Chicago Neighbors Say They Were Lied To, File Federal Suit To Stop Obama Library
By Benjamin Arie
May 16, 2018 at 5:09pm
Barack Obama’s legacy seems as if it’s being dismantled more every day. First, scandals from Benghazi to Uranium One rocked his presidency. Then, President Donald Trump reversed many of Obama’s “signature accomplishments” with a few signatures of his own.
Now, even Obama’s attempt to secure his place in history is becoming mired in controversy, providing a fitting end note for the 44th president. According to the Chicago Tribune, several groups in Chicago are accusing Obama of pulling a “bait and switch” over his proposed presidential library. The claim? It isn’t a library at all, but part of a scheme to seize control of public park land and use it for whatever suits the developer’s fancy. A lawsuit is now moving forward, claiming that the planned Obama monstrosity is not what people agreed to.
“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 a nongovernmental entity such as the Obama Foundation,” the Tribune reported. The proposal for Obama’s library was originally to have the Chicago Park District sell land for the facility to the city. The city would then, in turn, least the land to the Obama Foundation. But that scheme isn’t sitting well with many area residents.
“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 newspaper reported.
Poster Comment:
Stop it dead in its tracks.