Complaints re-emerge about Riot Fest's proximity to hospitals at Douglass Park location

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Complaints are reemerging about holding Riot Fest in Douglass Park again this year.

The three-day September music festival is routinely held in the North Lawndale park, and attracts big headliners like Foo Fighters and The Cure.

Monday a group of neighborhood activists called the event a potential health hazard, pointing to its location near two hospitals.

One of major concerns for those that don't want the so-called "mega fests" in Douglas Park is the proximity to hospitals and the impact on healthcare needs.

"This is not about a party in the park, this is about health and safety," said Denis Ferguson, Lawndale resident.

Public health advocates and community organizers for Lawndale and Little Village continue to demand festivals like Riot Fest out of their neighborhoods.

"It puts people seeking medical attention at risk, it limits park programming and as an adverse impact on people who live in the area, it causes city resources to be spread thin," said Kim Wasserman, executive director of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

"At different edges of this park, we have St. Anthony and Mount Sinai hospitals, both of these hospitals for their own reasons are key points in the healthcare infrastructure of Chicago," said Marcus Paulson, EMT. "For these patients, mere minutes could determine their outcome - the difference between life, disability and death."

Sandra Castillo said it took her two and a half hours to visit her son, who was being treated for a traumatic brain injury, at a nearby hospital years ago due to Riot Fest crowds.

"Why is it that they're enforcing Riot Fest on this community of color and not on any other communities - more affluent communities? That is not equitable treatment," she said.

Those opposed to hosting festivals in Douglass Park said their communities are already overburdened.

Riot Fest organizers said they understand the community's concerns, and have since developed a new model for its festival, including initiatives for inclusivity and community development.

Organizers said after hosting community meetings and hearing these concerns they've set a goal to transform the festival experience through vendor workshops, job fairs, showcasing local talent, neighborhood groups and businesses and by offering free ticket to residents.

Riot Fest organizers say they've already partnered with neighborhood organizations and plan on making a year-long effort to foster a better relationship with the community going forward, as they call it "Beyond the Fest."