Eye-Popping Reward for 'Noose' at Obama Presidential Center Comes Up Empty - Just Another Hoax?
The Second City may need to take a second look at what exactly happened at the construction site of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Originally chalked up as a “hate crime” and broadcast as such, a recent update to the alleged noose that was hung at the construction site has revealed that … there is no update.
In a new report released Sunday, Just The News found that, despite a hefty six-figure reward being dangled, there’s been nary a peep about who could’ve left such a heinous artifact at the site.
It’s been nearly a month since the incident first occurred on Nov. 10, and despite $100,000 being offered in this current economy, nobody has been able to provide any information or updates as to what had happened.
Lakeside Alliance, the construction company in charge of the project, told Just The News twice that there were no updates to share.
The Chicago Police Department told the outlet that they were “aware of this matter, and it is still under investigation.”
To wit, in early November multiple outlets reported that construction at the Obama Presidential Center had been halted after a rope described as a “noose” was allegedly found at the construction site.
“We are horrified that this would occur on our site and are offering a $100,000 reward to help find the individual or individuals responsible for this shameful act,” Lakeside Alliance said in a statement when news of the incident first broke.
Lakeside Alliance also put its employees through a series of anti-bias training.
Swift condemnation of the incident came pouring in.
“Hate has no place in Illinois,” Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on Twitter. “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.”
Pritzker followed up by noting that “the state of Illinois will make all needed resources available to help catch the perpetrators.”
I condemn this act of hate in the strongest possible terms, and the state of Illinois will make all needed resources available to help catch the perpetrators.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) November 10, 2022
The Obama Foundation called the supposed noose “a shameless act of cowardice and hate” and claimed it was “designed to get attention and divide us.”
At the very least, it certainly got attention.
It’d be difficult to blame anyone for being dubious or skeptical of these claims at this point.
The incident does, after all, echo some familiar elements of other recent hate crime hoaxes, such as those of NASCAR racer Bubba Wallace and actor Jussie Smollett — whose claims about hate crimes perpetuated against them turned out to be demonstrably false.
If $100,000 and about a month’s worth of time hasn’t yielded a single clue as to what happened, it’s more than fair to wonder if any clue will ever actually materialize.
Assuming no other crimes, hate or otherwise, happen on the construction site, the Obama Presidential Center is expected to be completed in 2025.
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