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Anonymous ID: 8638c5 July 28, 2018, 3:20 p.m. No.2329751   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9795

Federal lawsuit accuses Obama center organizers of pulling an 'institutional bait and switch'

 

A federal lawsuit filed by a Chicago nonprofit in an attempt to block the Obama Presidential Center from being built in Jackson Park accuses organizers of pulling an “institutional bait and switch” by shifting the center’s purpose away from being a true presidential library.

 

Protect Our Parks Inc. also claims in its lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, that the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago don’t have the authority to transfer public parkland to nongovernmental entity such as the Obama Foundation.

 

It has long been expected that the Park District would sell the land to the city for a nominal amount and the city would enter into a long-term lease with the Obama Foundation. The lawsuit, which also names three Chicago-area residents as plaintiffs, argues that such a maneuver would violate state law and represents “a short con shell game, a corrupt scheme to deceive and seemingly legitimize an illegal land grab.”

 

The City and Park District clearly realize and fully understand that this established law precludes the Park District from arbitrarily transferring possession, use and control of this dedicated ‘open, clear and free’ public parkland in Jackson Park to a private nongovernmental … entity’s self-determined use,” the complaint says.

 

The plaintiffs accuse the Obamas of committing an about-face on original plans for the Jackson Park site to be home to a national presidential library that would hold historic documents and archives from Barack Obama’s presidency under the National Archives and Records Administration’s supervision.

 

http: //www.chicagotribune.com/news/obamacenter/ct-met-obama-center-lawsuit-20180514-story.html

 

http: //www.chicagotribune.com/news/obamacenter/ct-met-obama-center-delayed-20180727-story.html

Anonymous ID: 8638c5 July 28, 2018, 3:23 p.m. No.2329795   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9821 >>9903

>>2329751

Obama Foundation delays presidential center groundbreaking until next year

 

he Obama Foundation has pushed back the groundbreaking date for the Obama Presidential Center after the federal review process was delayed for a second time this summer, officials confirmed Friday.

 

Instead of starting construction later this year, the foundation is now saying they plan to break ground for the half-billion-dollar project sometime in 2019. Officials avoided setting a specific date during the year. They also would not say if this will change their timeline for building the center, which was once slated to open in 2021.

 

“We have a sense of urgency about this project (and) when we started, we wanted the public to know we would break ground as soon as possible,” said Michael Strautmanis, the vice president for civic engagement for the foundation. “But we also knew there were some things that were not in our control. We insist on going through the process with integrity and without rushing.”

 

http: //www.chicagotribune.com/news/obamacenter/ct-met-obama-center-delayed-20180727-story.html