Residents living near Douglass Park in Little Village and Lawndale are bracing for a noisy weekend from Riot Fest — a weekend they expect to be filled with parking headaches.

“Last week, we started to see the trucks entering with so many things,” said Irais Flores, a nearby resident who is also part of a Little Village community center. “It gives you anxiety and stress because you say, let’s see how it goes getting parking.”

She was among a group of community leaders who gathered Tuesday at Douglass Park as part of a last-ditch effort to get Riot Fest, a three-day music festival, to leave their neighborhood park. They plan to present a letter, signed by more than 30 organizations and local leaders, to the Chicago Park District on Wednesday, demanding that Douglass Park no longer be used to host large, for-profit festivals.

As residents spoke about their concerns, crews from Riot Fest placed black mesh fabric along a fence installed for the festival, scheduled to start Friday. A large stage could be seen from California Avenue. Most of the southern part of the park, from California Avenue to Albany Avenue and from Ogden Avenue to 19th Street, was fenced off Tuesday morning,

A playground and a field along Albany Avenue remained outside of the festival’s perimeter Tuesday as a few people jogged in the area and others played soccer.

The push to end large festivals at Douglass Park gained momentum this summer as residents have questioned if a neighborhood park should be used for such large private events. Edith Tovar, who lives in the area, said there are also questions about how the festivals impact the environment.

“We do see this as a form of environmental racism,” Tovar said, pointing out Riot Fest is the third large music festival that has resulted in Douglass Park being fenced off for portions of the summer.

In August, Riot Fest issued a statement following a contentious meeting between a contractor and community members, stating that it wanted to “remain a positive asset to the community.”

“We have been in Douglass Park since 2015, and we consider it our home,” the statement read, adding that the festival was going to take feedback from residents and implement suggestions when possible.

Elvia Rodriguez Ochoa, from the organization Friends of the Park, said the city should instead find a permanent venue to host the large music festivals. The coronavirus pandemic showed how public parks are important for residents’ physical and mental health, she said.

“These kinds of concerts are actually detrimental to the health of these communities in which they land in,” Rodriguez Ochoa said.

Denise Ferguson, a local resident, described Douglass Park as a “slice of heaven in Lawndale” that is surrounded by health institutions. She said it’s one of the reasons she and others have pushed for years for Riot Fest and other music festivals to leave the Park.

“This lack of regard for the health of Black and Latinx people living near the quiet zone corridor is a direct violation of the city of Chicago’s own public health ‘Healthy Chicago’ mandates,” she said, referring to the city’s five-year plan to improve health equity.

The group plans to attend Wednesday’s public hearing for the Chicago Park District’s Board of Commissioners as they continue to push to get rid of Riot Fest. They also plan to host their own festival Saturday, dubbed “The People’s Music Fest,” taking place near Cermak Road and Marshall Boulevard.

“Douglass Park is a valued and important resource to our communities that should not be fenced off for a quarter of the summer for for-profit mega concerns,” Tovar said.

Elvia Malag?n’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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Longtime NFL coach Mike Martz shredded Bears quarterback Justin Fields and 49ers quarterback Trey Lance after their season opener, which the Bears won 19-10.

Martz, who was the Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2010 and ’11 after running the champion Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf offense, was especially harsh on Lance, but hit Fields sharply as well.

“I’m just shocked — shocked — at the Bears,” he said on a video released Tuesday by The 33rd Team. “I mean, they took this quarterback and they spent a lot to get him, and ‘less than remarkable,’ would be the kindest thing you could say about him.”

Fields completed 8 of 17 passes for 121 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for an 85.7 rating. The Bears were scoreless at halftime, but rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the third quarter with 19 unanswered points.

Martz couldn’t envision them continuing to win.

“They’re a really good coaching staff at the Bears — they’re very disciplined — but they’re just not very good,” he said. “They just don’t have a lot of talent there. The offensive line is not very good. They did some good things on defense, but their talent base for that football team is not very good.

“Fields is gonna have to shoulder it, and he did a good job of that, particularly in the second half. But ultimately when you look at them compared to Detroit… it just seems like Detroit has made a huge leap and the Bears are still gonna kinda muddle around.”

The Lions, who went 3-13-1 last season, fell to the Eagles 38-35 on Sunday. Martz also was their offensive coordinator in 2006 and ’07.

Last month, Martz said the Bears had less offensive talent than any team since the winless 2008 Lions.

At points, it was unclear in the video or The 33rd Team’s published quotes whether Martz was ripping Fields or Lance, including comments that one of them was “completely awful” and said their team was “without hope.”

The website labeled those quotes as pertaining to Fields, but in the video he immediately followed by saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go to Jimmy [Garoppolo] by the fourth week, because they’re not going any place where they are now.”

The company’s media relations representative did not immediately reply to a message seeking clarity.

Martz went on to completely dismiss Lance, who was the No. 3 overall pick last year and was making his third career start. He also did not cut either quarterback a break given the downpour that left standing water all over the field.

“I’ve never seen anything about this kid that was encouraging at all,” he said of Lance. “He looked like a fullback stumbling around trying to run the ball… I don’t know what he is.

“I’ve never liked him. I still don’t like him. I’d like to know what he does so well because he’s not a great passer, doesn’t have good skills, takes him a long time to set himself and throw the football, misses easy throws and he’s not a particularly good runner. Other than that, he’s a hell of a player.”

Lance completed 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards with an interception for a 50.3 rating and ran 13 times for 54 yards.

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Few festivals in America do it like Riot Fest. The totally homegrown, eternally independent event was started in Chicago in 2005 and continues to be put together by the fans, for the fans. It’s the only place you can show up, get married at an onsite wedding chapel if you’re so inclined, take a victory lap on a Ferris Wheel, and check out the best of punk, hip-hop, rock, metal and GWAR before the sun goes down.

This year is no different with a smorgasbord of talent from The Original Misfits to Coolio — not to mention all the twilight after shows. Put together a schedule based on our top 10 picks below — or just grab a can of the Riot Fest Sucks Pale Ale when you get to Douglass Park to figure out the day-by-day. For the third year in a row, the fest partners with Goose Island for the specialty brew with a peel-off label that shows the day’s full schedule right there in your hands. Genius.

L.S. Dunes

Riot Fest has given us a lot of gifts over the years (that John Stamos butter sculpture, GWAR’s return every year, the most outrageous Twitter account to get us through the other 11 months). But willing the cosmos to form a supergroup mere weeks before the kickoff – now that is some serious superpower. Announced Aug. 26 and officially debuting at Riot, L.S. Dunes features guitarist Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance, the can’t-miss headliner on this night), guitarist Travis Stever (Coheed and Cambria), vocalist Anthony Green (Circa Survive), bassist Tim Payne (Thursday) and drummer Tucker Rule (Thursday/Yellowcard) … aka the perfect fit. (1 p.m. Friday, Rise Stage)

Foxy Shazam

Stay put after L.S. Dunes for these seriously underrated throwback glam rockers on the same stage. One listen to tracks like the gloriously over-the-top “Oh Lord” will have you wondering how this band never made it bigger (also not helped by an unfortunate six-year hiatus from 2014-2020). They fit right into the rock revivalism movement like contemporaries The Darkness with a platter of British Invasion homage, Motown harmonies, rock operatics a la Queen and Meat Loaf and a singer who’s simply Freddie Mercury reincarnated. To see them live is nothing short of an experience. (2 p.m. Friday, Rise Stage)

Bob Vylan

One silver lining of the chaotic past few years: Bad times can make really great punk music. Just ask Bob Vylan. Apart from the fact that the grimy U.K. duo (born in 2017) has maybe one of the best band names ever, their amplified diatribes like “We Live Here” are some of the greatest new tracks of the past decade. Tackling racism, police brutality, class warfare and more ills of society through in-your-face lyrics and electro-fueled punk fury, they carry on the torch of Rage, Fever 333 and The Clash. (4:15 p.m. Friday, Rebel Stage)

FEAR

Saturday is a battle of East Coast vs. West Coast – hardcore, that is. Two of the greatest examples of each (FEAR from L.A. and Madball from NYC) appear on this day. Thankfully they don’t take the stage at the same time so you can catch them both and live to tell the tale — if you can make it out unscathed from the pits. FEAR’s set will be one of Riot’s very special full-album plays as the band rips through every track of their classic 1982 debut “The Record” in honor of its 40th anniversary (around the same time bassist Flea was in the group), and rightfully so as it’s an album that shaped a whole music scene. (2:50 p.m. Saturday, Riot Stage)

Gogol Bordello

The eclectic gypsy punk rockers return in 2022 after a showdown performance last year. They are one of the late additions to the lineup after some snafus and personal matters that derailed appearances from Placebo and Bauhaus, yet Gogol’s set comes at an opportune time. The eight-piece act’s new album “Solidaritine” drops the day before on Sept. 16, and they just returned from performing a top-secret show for the Ukraine military as the country remains embroiled in the invasion by Russia. Singer Eugene Hutz was born in Kyiv and has been coordinating a number of benefit shows and awareness about the conflict, and will likely use this platform to further that message. (7:25 p.m. Saturday, Roots Stage)

The Original Misfits

The horror punk band’s biggest shock comes as the OG members continue their sporadic reunion (first seen at Riot Fest 2016) and play their incredible debut “Walk Among Us” in full this weekend. Striking a deal with Danzig and Doyle to do this may have cost fest organizers even more than dealing with the devil himself. But the crowd will be truly grateful for that sacrifice watching the founders along with fellow classic member Jerry Only as well as Dave Lombardo and Acey Slade tear through “Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?” and “Night of the Living Dead” for the album’s 40th anniversary. (8:30 p.m. Saturday, Riot Stage)

The Linda Lindas

They’re not even out of high school yet, but The Linda Lindas have a career only few can ever achieve. After opening for Bikini Kill, being commissioned for soundtrack work by Amy Poehler and signing with Epitaph in a span of two years, the four-piece punk rockers wowed at Pitchfork Music Festival this summer and come to Riot Fest this weekend. Having written their first song as a response to a racist comment made by a classmate as COVID broke out, they’re now hailed by Pollstar as “bringing punk rock to a new generation” — but trust they’re delighting the elder punks too. (1 p.m. Sunday, Roots Stage)

Coolio

Riot Fest organizers have been known to throw a good curve ball every now and then — but Coolio? That’s one few saw coming when the rapper was added to the lineup July 19. Most known for his wild 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” (which has found renewed attention in recent times in movie and TV spots), Coolio last made headlines for running as a vice president candidate in 2020 alongside presidential hopeful and former porn star Cherie DeVille. Here’s to hoping Riot marks his return to music instead. (4 p.m. Sunday, Rise Stage)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

There was a time when a strong wave of New York indie rock dominated the music industry, led by bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The latter was an arty approach to garage rock led by the formidable Karen O, who became as much of a cultural icon as her predecessor Debbie Harry while tracks like “Gold Lion,” “Heads Will Roll” and “Maps” defined the era. And then they went away in 2014. The three-piece has since re-emerged and this month will release “Cool It Down,” their first new album in nine years that shows they still got that X factor. (7:10 p.m. Sunday, Roots Stage)

Nine Inch Nails

In 2019, NIN was named by fans as the No. 1 act to ever play Riot Fest in a poll sanctioned by the event, with many praising the industrial act’s 2017 set. Frontman Trent Reznor has written some of the most ferociously danceable songs of our era (“Terrible Lie,” “March of the Pigs,” “The Perfect Drug”) and has drawn in some of the most proficient musicians to grease the machine. NIN shows are known for their high production value, and the appearance this weekend will be worth the wait after the act had to postpone last year’s slated set due to COVID. Though they aren’t listed as offering a full album play, NIN’s landmark EP “Broken” turns 30 a few days later, just sayin’. (8:15 p.m. Sunday, Riot Stage)

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My first full season covering the Bears was in 2003, during Lovie Smith’s first year as head coach. Those practices in Bourbonnais were brutal. The heat and humidity were oppressive. Players were wilting with soft-tissue injuries. Smith was determined to get his team into better cardiovascular shape. That was one takeaway from that summer. The other was an emphasis on takeaways.

During these practices, Bears defenders wouldn’t just try to return interceptions or fumbles for touchdowns. Every single ball — every dropped pass or overthrow that landed inbounds — Bears defenders were expected to pick it up and run the opposite way. At the time, it felt superfluous, but there was a method to Smith’s madness. A culture was created in which the defense could do more than just keep the other team from scoring.

Confusing “turnovers” for “takeaways” would land you in the doghouse with coaches and players real quick. In their mind, the insult was that a “turnover” meant the defense wasn’t responsible for forcing a mistake and were just benefactors of offensive incompetence.

While the Bears were trying to put together an offense, Smith put it on his defense to buy time and win games. He had created an expectation of accountability and discipline. The players bought into it with fervor. Their hard work drew results and that has a tendency to build upon itself.

Watching a Matt Eberflus coached team reminds me of those early days of Smith’s tenure.

That means the football you consume might be boring for a while. It may also be the easiest path for the Bears to win until Ryan Poles improves the overall talent of the roster.

By halftime Sunday of the Bears’ 19-10 victory over the 49ers, fans at Soldier Field were already launching full-throated boos. Quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense sputtered. You can hardly blame the 61,500 who braved a monsoon to see “The Beloved” for being upset. Sitting in ugly weather, watching ugly football, is not an ideal way to spend a Sunday. The way the offense looked was the sum of all fears of every Bears fan. It feltlike Fields was still struggling and little progress had been made under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

By the end of the third quarter, fans were wading in the water and dancing along with Robert Quinn because their team was in a three-point game with a quarter left.

This game stayed competitive because Eberblus’ Bears stayed disciplined. The 49ers were as sloppy as the conditions. On each of the Bears’ scoring drives, San Francisco had a penalty that extended the drive. Twice those penalties came on third down.

Fields and the offense made them pay for it. After drawing three flags in the first half, the Bears went the entire second half without being penalized. That’s significant and starting to look like a bit of a trend. In the preseason, the Bears were penalized only 13 total times in three games. It’s hard to judge most things inpreseason, but a lack of discipline plagued the final two years of the Matt Nagy era.

Eberflus has raised the competency floor of this team.

I know that’s not a sexy sentence, but discipline and competency win football games.

Smith’s teams won ugly and no one complained. And no one will complain if Eberflus wins that way for a while. It might be boring, but who cares? As Ozzie Guillen said: “Fun is winning and winning is fun!”

The disciplined, boring Bears are 1-0 and fans couldn’t be more entertained.

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