pilot route is incomplete, so let’s keep up the activism!  Please check back to our blog for more on this exciting development in the coming days. 

PLEASE RIDE THE 31ST STREET BUS!

For a DNAinfo article, click here.

General Meeting: October 29

This is what democracy looks like: zombie costumes.  For the treat of local activism without any of the tricks, come to BA's general meeting on Thursday at 7pm in the Community Hall at First Trinity (643 W 31st St.).  Nothing's scarier than a world without social justice!