Six days after officials say a noose was found at the Obama Presidential Center worksite on the South Side, the construction firm overseeing the project said work has restarted with “additional safety and security measures” in place.
“We will continue to provide assistance to the authorities regarding the ongoing investigation to identify the individual or individuals responsible for this horrific act,” Lakeside Alliance, the construction team building the center, said in a news release Wednesday. “While Lakeside Alliance understands that no amount of training will lessen the impact of last week’s heinous act, we will continue to provide anti-bias, inclusion and belonging training on an ongoing basis to help foster an inclusive work environment.”
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The center, which will honor the legacy of President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, is also being built in Jackson Park on the city’s majority Black South Side by a joint venture four African American firms — Brown & Momen, Powers & Sons, Safeway, and UJAMAA — and Turner Construction. The Obama Foundation also has committed to hiring diverse contractors and construction workers from the city’s South and West Sides.
The alliance said “all staff and onsite workers have participated in anti-bias training” over the last several days. They have offered a $100,000 reward to help find whoever was responsible.
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No one has been charged in the incident and the Chicago Police Department said Wednesday it had no updates.
Last week, a Lakeside spokeswoman declined to comment on details of the incident, including where the noose was found or if it was positioned in a threatening way, citing the ongoing investigation by the Chicago police.
“Lakeside Alliance is proud of the workforce we have brought together, and we remain committed to ensuring everyone feels safe and is treated with respect and dignity onsite,” Wednesday’s release said. “We will not let this one hateful act distract us from our mission to transform the paradigm of the construction industry in Chicago.”
The Obama Foundation condemned the act a “shameless act of cowardice and hate,” and Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to “make all needed resources available to help catch the perpetrators,” adding, “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.”
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