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Noose found at $830M Obama Presidential Center site, sick trolls call it 'Jussie Smollett situation'

In a statement, the Obama Foundation denounced the event and called it 'a shameless act of cowardice and hate designed to get attention and divide us'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: The construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has been put on hold as police look into the "shameless act" when a noose was discovered at the site on November 10, 2022. The construction company, Lakeside Alliance, which is building the $830 million complex to honor America's first Black president, condemned the hateful sign discovered there and reported it right away to the authorities.

In a statement, the Obama Foundation denounced the event and called it "a shameless act of cowardice and hate designed to get attention and divide us." “Our priority is protecting the health and safety of our workforce,” the foundation said along with the Lakeside Alliance. “We have notified authorities who are investigating the incident,” the statement read, according to Daily Mail. The construction crew said that it was offering a $100,000 reward to assist identify the culprits. The "act of hate" was also denounced by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker who said that his state will assist local law enforcement in apprehending those involved. “Hate has no place in Illinois,” Pritzker tweeted. “The noose is more than a symbol of racism, it is a heart-stopping reminder of the violence and terror inflicted on Black Americans for centuries.”

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In addition to promising a prize for information leading to the capture of those accountable, Lakeside Alliance declared it would keep the site closed to continue training its staff. “We have zero tolerance for any form of bias or hate on our worksite,” the group said in a statement, as per Daily Mail.

It added, “Anti-bias training is included in our onboarding process and reiterated during sitewide meetings. We are suspending all operations on-site in order to provide another series of these trainings and conversations for all staff and workers.”

The Obama Presidential Center's development began in 2021 by Lakeside Alliance, a collection of Black-owned construction companies, with the goal of uplifting the South Side neighborhood.

Social media users took to Twitter and compared the incident with that of Jussie Smollett, where the actor was jailed for lying about being attacked by a rope around his neck for being gay. One of the sick trolls on social media sarcastically said, “Jussie smollet situation?" Another person said, "Somebody check on Jussie Smollett whereabouts the last 24 hours."

One person joked, "Ok Justice for jussie lol maybe he did have a noose put on him In Chicago lol." One user added, "In Chicago? Yeah Jussie was telling the truth! I believe him now!" Another person questioned, "Was Jussie there???"

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