[Chicago Slices raw : Bridges #2 – Inspiration Cafe #2]

Raw footage for the TV series Chicago Slices. This tape features a continuation of footage on how they raise and lower the bridges over the Chicago River, then a segment at Uptown's Inspiration Cafe.

00:00Copy video clip URL Footage with draw bridge operator from tape 14137. B-roll of sail boats passing a draw bridge that’s raised. Various shots.

00:57Copy video clip URL Bridge operator Garaved Damarjian mentions that Hollywood movies bring 80 million dollars into Chicago each year. B-roll of the bridge operator at the controls. He lowers the bridge. The operator notes that his feet are always on the emergency brakes, peddles on the floor. If he steps off them the bridge will stop closing. He explains some of the controls on the control panel. Various b-roll of the operator at the control panel.

02:59Copy video clip URL The operator announces the bridge is lowered and the locks are in place. He locks the center flaps. B-roll of the operator at the controls. He talks into his walkie talkie which interferes with the camera’s audio signal. The operator explains that if the locks don’t go in and the indicator light doesn’t come o, the bridge won’t open.

05:28Copy video clip URL B-roll the operator at the controls. The emergency gates are raised and street traffic resumes.

06:00Copy video clip URL Damarjian on the walkie talkie. The conversation is inaudible.

06:23Copy video clip URL B-roll of the emergency brake foot peddles.

06:36Copy video clip URL B-roll of traffic and city skyline as seen from the control tower.

07:02Copy video clip URL B-roll of the draw bridge operators leaving the bridge tower to get back into their truck. They note this is one of 42 bridges in the city of Chicago. Damarjian looks at the camera and says hello to his mother and that he loves channel 50. The operators get into their truck and drive off.

08:06Copy video clip URL The videographer cuts. Static.

08:09Copy video clip URL Change of location. B-roll of a woman playing the harp at Inspiration Cafe in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood at 4554 N. Broadway. This footage coincides with footage at the beginning of tape 14140.

09:19Copy video clip URL Interview with a female cafe worker, Rose Spinelli, who notes the cafe was started by Lisa Nigro in 1989 to serve the homeless. They serve 24 people at a time. They work with social service agencies aiding homeless people who are on their way to getting off the street. “We act as a conduit for the community.” People cannot just walk in off the street, they must be referred by agencies.

11:07Copy video clip URL Spinelli says that the cafe tries to be a support for their customers as they prepare to reenter society. They pick up where other agencies leave off. She notes that the cafe is not a soup kitchen. People don’t stand in line, they’re served and are treated with respect. It’s the first step in making people realize they’re worthy and deserve good things.

12:23Copy video clip URL Spinelli gives the videographer a tour of the kitchen. She notes the volunteers are from Chicago Cares. They are cooking chicken enchiladas today. B-roll of  the volunteers at work.

13:34Copy video clip URL Interview with coordinator Elizabeth Evans, who notes that the volunteers at Chicago Cares come in 2 or 3 times a month to serve dinners and a breakfast. They plan the meal, grocery shop, cook, serve and clean up. We start at 4pm and are done by 7.30pm.

14:35Copy video clip URL Evans notes that she plans dinners that will cost about fifty dollars to serve 30 meals. This includes entrees, side dishes and dessert. If cost go over, she or other volunteers with donate their personal money.

15:04Copy video clip URL Evans notes that the volunteers are special. They’re people who want to do more than simply work in a soup kitchen. They wanted a place with more interaction and a more dignified environment. The customers themselves are special because they are actively doing things to advance their position in life.

16:15Copy video clip URL B-roll of a female volunteer washing dishes. Another volunteer prepares means. Various shots.

17:50Copy video clip URL B-roll of volunteers serving meals to customers. Volunteers chat with a variety of customers. Various shots.

19:04Copy video clip URL B-roll of the menu board, various shots of the customers at tables chatting, eating.

19:19Copy video clip URL Interview with customer Selina who says she’s been coming to the cafe off and on for this year. She says the meals here are good. You can also take classes at the cafe. She thinks the cafe is a good idea for those who need help re-entering society.

21:06Copy video clip URL Interview with another customer who says he likes it here because they feed him and advise him on how to get his life in order.

23:32Copy video clip URL B-roll of customers eating, talking, socializing. Interview with customer Rosaline. She says the cafe is nice and the food is good. People here are treated nice. Others at the table agree that the volunteers are nice. They describe the atmosphere as nice. One customer, Michael Jackson, says he was once homeless for two years, but now he’s getting his life back together.

26:46Copy video clip URL B-roll of volunteers taking dinner orders from customers. One man sings while the harpist accompanies.

27:51Copy video clip URL B-roll of the volunteer taking dinner orders from customers. Various shots. Another volunteer serves meals. B-roll of the friendly volunteers interacting with customers.

30:56Copy video clip URL B-roll of customers eating. They say the service and food are great, and that this is a wonderful place to be.

31:40Copy video clip URL  Customer Tommy says that he found out about the cafe while in a treatment program. The cafe was recommended.

32:25Copy video clip URL Another customer eats his meal, a soup.

32:57Copy video clip URL Volunteer Spinelli notes it is a very busy Sunday. She always walks out of the cafe feeling better than when she entered. There’s a sense of community. She notes that she originally came to the cafe to write a news article and ended up volunteering. She says the issues her customers face are those she can relate to: difficulty in relationships, finding a job, difficulty with landlords.

34:57Copy video clip URL B-roll of staff eating with customers. The videographer, Andrew Jones, steps from behind the camera to share a meal with the customers. He records an intro to the segment.

36:21Copy video clip URL Videographer cuts. Static.

36:22Copy video clip URL B-roll of customers eating. Interview with customer Kenneth who says his self-esteem was low when he first came here. “Now it’s so high I gotta pull it down with a rope.” He says he became homeless and eventually entered a drug treatment center which led him to Inspiration Cafe. It’s like a second home to him now. “They make sure I stay on the right track.” He says he’s treated wonderfully.

37:40Copy video clip URL Another customer tells of a sales pitch he created for selling Street Wise, a socially conscious periodical that helps those facing homelessness achieve stability. He demonstrates the pitch with the help of a volunteer. The pitch is in the style of a carnival barker.

39:37Copy video clip URL B-roll of newspaper article clippings reporting on the cafe. B-roll of photos of customers on the wall. B-roll of kitchen activity, dishwasher.

42:30Copy video clip URL The volunteer dishwasher, a young African American, says he was part of a self-help program that referred him to the cafe. He raves about the people at Inspiration Cafe and how they are helping him to re-enter society. He says he doesn’t have to wash dishes. He does it because he wants to. He wants to give back.

43:51Copy video clip URL B-roll of kitchen activity and of photos on the wall of past customers.

44:41Copy video clip URL Videographer stops shooting. Static.

44:46Copy video clip URL Interview with Lisa, a volunteer. She says that she’s learned a lot working at the cafe. Today she learned that everyone deserves dignity. And the people there learn about the various support programs in education the cafe offers.

45:55Copy video clip URL Interview with volunteer Sue, who says this is her first time at the cafe. She wanted to give back to the community. She describes working at the cafe as inspirational.

46:27Copy video clip URL Interview with Carmen, the volunteer harpist. She says she enjoys playing for the customers. She heard of the cafe on television and came by to ask if they needed a music.

47:01Copy video clip URL Interview with the coordinator, Evans. The cafe is more than just a place that feeds people. She knows the cafe is making a difference. It gives people a chance to feel dignity.

47:55Copy video clip URL B-roll of the volunteers at work, serving meals, cleaning up.

48:01Copy video clip URL Continued interview with Evans who says their motto is “no leftovers.” Everyone has to eat everything they cooked. She notes that tonight she spent forty-five dollars to serve 30-35 people. She says people can contribute by giving money or volunteering time or participating in year-round fundraisers. She gives the cafe’s phone number.

49:35Copy video clip URL B-roll of an elderly female customer fraternizing with a volunteer.

50:06Copy video clip URL B-roll of harpist Carmen eating. She says the food is delicious.

51:00Copy video clip URL Interview with volunteer Phyllis Glink. She says she signed up for Chicago Cares a year-and-a-half ago. She tells a funny story of the organization calling her by mistake thinking she was another Phyllis. As a result she has been volunteering at Inspiration Cafe ever since. She wanted to get involved with helping homeless people in ways that are more interactive. She thinks homelessness is a pressing problem that affects everyone. She says he tries to be friendly and treat everyone like a human being. She says her routine is to spend the first two hours of her shift cooking, greet the customers, wait on customers and then do the dishes. Her philosophy is to always be courteous and never get angry with the customers.

53:19Copy video clip URL Interview with Spinelli, who says the organization is in the process of opening a bakery that will offer job training and help with transitional housing. She is hoping the bakery will help fund their activities. She says the idea behind the cafe is to help end homelessness by supporting people in their efforts to find training, work, and re-establish themselves in society.

55:42Copy video clip URL B-roll of photos on the wall and a collection of hand written “My Dream” cards

56:08Copy video clip URL B-roll of the dishwasher at work. He says he washes dishes just about every day. The secret to being a good dishwasher is double checking everything to make sure it’s clean. He asks the videographer how long he has been a video correspondent. The videographer answers: seven years.

58:38Copy video clip URL B-roll a volunteer cleans up, wipes the dining tables.

01:00:16Copy video clip URL B-roll of the “My Dream” signs and various signs on the wall. B-roll of volunteers, various shots of the cafe.

01:02:48Copy video clip URL END.