A 12-Foot Puppet. A Small House. A Play On The Southwest Side About The Impact of Trees ⁠22%

By Tara Mobasher⁠22% Camilla Forte⁠0%

7/24/2026, 8:15:02 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 11 faulty reasoning types, including Framing Effect, Biased Writer Voice, and Availability Heuristic, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 20.8% saturation with 109 hits. Analysis detected 425 faulty-reasoning hits from 525 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 29.3% and a BS Rank of ⁠22% (22,502 of 28,846 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 78.00% of the article peer group.

On a Tuesday evening in July, members of the theater troupe, Free Street, unloaded a U-Haul in Sherman Park for a rehearsal of their play, “Touch Grass.” 
Its contents? 
An art piece called the “chisme tree,” or “gossip tree,” a small house and a 12-foot-tall puppet tree. 
“Touch Grass” is an interactive 15-minute production performed across five of Chicago’s South and West side parks to raise awareness about how trees and green spaces can benefit communities. 
“What I hope that [the audience] gets is an opportunity to reconnect with the Earth and the parks that do belong to the people, to feel the simplicity of that,” said Katrina Dion, Free Street’s producing artistic director. 
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Founded in 1969, Free Street is focused on uplifting the issues of social justice, racial equality and environmental justice through their performances, Dion said. 
“The intersections of [racial and economic justice in Chicago] with environmental justice were extremely clear to us, along with the real urgency to make environmental changes on the South and West sides,” she said. 
A 2024 study found that neighborhoods in Chicago with higher proportions of Hispanic residents are associated with smaller and fewer parks, which are essential for recovering from the impacts of climate change. 
Green spaces can often lower temperature, improve air quality and absorb floodwater, Borderless Magazine previously reported. 
Part of Free Street’s commitment to environmental justice is their involvement with the Morton Arboretum Tree Ambassador program. 
The program focuses its efforts on providing Chicago community groups with training and resources to request trees to be planted in their neighborhoods and educate others of the importance of trees through workshops and events. 
Free Street became a part of the Tree Ambassador program in January as part of their newest cohort. 
“Tree Ambassadors are able to engage directly with community members and meet them where they are, as well as help them understand how beneficial trees are not only now but also as an investment in the future,” Hilary Noble, tree ambassador program specialist at the Morton Arboretum said in an email to Borderless. 
For me, I think it’s more about release,” Reed said. 
“Letting ourselves just be with nature, letting our nervous system calm down a little bit. 
And, if the audience then moves on to thinking about seeding the future, [that is a] great bonus.” 
Longtime fan of Free Street and an audience member at the debut performance of “Touch Grass,” Darek Lau, shared this sentiment. 
“It invites people to literally touch grass,” they said. 
“Be rooted in their present moment, and also connect that back to childlike wonder.” 
“Touch Grass” will continue performances throughout parks on Chicago’s South and West sides until the end of July. 
Tara Mobasher is Borderless Magazine’s newsletter writer and reporter. 
Email Tara at tara.mobasher@borderlessmag.org 
Camilla Forte is a CatchLight fellow and Report for America Corps Member covering immigrant communities for Borderless Magazine. 
Email Camilla at camilla.forte@borderlessmag.org 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 1.8%Borderless Magazine NFP: 1.6%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 8.6%Tara Mobasher: 1.7%Borderless Magazine NFP: 1.5%Availability Heuristic8.6%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.6%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.6%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.5%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.4%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 13.3%Tara Mobasher: 2.5%Borderless Magazine NFP: 2.9%Framing Effect13.3%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 1.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.7%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 20.8%Tara Mobasher: 3.5%Borderless Magazine NFP: 1.9%Optimism Bias20.8%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 1.9%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.9%Pessimism Bias0.0%This article: 2.3%Tara Mobasher: 6.6%Borderless Magazine NFP: 5.4%Negativity Bias2.3%This article: 6.5%Tara Mobasher: 0.5%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.4%Self-Serving Bias6.5%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.3%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.4%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 6.5%Tara Mobasher: 0.8%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.7%In-Group Bias6.5%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.7%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.3%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.6%Recency Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.1%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Straw Man0.0%This article: 6.5%Tara Mobasher: 1.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.8%Appeal to Authority6.5%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 1.4%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.8%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 1.6%Borderless Magazine NFP: 2.3%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.1%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 2.9%Tara Mobasher: 4.8%Borderless Magazine NFP: 4.3%Appeal to Emotion2.9%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.3%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.9%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.7%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 2.3%Borderless Magazine NFP: 1.5%Anecdotal0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.6%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.6%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.3%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.4%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.2%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.2%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 8.8%Tara Mobasher: 0.5%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.3%Biased Writer Voice8.8%This article: 2.7%Tara Mobasher: 0.1%Borderless Magazine NFP: 1.1%Indoctrination2.7%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.9%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.8%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 2.3%Tara Mobasher: 0.0%Borderless Magazine NFP: 0.4%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…2.3%

525 words analyzed.

Speakers

6speakers44%attributed speech294writer words
Selected voice

Katrina Dion

100%flagged-word coverage
72 attributed words31% of attributed speech28% writer coverage
0%25.0%50.0%Biased Writer Voice+43.1 ptsWriter: 4.1%Katrina Dion: 47.2%47.2%Attempt to Sell a Product -4.1 ptsWriter: 4.1%Katrina Dion: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.