(Story) Saxophone Girl

I knew her as "Saxophone girl."

This wasn't the first year I'd seen her or heard the tunes emanating from her alto, but it was the first time I saw her as a person. Maybe it was the two--in her words--"high school douche bags" distracting her from playing her instrument, or the fact she'd been one of the biggest stories at Summerfest this year.

Her name is Cassandra Struve.

Last week, she was struck by a musical enthusiast who felt Minne the Moocher was a song that white girls can't play. The women who assaulted her left laughing with the words "white saxophone playing bitch". Saxophone girl got clear with a black eye to show for it before the other vendors and performers that covet Summerfest's mid-gate ran over, opting to ensure her well-being over chasing the offending ladies.

Police presence, much to my own personal dismay, has increased along the long Chicago ave. leading up to the mid-gate. I spoke to the fine officers on the way out, and despite their sneers, made them promise me to keep saxophone girl safe.

Idiotic brutality flourishing at a large gathering of drunk people should never go unpunished or unseen.