CHICAGO — The rally to "save" Wrigleyville's Taco Bell was canceled — though more than 1,200 people wanted to go.
The event was set to take place Saturday outside the Taco Bell, 1111 W. Addison St., which is being shuttered so the spot can be redeveloped. The rally had gained significant attention online — more than 3,800 people said they were going or interested in going on Facebook — but it has now disappeared from Facebook.
Organizer CJ Black said earlier this month that he didn't expect the rally to change the developers' plans, but he thought it would provide people a chance to "come together and express their feelings and share the experiences they've had."
Someone even made "Save Taco Bell" shirts for people to wear.
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But the event was removed from Facebook on Friday, as noted by Chicagoist.
"Many individuals seemed to overlook the satirical nature of the event," Black said Monday. "Seeing that happen, and seeing some of the vitriol that was going on, on the page, I thought that perhaps it was a good idea to do what I could to lessen the number of people that might show up to Taco Bell on that day to mitigate any sort of disruption that could be caused by such an event."
The event was created as a joke, Black said, but a "minority of people" didn't see it as a joke or were upset by the event.
"I wanted to do what I could to make sure I didn't disrupt business at the Taco Bell," Black said. He also wanted to ensure "everybody had a safe and constructive Saturday rather than potentially causing workers at Taco Bell inconvenience ... ."
Black got messages from people "immediately" after canceling the event on Facebook, he said, with many asking him why he had done it or complaining.
"I still think it was the right decision to put that thing to bed," he said.
The Taco Bell is expected to be closed by next summer and the spot will be made into a single- or multi-tenant retail spot.
