Construction of Obama presidential library halted after noose found in ‘act of hate’

Reward of $100,000 has been offered to identify those responsible for planting noose

Construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has been temporarily suspended following the discovery of a noose at the worksite.

The Lakeside Alliance, a group of Black-owned construction companies building the centre, said they are investigating to identify those responsible for what the Obama Foundation described as an “act of hate”.

The noose was discovered on Thursday morning on the premises of the centre, located in Jackson Park, and the police were notified.

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) confirmed that they are aware of the matter and investigating.

“We are horrified that this would occur on our site,” the Lakeside Alliance said, adding that they have suspended “all operations onsite” to conduct anti-bias training for its employees.

The company has also offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who helps find the person or people responsible for the act.

“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,” the company said in a statement.

“We are suspending all operations onsite in order to provide another series of these trainings and conversations for all staff and workers.”

An alliance spokeswoman, Lara Cooper, said she could not comment immediately on whether it suspects a worker at the site was involved, or how the pause will affect the timeline of the construction work.

The Obama Foundation said: “This shameless act of cowardice and hate is designed to get attention and divide us.”

Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama broke ground on the $500m construction project in September 2021. The centre will commemorate and preserve materials from Barack Obama’s presidency to expand their legacy of public service.

The sprawling campus will include a museum, plaza, rooftop garden and a new branch of the Chicago public library, among other features. It is slated to open in 2025 and is expected to attract about 750,000 visitors a year.

It will sit on 19 acres (7.7 hectares) of the 540-acre (291-hectare) of Jackson Park, named for the nation’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson. It will be located near the Obama family residence and where the former US president started his political career on the city’s South Side.

Though the initial cost was projected at $500m, documents released by the Obama Foundation last summer showed the cost had climbed to roughly $830m. Funds to support the project are being raised through private donations.