Barack Obama is in hot water for an utterly humiliating reason
The Obamas have tried to lay low. But they can’t avoid the firestorm this time.
Because Barack Obama is in hot water for an utterly humiliating reason.
Chicago’s South Side Residents Slam Obama Presidential Center for Gentrification and Cultural Loss
The Obama Presidential Center, an $830 million, 19.3-acre complex set to open in April 2026 in Chicago’s Jackson Park, is facing criticism from South Side residents and leaders who argue it is driving gentrification, displacing locals, and eroding the neighborhood’s cultural fabric.
Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, representing the area, told the Daily Mail she supports former President Barack Obama but fought aspects of the project, warning, “We’re going to see rents go higher and we’re going to see families displaced.”
The center, initially budgeted at $500 million in 2016, has ballooned in cost and is years behind schedule, intensifying local frustration over its impact on the historically Black, working-class communities of Woodlawn, South Shore, and Washington Park.
Community Concerns and Gentrification Fears
Residents like Ken Woodard, a local attorney, described the center as a “monstrosity” that disrupts Jackson Park’s once-lush landscape, telling the Mail, “It’s over budget, it’s taking way too long to finish, and it’s going to drive up prices and bring headaches for everyone who lives here.”
Kyana Butler of Southside Together echoed concerns, calling the 225-foot-tall concrete structure “pretty huge and monstrous” and questioning its scale and cost. Community activists, including Butler and Taylor, have criticized the Obama Foundation for not securing a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) before construction began, which could have ensured affordable housing, local jobs, and protections against displacement.
“I don’t blame President Obama for all of this, but the people on his team may not have the best intentions for people in this area,” Butler said.
Economic Promises vs. Local Realities
The Obama Foundation touts the center as a “lively community hub” featuring a museum, Chicago Public Library branch, auditorium, athletic facilities, and a fruit and vegetable garden, projecting $3.1 billion in economic impact over a decade.
However, locals argue these benefits may not reach longtime residents, with rents in the surrounding ZIP codes up 43% and home values rising 130% since 2015, per Zillow data.
A 2020 Woodlawn ordinance secured 30% affordable housing for city-owned land, but South Shore lacks similar protections, leaving residents vulnerable to investor-driven price surges.
The Illinois Answers Project reported investors bought 32% of South Shore homes in Q3 2022, compared to 17% in 2015. Critics, including Dixon Romeo of Not Me We, argue the center exacerbates existing pressures, with one resident, Michele Williams, stating, “The Obama Center is not being built for Chicago. It’s being built for the world”.
Missed Opportunities for Community Protections
The absence of a CBA, rejected by Obama in 2018 as unnecessary due to limited gentrification risks, has fueled distrust. A 2023 non-binding referendum showed 80% of voters in nearby precincts supported stronger housing protections.
While the Obama Foundation claims 2,175 of 2,536 long-term jobs will go to South Side residents, locals like Romeo argue, “This is the community that sent him to the White House, and we should be the community that gets to stay.”
