By Kari Lydersen
In late June Pilsen residents were still wondering where this year’s fiesta would be held, or if there’d be one at all. Last year construction of a Mexican-themed plaza at Blue Island and 18th forced the fiesta to move from its usual location to Cermak Road between Throop and Morgan. This was a clearly inferior location, planners say, offering less visibility and less access to 18th Street businesses, and marred by debris from nearby construction and industry.
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“There are a couple business owners who don’t support it but they don’t live in the neighborhood,” says Lopez Calderon, mentioning two groceries that would be harder to reach during the fiesta. “They’re not part of the Mexican community–they make a killing off the neighborhood but when it comes time to support it they’re not there.”
Pilsen Neighbors members suggest Solis was behind the park council’s opposition; Aviña says he can’t blame Solis directly, but adds, “You know how those things work.” Aviña and other Pilsen Neighbors leaders say Solis has been uncommunicative and uncooperative throughout the permit process.
City Hall and IDOT did some surveying, and on June 28 DeNard’s office finally issued a permit allowing the fiesta to set up again on Cermak Road. By no means is everyone happy. Pilsen Neighbors has been circulating petitions asking Solis and the city to return Fiesta del Sol to Blue Island next year. They say they’ve collected almost 3,000 signatures.
“With fiesta there’s always trouble,” added Paulino Villarreal, who asked that his quotes be attributed to his son Paulino Jr., who “sent me to speak for him.” He said, “Gangbangers come from all over pimping with their hats on and harassing innocent bystanders. People come back from fiesta all happy and then find out that their house is burglarized. Then police from other communities are brought in and they start pushing people around.”
