Douglass Park

CTU Delegates Pass Resolution to Denounce Hostile Concerts Takeover of Douglass Park

By Jim Vail

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Delegates passed overwhelmingly the Resolution to Demand the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District Stop Allowing Douglass Park to be Used for Large, For-Profit Festivals at the Dec. 7 House of Delegates meeting.

The Resolution comes on the heels of three music festivals - Riot Fest, Summer Smash and Heatwave - takeover of the beautiful West Side park that kicks out the community for a quarter of the summer season.

The for-profit festivals have forced youth soccer leagues in Little Village to relocate, increased traffic that mandate longer commute times for residents and noise levels that upset the community. The festivals also hurt local businesses because the concert goers purchase food and trinkets inside the roped off park and damage the park that already suffers from disinvestment and chronic flooding. They also cause disruption to Mt. Sinai and St. Anthony Hospitals that are located next to the park.

"Resolved the Chicago Teachers Union demands that the City of Chicago recognizes that Douglass Park should remain open to the public, and we join the many community members who demand that Douglass Park and all BIPOC communities no longer be used to host large for-profit music festivals and instead be placed in designated concert venues. No privatization of public lands."

The resolution also advocated for economic development in North Lawndale and Little Village where the park is located. 

A group of activists surrounding the park have worked hard over the years to bring light to the city about the takeover of their beloved park. However, Riot Fest and others have paid off the local aldermen to support the private concerts even though thousands of people in the community have signed petitions to remove the concerts.

The CTU Resolutions hold a lot of weight politically. When we passed a resolution asking that the Celebration of Columbus Day be changed to Indigenous People's Day, the Chicago Public Schools took note that the teachers were in favor of changing the name and thus changed it.

The United Working Families - the political arm of the CTU - had earlier passed a resolution in favor of demanding Riot Fest and others be relocated from Douglass Park.

However, the fight continues at Douglass Park. Organizers say that they will challenge the election of local 24 Ward Alderman Monique Scott who supports the Riot Fest. The Mayor named her to replace her brother who also supported the Riot Fest. Ward  12 Alderman George Cardenas had accepted a $40,000 donation from Riot Fest and thus did not hold one public forum to discuss the concert that prevents the community from accessing their park for almost a month.

While the news of the privatization of Douglass Park hit the local and even national news, and the Chicago Park District pledged to review all private venues proposed in parks across the city, there is still no word whether or not these concerts will continue. 

One delegate spoke against the resolution stating that the CTU should not be involved in matters that are outside the schools. However, the CTU has taken up many social justice causes, including advocating for Black Lives Matter, environmental justice and affordable housing because these issues affect the students and their learning in the schools.