Mike Chiappetta was a rule breaker. He didn’t abide by the “rule” that a white guy couldn’t step up for a Black family that needed help. It was January 1976 and Ezra Buckner had just bought the house at 1001 Ferdinand. Mike heard on the radio that the Buckners were suffering harassment, including bricks thrown through their windows.
Mike had just said goodbye to his 5-year-old daughter, Sandy and couldn’t imagine what the Buckners were going through. He immediately drove to the house and offered to protect the family for free. The little Buckner girls seemed freaked out and Ezra was grateful for the help.
Mike and his security guards seemed unlikely saviors. After all, Mike was an Italian-American who lived in Galewood. When neighbors heard Mike was helping a Black family, some were not pleased. Mike also paid a price when he was arrested by the Forest Park police for impersonating a police officer.
Mike was never formally charged and the Forest Park police started regular patrols to protect the Buckners. The incident seemed forgotten until I called Mike in 2011. He agreed to be interviewed for a documentary film we were making.
When we filmed Mike, my cameraman and I ruined the footage by laughing at what he said. Mike wasn’t trying to be funny. He just had a hilarious way of expressing himself. We later filmed an interview with Ezra Buckner. We were hoping to film a reunion of Ezra and Mike in front of 1001 Ferdinand but Ezra died before the reunion could take place.
We did, however, film a reunion between Mike and the Buckner girls at that location. When Shanda Buckner talked about being a “daddy’s girl” who had just lost her father, she started to cry and Mike comforted her.
It took us six years but we finally completed the film “Ezra & Mike: Facing Racial Tension in Forest Park.” We screened the 22-minute film at various venues but the high point came when we showed it at the Lake Theatre in Oak Park. There were about fifty people in the audience and the film was well-received.
During the Q&A, a woman praised Mike for reaching across racial lines. Mike humbly replied, “There’s a lot of guys like me, Black guys, white guys, but no one has the opportunity. I had the opportunity because I was right there and knew how to do it.”
Afterwards, Mike and his family joined us for pizza at a nearby restaurant. He didn’t tell us but he had lost his wallet. He received a call from Bennie Washington, a Black man from Maywood who found Mike’s wallet.
Mike was so happy he immediately drove with his grandkids to meet Bennie. He insisted that Bennie accept $20 as a reward. The karma had come full circle. Mike had stuck out his neck to help a Black family. Now Bennie had stepped up to help Mike.
I recently heard from Shanda Buckner for the first time in 11 years. She had finally watched “Ezra & Mike” and asked me for a copy. I called Mike to tell him. He was in a nursing home and complained about how difficult it was to be 80 years old.
On the morning of Nov. 2, I received a message from Mike’s granddaughter, Deanna, that Mike had passed away and the services were about to start. I made it in time to reminisce with Mike’s family and see my old friend lying there wearing a jaunty cap.
Thank God for Mike who broke the “rules” to do the right thing.
