The Obama Presidential Center has been a long time coming, but residents in the area are not exactly thrilled that the former commander in chief chose their neighborhood for the facility.
The center broke ground in 2021, and there have been nothing but problems since.
Now, residents are pushing back stronger than ever over their fears of being displaced as investors start to gobble up property in the area.
In September 2021, Barack Obama was finally able to break ground on the center.
Obama explained why he and his wife chose the particular spot for the center, stating, “We are here today on the South Side of Chicago in Jackson Park to officially break ground on the Obama Presidential Center. As Michelle has noted, we chose this location for a few pretty good reasons. It’s close to where Michelle grew up, where I started my political career; it’s surrounded by vibrant neighborhoods and a community where we can help make a difference.”
He continued, “Jackson Park also happens to hold a special place in my heart because it was literally my entryway into Chicago.”
The center was targeting a 2026 opening, and with that date nearing, residents in the area are starting to worry about losing their homes and their neighborhood.
As the opening of the event approaches, local residents are expressing hesitation about how the development would impact their neighborhood.
One woman, Vanessa Clay, who has lived in the area for more than two decades, stated, “It seems like developers are coming in here and taking over.”
The problem for locals is that developers have been buying up everything. Dixon Romeo, executive director of Not Me We, a South Shore community organization organizing neighborhood tenants, stated, “The city has a deep, long record of building itself up on the backs of poor Black and Latino folks, destroying their communities -- either through ineptitude, lack of investment or intentional displacement.”
Then he said the quiet part out loud, adding, “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Steve Cortes, a longtime Chicagoan and former advisor to President Donald Trump, is turning up the heat on the project, stating, "This is a monument to one man's ego."
He continued, "Look at the Reagan Library. It's beautiful. This? There are almost no windows. What are they hiding? And this Brutalist cement look in a city known for its incredible architecture."
Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor added, "Every time large development comes to communities, they displace the very people they say they want to improve it for. This was no different, and we’re living what is actually happening. We’re going to see rents go higher and we’re going to see families displaced."
This is not a good sign for Obama, but it does cement our points made prior regarding the disregard members of the Democratic Party seem to have for law-abiding citizens. One would have thought that Obama would have gotten some community input before moving forward, but that was clearly not the case, and now it is all backfiring on him.
