The construction team building the future Obama Presidential Center alleged this week that workers found a noose at the work site.
Lakeside Alliance — a joint venture of construction companies formed specifically for the presidential center — announced Thursday that it was suspending work at the site due to the incident.
“We have zero tolerance for any form of bias or hate on our worksite. Anti-bias training is included in our onboarding process and reiterated during site-wide meetings,” Lakeside Alliance told NBC 5 Chicago. “We are suspending all operations onsite in order to provide another series of these trainings and conversations for all staff and workers.
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The Obama Presidential Center under construction on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood.
(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Lakeside Alliance is offering a reward of $100,000 for help, according to NBC 5.
The Obama Presidential Center will reportedly include a museum, public library, athletic center, children’s playground and test kitchen. It is being financed mostly through private donations.
“This shameless act of cowardice and hate is designed to get attention and divide us. Our priority is protecting the health and safety of our workforce,” the Obama Foundation wrote in a statement. “We have notified authorities who are investigating the incident.”
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A Chicago police officer, left, takes a bag containing rope from the construction site of the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood.
(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“We are aware of this matter, and it is under investigation,” the Chicago Police Department told Fox News Digital. The department had no further comment.
The Chicago Police Department has not referred to the rope as a noose and is not requiring Lakeside Alliance to halt construction.
Asked for an image of the rope, a Chicago Police Department spokesperson said the department has “nothing to provide at this point.”
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Traffic maneuvers past the construction site for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood on Nov. 3, 2022.
(Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Gov. JB Pritzker commented on the incident, writing, “Hate has no place in Illinois. The noose is more than a symbol of racism, it is a heart-stopping reminder of the violence and terror inflicted on Black Americans for centuries.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Lakeside Alliance to request images of the rope and further details on its discovery but did not receive a reply.
