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Mayor Emanuel Meets With Spike Lee, Voices Displeasure With Film Title "Chiraq"

(CBS) -- Director Spike Lee is bringing his moviemaking to Chicago, but some wish he'd take a pass instead.

Most movie projects get a warm reception in Chicago, but not this one. CBS 2's Jim Williams explains why.

It was in the mayor's City Hall office Wednesday morning that he met with Spike Lee and delivered a blunt message.

"I was clear that I was not happy about the title," Emanuel said.

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"Chiraq" the label first slapped on the city by rappers and spread through social media because of gun violence in some Chicago neighborhoods including Englewood, where Lee plans to set his movie.

"I told him there were very good people in Englewood who are raising their families," Emanuel said. "There are very good people in Englewood."

The mayor didn't say whether Lee would consider giving the film another title, but in a separate City Hall meeting Lee had with aldermen, including LaTasha Thomas, the filmmaker indicated a change was unlikely.

Ald. Will Burns (4th), concerned about how low-income neighborhoods will be portrayed, says the city has leverage: It could block $3 million in tax credits Lee is seeking to make "Chiraq."

"Mr. Lee can do whatever he wants to do and call the film whatever he wants to call it if he's not getting any public money," Alderman Burns said.

With films like "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing," Lee has often sparked controversy as he acknowledged in a CBS 2 interview three years ago, when his movie "Red Hook Summer" came out.

Emanuel says Lee told him he wants his film to be a serious examination of black-on-black violence. The mayor told reporters that's an important topic that needs to be discussed, though Emanuel said again, he doesn't like the film's title.

Lee was unavailable for comment today. His history shows he's been even-handed in his portraits of tough subjects.

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