Remove the Mega Fests from Douglass Park !

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Alderman Cardenas, Alderman Scott, and Park District CEO Rosa Escareño

On a fence around Douglass Park it has some spray paint on it that has a drawing of a little dog that says "angry" and "Give us our park back. The blue sky and trees are seen behind the fence, and trash is strewn about on the ground.

Español abajo

For 7 years, music fests have taken over, fenced off, and destroyed Douglass Park for private profit. It started off with Riot Fest after they were kicked out of Humboldt Park and has ballooned to 3 mega fests. Our park is fenced off for a minimum of 46 days of summer; youth and adult sports leagues have been displaced, ambulances are disrupted, community members are forced to add hours onto their commute during the fests, the grass is destroyed, and there has been no community-input process. The profit made from these fests does not benefit the already marginalized community; it benefits the promoters, and the park fees go into the Park District general fund with very little, if any, making it back to Douglass Park.

We have collected over 700 signatures in person from people who live around the park and use it for recreation. We are asking our allies from across the city to please sign this petition if you believe that parks should be used for peace, recreation, and community events and not fenced up mega festivals. We are demanding that the Chicago Park District and Mayor Lori Lightfoot move these fests to a location that is not a neighborhood park bordered by two safety net hospitals.

If you’d like to see a history of the community organizing against the fests you can go to: bit.ly/nofestslides.

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Durante 7 años, los festivales de música se han apoderado, cercado y destruido Douglass Park para beneficio privado. Comenzó con Riot Fest, después de que este fue expulsado de Humboldt Park, se ha disparado a 3 mega festivales. Nuestro parque está cercado por un mínimo de 45 días de verano, 6 semanas; las ligas deportivas de jóvenes y adultos han sido desplazadas, trastornan el desempeño de las ambulancia, los miembros de la comunidad se ven obligados a agregar horas a sus salidas y regresos rutinarios durante los festivales, destruyen el césped…

No ha habido un proceso de participación de la comunidad para saber su opinion y dejarles saber la situacion…La ganancia obtenida de estos festivales no beneficia a la comunidad ya marginada…Esto solo beneficia a los promotores, y las tarifas al parque van al fondo general del Distrito de Parques y muy poco, si es que hay alguno, regresa al Parque Douglass…

Hemos recolectado más de 700 firmas en persona, de personas que viven alrededor y usan el parque. Estamos pidiendo a nuestros aliados de toda la ciudad que firmen esta petición si creen que los parques deben usarse para convivencia, recreación y relajacion de sus residentes y visitantes, ademas de usarse para eventos comunitarios y no para que estos mega festivales los cerquen… Exigimos que el Distrito de Parques de Chicago y la alcaldesa Lori Lightfoot trasladen estos festivales a un lugar que no sea un parque publico, mucho menos que sea un parque bordeado por la red de seguridad de dos hospitales, como lo es Douglass Park…

Si desea ver un historial de la organización comunitaria contra los festivales, puede visitar: bit.ly/nofestespañol.


Petition by
Únete La Villita
Chicago, Illinois

To: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Alderman Cardenas, Alderman Scott, and Park District CEO Rosa Escareño
From: [Your Name]

The community surrounding Douglass Park has been asking for a process for community input on the Mega Festivals in their park for 7 years. They have been ignored. I am demanding that you remove the mega festivals from Douglass Park and put them in a location that does not disturb community recreation, sports, and nature.

North and South Lawndale are disinvested neighborhoods that lack resources. Stealing their public park away for a minimum of 45 days in the summer so that a few people can make a profit is wrong. Listen to the community and remove the fests from Douglass Park!