Chicagoans must reclaim all public parks

Festival goers walk by graffiti that reads “NO RIOT FEST IN OUR PARK” along the fence in Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. Nearby residents have long complained about limited access to the park before, during and after festivals and concerts, like Riot Fest. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times)

Now that the public use of Grant Park has been drastically curtailed by various private intrusions — NASCAR, the many festivals that charge admission — the opposition to privatization of public land may be reaching critical mass.

Here in Lawndale, the community around Douglass Park has been fighting for seven years to reclaim our park from the private for-profit mega-festivals that take it over each summer and fall.