My name is Wayne Cauthen. I run an entertainment company called Stylin’ Out Network. I also do competitive breakdancing, health and fitness coaching for people looking to improve their lifestyle, and talent and artist cultivation creating platforms and spaces for upcoming artists to get as good as they possibly can.

I am, at the bare bones, born and raised in Chicago. I was born on the west side near Austin and Lake. Over time, I spent time in Cabrini Green before the area was knocked down, then I lived in Uptown. After that I continued to move all over Chicago. Now I live in Pilsen.

When I was a kid, we didn’t claim each neighborhood by a name. We deemed each neighborhood by the streets and blocks. When I think about my neighborhood, I think about the entire city as one giant neighborhood. Living on all sides of town through my life, I see Chicago, the entire city, as my neighborhood.

I would like to see Chicago evolve in a more humanitarian way. If Chicago was one house, and one part of your house is beautiful and has natural light and plants, but your dining room has a hole in the ceiling… sometimes I feel Chicago is like that. And no one would let an area of their house or their yard absolutely go to ruin or not clean it! So if we could see our city in that way, I think we would have more appreciation for the different sides of town. Let’s judge our being one of the top cities in the world by how many people in our city are not helpless, how much of our population doesn’t need drastic help, and how many people have food within walking distance. If we could do that, I think we would be one of the top cities in the world.

It would be nice if researchers could release a template or a logistical map of what it would actually look like to take care of the immediate crises in Chicago–run the numbers, make a map of the spaces around Chicago that are vacant and possible to build on. If we take this money and these resources, these sponsors and donors, we could build x amount of homes, grocery stores, and mental health facilities, and we could strategically place them here, next to these train stations, and it would equal out to y dollars. If researchers would show what that would look like, it would help people consciously comprehend how possible it is right now–not in a futuristic utopia, not in a world where it is all peace and love, even in a capitalistic world where higher-ups have to profit on the other end of it, it could still work. Can you just put it out there and see if anyone wants to pick it up and sponsor this whole mission?

If there are people doing work like that, I’d like to hear about it. I’m a great volunteer for strategy mapping and how to solve problems and rearrange resources. I’d like to become friends with them. I’d like to help.