Future of festival in limbo
TLN Media Group, the group that hosts Salsa on St. Clair, threatened to pull the plug on the festival days after the shooting. It called for accountability from the city and its police force and urged them to have enhanced security in the area.
“We refuse to subject any of our people, friends, clients and community supporters to situations where public officials responsible for preventing crime and ensuring public safety resist the community’s calls to do better,” the group said in a statement on July 14.
Some businesses even spoke out that they’re reconsidering joining the event in the future after the shooting.
Angela Mazza, owner of butcher shop Macelleria Atlas, said she no longer feels protected in the area and that there should have been a heavier police presence that day.
One of the festival’s largest sponsors, the Hillcrest Village Business Improvement Area, said last month that it’s pulling out of the event.
Noise, garbage, open alcohol and “bad behaviour” among some attendees was causing issues for local residents and prompted the board to vote against the sponsorship, said BIA chair Heather Hannah.
