'Paint The Town Blue' At 7 Neighborhood Businesses

CHICAGO, IL — A city-wide "Paint the Town Blue" initiative to support the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation is expected to be widely supported in the neighborhoods of Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park. For a full week beginning on May 10, 70 Chicago businesses will sell blue and gold memorial stars which patrons will personalize and return to the business for them to display them along the wall.

Seven of those businesses lie within the boundaries of the 19th Ward, which is home to the greatest concentration of police officers and families in the entire city. Local favorites Barraco's Restaurant-Mt. Greenwood, Joseph's Restaurant, Joey's Red Hots, La Fiesta Restaurant, Original Pancake House-Beverly, Original Rainbow Cone and Treadfit-Beverly will all participate in the effort and have blue stars available for a $5 donation and gold stars for $20.

All donations will go directly to the Memorial Foundation, which raises funds for families of fallen and injured Chicago police officers.

Shelly Perez, wife of fallen Chicago police officer Benjamin Perez, spoke about the foundation's impact on her family at a news conference marking the start of the initiative Thursday morning at the Original Pancake House.

Perez said the foundation paid for the education, from elementary school through college, for the three children who lost their father in the line of duty on Sept. 18, 2002.

"I never had to worry about a bill, the foundation always took care of it," she said.

Her children, one of whom graduated from The University of Iowa debt free thanks to the foundation, know Chicago police officers as family even though two of them were too young to remember their father.

"When they see the love and support that comes from the Chicago Police Department, it means a lot."

Benjamin Perez was one of 578 Chicago police officers to have died in the line of duty. The fallen heroes' names and stories will be forever remembered.

"There are 578 names on that wall," 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea said. "We will never forget and must continue to promote these efforts."

O'Shea will do more than a little in promoting "Paint the Town Blue" week in the neighborhood. He's all set to help out at three of the participating businesses this week. Here's where you can follow the alderman:

• On Saturday, May 12, the alderman will tend bar at Barraco's, 3047 W. 111th St. with Father Dan Brandt, Chicago Police Department Chaplain Phil Cline and Barraco's Owner Nick Barraco from 7-9 p.m.
• On Tuesday, May 15, he will scoop ice cream with Christ The King School Principal Anne Marie Riordan at the Original Rainbow Cone, 9233 S. Western Ave.
• On Wednesday, May 16, he will be tending bar again with Mt. Greewood School Principal Kate Reidy at Joseph's, 3123 W. 111th St.

"I hope that our community, which is home to thousands of active and retired police men and women, will stop by one or all of these businesses throughout the coming week and support the Paint The Town Blue initiative," O'Shea wrote in an email announcing his plans to take part.

That support was lauded by Phil Cline, executive director of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, during the kick-off news conference.

"With the blue and gold stars, the community is supporting us both symbolically and financially," he said.

Watch the entire news conference here, which includes a prayer from Father Tom Hurley and the National Anthem by Michael Gutrich while the American flag is raised:

Photo via Beverly-Mt. Greenwood Patch live video screenshot