Residents of Chicago slammed former President Barack Obama for displacing them to build his presidential library.
Since construction on the Obama Presidential Center began in 2021, the neighborhood’s median home price has increased by half. Rents have also skyrocketed, as have complaints from residents that Obama’s legacy monument is not being built with their interests in mind.
In an interview with the Washington Post, lifelong Chicago residents shared their frustrations over the library’s construction.
“The Obama Center is not being built for Chicago. It’s being built for the world … [And the people of the world] don’t want us here. So what do you think is going to happen?” local Michele Williams told the publication.
A longtime community activist also added that residents don’t want “Obama’s legacy marred by the displacement of thousands of Black families.”
Housing groups have fought against the $500 million project since its inception, demanding that the city mandate affordable housing in the area. Those calls were recently made to Brandon Johnson, one of the Democratic candidates vying to replace Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in an open forum last month.
“Will our rents be raised?” asked one resident in the forum.
“Will we have to move?” asked another.
“Some of us have lived here for more than 40 years,” a woman said.
Obama, meanwhile, spoke about his intention to give back to the community by building the library during the groundbreaking.
“It feels natural for Michelle and me to want to give back to Chicago and to the South Side in particular,” the ex-president told the audience at the time. “The Obama Presidential Center is our way of repaying some of what this amazing city has given us.”
The Obama Foundation has tried to put an end to protests by engaging with activists. In addition to an indirect $16.5 million in state and local tax income, Obama’s team estimates that the center will contribute $3.1 billion in economic development to the area over the course of the next ten years.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing identified Chicago’s south side as having the highest number of eviction filings in 2019. Developers have attractive opportunities to flip homes and sell them to wealthier buyers thanks to higher vacancy rates.
