The firm building former US president Barack Obama’s presidential library suspended operations after a noose was found at the construction site in Chicago and the police were called.
A $100,000 reward was offered by the construction company to help find who was responsible.
Lakeside Alliance, a partnership of Black-owned construction firms, said it reported the incident to police and “will provide any assistance required to identify those responsible”.
“We have zero tolerance for any form of bias or hate on our worksite. Anti-bias training is included in our on-boarding process and reiterated during site-wide meetings. We are suspending all operations onsite in order to provide another series of these trainings and conversations for all staff and workers,” the firm said in a statement on Thursday.
Obama’s charitable foundation also released a statement on the library, part of a project to create the Obama Presidential Center.
Obama was born in the US state of Hawaii but entered politics after becoming a community organizer in Chicago, passing through the state senate before becoming a US senator representing Illinois. He beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination for the presidency in 2008 and became America’s first Black president when he won the election, then was re-elected for a second term in 2012. Having reached term limits, he handed the mantle to Clinton in 2016 and she lost the election in a shock defeat by Donald Trump.
Presidents traditionally establish a presidential library at some point after leaving office.
The construction firm’s statement continued: “This shameless act of cowardice and hate is designed to get attention and divide us. Our priority is protecting the health and safety of our workforce.”’
The Chicago police department is aware of the noose and the matter is under investigation, said Sgt Rocco Alioto, a department spokesman.
An alliance spokeswoman, Lara Cooper, said she could not comment on whether it suspects a worker at the site and how the pause will affect the work.
City work to prepare for construction began in spring 2021 and the center is slated to open in 2025, located near the Obama family home.
