Editor’s Note
Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.
Quote of the Week
“The truth has not been totally told about what has occurred in Douglass Park ... the park district played a tremendous part in [conflict] happening by putting us in the boxing ring with the promoter.”
— Denise Ferguson, a North Lawndale community member who pushed for the removal of Riot Fest from Douglass Park. The three-day punk rock music festival is relocating to suburban Bridgeview this year.
[Chicago Park District Board of Directors, July 10, 2024]
Facing the music
From Douglass Park on the West Side to Washington Park on the South Side, public commenters called on the Chicago Park District to prioritize the local community’s access, health and safety, rather than profit from private uses and events. Several Douglass Park neighbors who fought to kick Riot Fest out said much remains to be done to repair and update physical spaces, and one called for a peace and reconciliation summit.
Juliet Azimi, the park district’s chief administrative officer, emphasized that renting out parks for large events brings home the bacon (projected at $10.5 million this year), and that the permitting process now includes community engagement, hiring and park improvement goals. The board enthusiastically greenlit a five-year deal with Sueños, the reggaeton and Latin trap music festival hosted in Grant Park since 2022, for at least $1.5 million each year.
Chicago Park District Board of Directors by Monique Petty-Ashmeade
In the public way
After plastic bags containing antisemitic flyers and what appeared to be rat poison were left on cars in Lincoln Park this April, Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd Ward) has sponsored a “hate littering” ordinance. People could be fined $500-$1,000 for leaving “threatening materials” on private property. The April incident has been tied to a white supremacist group based in Florida. Meanwhile, the Chicago Police Department has stymied attempts to investigate members with alleged ties to extremist groups like the Oath Keepers.
In announcements the rats are absolutely going to hate, leaving or dumping food in the public way (and thus making it accessible to rats, raccoons, pigeons, etc.) could cost you a $300-$600 fine. A proposal to establish a “Rodent Abatement Tzar” was removed from the agenda.
City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations by Jen Lenz and Stephen Yoshida
Former Ald. Tom Tunney paid a visit to City Hall to talk about bringing public art to every Chicago neighborhood. Tunney sits on the board of Chicago Sculpture Exhibit, a nonprofit that connects sculptors and sponsors for one-year public art installations; to date, they have placed 600 sculptures in over 30 wards. After the year is up, the sculpture returns to the artist, unless a person or entity purchases it. Several alders expressed enthusiasm for using their discretionary menu money funds on this (participation costs $4,000 for one year).
City Council Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation by Briana Madden and Anson Tong
Who’s buying?
The ChiBlockBuilder platform has made it easier for people to purchase city-owned land at 10% of the assessed market rate, but alders still have questions about when, to whom and for what purpose the land is being sold. Among the sales approved at this meeting was that of a vacant lot in South Shore to artist Theaster Gates, who has several artistic projects down the block on South Dorchester Avenue. Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) called for special consideration when it comes to the sale of lots near the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center.
City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate by Sheila Lewis and Ahmad Sayles
Correction: Last week’s issue misstated the criteria for a U-visa. Undocumented migrants who have been victims of certain types of crime in the U.S. and are willing to share information of use to law enforcement may be eligible to receive this temporary visa.
A version of this story was first published in the July 17, 2024 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Editorial Director Ariel Cheung at ariel@citybureau.org.