CHICAGO — The firm building the Obama Presidential Center suspended work Thursday after a noose was found at the site and offered a $100,000 reward to help find those responsible.
Lakeside Alliance, a partnership of black-owned construction firms, said it had reported the incident to police and would “provide any assistance necessary to identify those responsible.”
“We have zero tolerance for any form of bias or hate in our workplace. Anti-bias training is built into our onboarding process and is repeated during site-wide meetings. We are suspending all on-site operations to conduct another series of these trainings and debriefings for all staff and workers,” the firm said.
Former President Barack Obama’s foundation also released a statement.
“This shameless act of cowardice and hatred is designed to attract attention and divide us. Protecting the health and safety of our employees is our priority,” the statement said.
The Chicago Police Department is aware of the loop and is investigating, said Sgt. Rocco Alioto, spokesperson for the department.
Alliance spokeswoman Lara Cooper said she could not comment on whether it suspected a worker at the site or how the pause would affect work.
The city’s pre-construction work began in the spring of 2021, and the official cornerstone was laid the following September.
The foundation said that the center is planned to open in 2025. Organizers expect it to attract around 750,000 visitors a year.
It will sit on 19 acres (7.7 hectares) of the 540 acres (291 hectares) of Jackson Park, named after the nation’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson. Notably, it will be near the Obama family home and where the former president began his political career on the city’s South Side.
The city will own the center under a 2018 ordinance approved by the Chicago City Council.
The original cost was projected at $500 million, but documents released by the Obama Foundation last summer showed the cost had risen to about $830 million. Funds are raised through private donations.
