A far southeast side alderwoman said she is working with the Chicago Police Department and other city departments following complaints about parties being held at a non-residential building in the city's Calumet Heights.
Ald. Susan Sadowski Garza of Chicago's 10th Ward said residents have reported partygoers urinating and vomiting near their homes.
“It’s a legitimate concern,” Garza said.
Residents said the parties are held at all hours in the morning and up to 100 people can be seen at times.
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“They disrupt our sleep,” said one neighbor who asked not to be identified.
Another neighbor told NBC 5 “this is a situation that has to be stopped.”
A man who walked out of the building said he was a part-owner of a licensed venue that hosts the parties.
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“It’s not a party spot. It’s just like a venue for the community, for everybody to have fun and be safe. We don’t want no shootings, no gang activity,” said the man. “It’s pretty much secure. No guns. You have to be 35. You have to show ID for you party. So we want everybody to be safe and we want to know who we are dealing with.”
However, Garza said there are no business licenses at the address. She said she is working with the Department of Buildings and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, and added that a nuisance abatement letter has been issued.
Police said they have responded several times to the location, but no reports were filed.
According to Garza, pop-up parties are occurring across the city as venues remain closed or operate at limited capacity due to the pandemic. She said police now have a task force to address the issue.
