Neighbors frustrated by Riot Fest staying at Douglass Park brace for traffic, crowds
Marylin De La Torre has "learned to live" with Riot Fest as her neighbor.
De La Torre, who has lived across the street from Douglass Park for 30 years, said residents near the park will find a parking spot days before the event and won't move their cars for the duration of the three-day music festival.
"You're not going to find parking if you do," she said. In previous years, unauthorized cars have even taken up a marked residential disabled parking space in front of her home during festival weekend, De La Torre added.
Traffic congestion, crowds, trash and noise were among some of the complaints from residents who live near the park. They're frustrated with the festival staying at Douglass instead of moving to suburban Bridgeview, as organizers had announced earlier this summer. The music festival kicks off Friday.
Earlier this month at its monthly meeting, the Chicago Park District granted a permit for Riot Fest to stage the festival, brushing aside critics who voiced their concerns before the vote. People who live and work near the park also spoke out against the festival during the meeting.
Local Ald. Monique Scott (24th) lashed out at those critics, saying at the meeting that “most of the people that spoke against the Riot Fest, I’ve never seen you in my community." Scott has endorsed the festival and said the event gives the area an economic boost.
Scott's office did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Griselda Hernandez, whose family owns the Teloloapan Grocery near the park and the California CTA Pink Line station, had been relieved the festival was going to leave Douglass and expressed frustration on its return.
She said her business goes down about 60% during the festival because the crowds scare off regulars who drive from the suburbs and Chicago's South Side for the store's Mexican products.
"They're not listening to what neighbors want," Hernandez said. "It's like they don't care about us, and they're still going through with having Riot Fest there."
De La Torre, who is in her 50s, said she has never been against the festival taking place at the park but is beginning to question whether it benefits the area. She said her street gets the "worst" of the festival and has yet to see an upside.
"We really don't mind it, but the only thing we're wondering is where the money is going because the neighborhood really doesn't see it," she said.
Another complaint from festival critics is its proximity to Mount Sinai and Saint Anthony hospitals, which are across the street from the park. Opponents say the noise disrupts patients and the traffic endangers the lives of those seeking emergency care.
A mental health care professional at Saint Anthony, who asked not to be named because she didn't want her comments to impact her job, said the noise can be disruptive in the evenings when patients are getting ready for bed.
The 62-year-old, who has worked at the hospital for seven years, said the most frustrating aspect is the traffic, which adds up to 45 minutes to her commute to her West Side home.
"I don't like it, but what can we do?" she said.
A spokesperson for Riot Fest said Thursday they would be unable to provide comment, as organizers were in "crunch time" setting up the festival site. The spokesperson instead pointed to a page on the festival's website which highlights its community engagement initiatives.
Riot Fest's return to Douglass Park wasn't bad news for every neighbor.
Sam Valadez, who said he and his family have lived across Douglass since 1958, suggested that people who are complaining about the festival are newcomers to the area.
The 53-year-old said the noise from ambulances bothers him more than Riot Fest.
"I like the music," he said. "It doesn't bother me."