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With a surge of ICE officers beginning in September, “Operation
Midway Blitz” resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, a fatal
shooting and a sour taste among Chicago's Democratic leaders and
many of its residents, particularly in large immigrant
populations. Despite mid-winter frigid cold, “ICE Out” protests
in recent weeks have continued downtown, near ICE facilities and
throughout the suburbs.
The snowplow-naming contest, in its fourth year, also produced
winning names ranging from those paying tribute to the new pope,
who hails from Chicago, to a homegrown horror purveyor and the
popular quarterback of the city's NFL franchise. The top six
winners will get a snowplow named in their honor.
In a statement, Mayor Brandon Johnson thanked Chicago voters
“for their unmatched creativity, sense of humor, and civic
pride."
When asked whether he was reticent about the potentially prickly
response to the name, a spokesperson said that “Abolish ICE” was
the runaway winner, adding, “The people of Chicago clearly have
no issue with the name of this snowplow."
Requests for comment were also emailed to ICE and its parent
agency, the Department of Homeland Security.
Contests in many cities produce names of snowplows, but they
rarely carry the edge of Chicago's top pick. In Nashville,
“Dolly Plowton” pays homage to Tennessee native and country
music legend Dolly Parton, while in Minnesota, pop superstar
Taylor Swift is honored on a plow dubbed “Taylor Drift.”
Chicagoans are capable of more anodyne names, too. Other winning
contest names this year include “Stephen Coldbert," for
late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert. There's “Pope Frio
XIV,” with the Spanish word for “cold” rhyming with the
Chicago-born pontiff's name, Leo.
Then there's the “Blizzard of Oz” and “Svencoolie,” a play on
the Chicago TV horror host, Svengoolie; and finally, “Caleb
Chilliams” for the quarterback whose last name is Williams, and
who led the Bears to the playoffs for the first time in 15
years.
Johnson said he and his Department of Streets and Sanitation,
which maintains 300 trucks to clear 9,400 miles (15,000
kilometers) of streets, are “grateful and inspired by the
record-breaking participation in the contest this year." There
were 13,300 plow names submitted and 39,000 final votes were
cast.
The contest was conducted the same way as it was in the past
three years, said Ryan Gage, spokesperson for the Streets and
Sanitation department. Submissions are made to the Chicago
Shovels website. A survey app is used for both initial and final
phases of the contest.
A group of Streets and Sanitation staff members then reviews all
the submissions and chooses the finalists, which are then
forwarded to the mayor's office for final approval, Gage said.
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O'Connor reported from Springfield, Ill.
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