Can Riot Fest Win Over West Siders? Update: No

The Block Club Chicago Podcast

Update: Riot Fest is leaving the Douglass Park following years of tension between festival organizers, neighbors and local officials.

Original Episode Summary:

Riot Fest is set to return to Douglass Park in September. Though some neighbors still want it gone, local business owners said organizers have stepped up efforts to support them.

Host - Jon Hansen

Reporter - Leen Yassine

Read More Here

Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are

Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.

We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.

Ground-level coverage

Our neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.

Stories that matter to you — every day

Since our launch five years ago, we've published more than 25,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 130,000 Chicagoans.

We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them.

Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.