Posen residents voiced their opinions to Park Board members Tuesday about issues they saw firsthand during the the Park District carnival’s four-day run, but some also questioned why Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, the embattled Dolton mayor, was given a permit for a park event.
The Posen Park Board voted Tuesday to end the annual carnival, which was shut down early Sunday after a large fight broke out, leading to four arrests.
“We’re too small of a town for something for that big of a crop,” Park District Director Terrence Whitcomb said. “As sad as it is for the kids and families that actually enjoyed it, it’s just the safety concerns are too much.”
The 5,386-person town saw a crowd of up to 200 involved in a fight that led police to arrest two juveniles and two adults Sunday night, Posen police Chief William Alexander said. He said the unrest spilled from the fairgrounds at Commissioners Park, 147th and Sacramento streets, to side streets and nearby businesses, and was brought under control at about 10 p.m.
“The carnival seems to attract people from all around Chicago and other towns, and it just causes chaos,” Alexander said.
Susan Adema told the board said she was disappointed about the end of the carnival, which she said went on for years without issues until it started up again after a COVID-19 pandemic-induced pause.
“I live around the corner from it — people were running down my alley trying to jump my fence,” Adema said. “They weren’t able to get over, but they were in the neighbors yards, the other yards, and then people going and throwing stuff all over the place. The alleys were littered with trash … and there was just chaos. They were running everywhere.”
Adema and others at the meeting said they believed most of the young people involved were from out of town. Other suburbs, such as Tinley Park, have faced similar problems in recent years with large groups of young people causing disruptions at their carnivals.
“When my daughter was young it was something they all looked forward to, but it wasn’t always held at that park — it’s been in other places. I think they need to think about that, having it closer to the police station,” Adema said. “You don’t want to take the fun away from everybody just because there’s a few bad apples that come from other towns causing trouble. It’s not fair.”
Whitcomb said the Park Board will look to make up for the loss of revenue from the festival and bring together residents with smaller, one-day events that are less likely to draw people from outside the area.
“There is just no way for this small of a town with this small of a police force and this small of a park department to continue operating that carnival,” Whitcomb said. “It’s not logistically feasible. It’s not logistically safe. So we’re done. We’re done, unfortunately.”
Residents also raised concern about another event that was scheduled Wednesday in Posen Memorial Park, hosted by Henyard. Those in the audience questioned why the Park District issued a permit to her.
“Every place she goes, trouble follows,” one woman said.
Park Board President Jody Chmielak said Henyard has rented the park in the past and, because part of Posen is in Thornton Township, the board had no reason not to issue the permit. Whitcomb said not allowing Henyard a permit could put the Park Board under scrutiny for unlawful discrimination.
“You won’t find any of us there, because she’s nuts,” Posen Mayor Frank Podbielniak said after the meeting.
Thornton Township announced on its Facebook page Wednesday morning that Henyard’s Days in the Park event, which would have brought food, music and children’s activities to the Posen park, was rained out and will be rescheduled.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
