1,500 kids visit downtown to enjoy what the Loop has to offer: 'Damn, we have this in my city!'

For the second year, the group My Block, My Hood, My City brought more than 1,500 kids from around the city to enjoy a day in the Loop in an event called Downtown Day.

More than 30 groups helped put the event together, offering free admission to several downtown attractions, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute. Each participant got a $50 gift card.

The day opened with a rally at the Harris Theater, where youth performers from Jungle Gym, a Double Dutch dance troupe, and the Happiness Club, a performance group, put on a show for a packed house.

My Block, My Hood, My City members first addressed the crowd to tell them what Saturday’s events were about: an idea to “bring kids downtown,” but also a reminder for them to ignore anyone who treated them like they didn't belong.

“You’ll see some Hollywood folk who look like you and I who will roll their eyes. They’re gonna say stay off my block, go back to your hood, get out of my city,” founder Jahmal Cole said. “This is your city, don’t let nobody take it away from you. … Everyone in this room is the architect of their own destiny.”

Monse Ayala, an organizer with IncreaseThePeace and a lifelong Gage Park resident, hasn’t been to the Loop very often.

“My time downtown was to hustle,” Ayala, 30, said, referring to work and school.

Until about four years ago, Ayala said she hadn’t done a lot of things considered part of the Chicago experience, such as taking a water taxi. She said giving the kids access to experiences common to those with “a little bit of extra money in their pockets” helps to narrow a cultural and economic gap.

The schedule gives the kids the ability to decide where they want to visit or spend their money, offering them a degree of autonomy and choice.

“It gives them agency, which is something that lacks in a lot of our neighborhoods,” Ayala said. “More than anything it reminds them they matter, and this is part of their community.”

Last month, Ald. Brian Hopkins' (2nd) proposed an 8 p.m. curfew downtown after a couple was attacked by a group of teens. Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed it.

“My thoughts and prayers are always with people who have been victims of violence. It’s horrific. It’s life-changing," Johnson said of the proposal in June. "But all of the data indicates that setting arbitrary curfews — they don’t lead to any positive results. I have to do what works. Helping young people find their purpose is the most important thing we can do as government."

In the past, curfews and the way teens gathering in groups downtown had an effect on them, said Ayala, and often served to reinforce fears people had of youths.

“They buy into it unfortunately, they grew up with this narrative that isn’t their own,” Ayala said. “When they can go somewhere and feel like they’re part of the city and they matter, I really can’t describe [the impact], but it’s been missing. … If we’re not continuously providing these opportunities for our young people, they’re going to keep falling back into this false narrative.”

Leo Lopez, an 18-year-old who grew up in Little Village, usually comes to the Loop with his family to “just enjoy a day together.”

He didn’t attend any of the day’s activities, instead opting to walk around, with the aim of finding new places and playing volleyball in Maggie Daley Park.

“I was more excited to get into downtown," Lopez said. “It’s just like, ‘Damn, we have this in my city.’”

Lopez said people his age don’t always accept themselves for who they are, and the concentration of wealth, power and privilege downtown can compound that, creating a feeling of forced assimilation. He thinks more people should be open about their differences — whether neighborhood, culture, age or any other gap — and even lean into them as a means of celebration.

“Not all people are confident" coming downtown], Lopez said. “I feel like people should express themselves more. Chicago’s known for having people from all over. … We just have to let people know they’ll be accepted.”