POP Appeal Launched
For on-going current information, see recent Updates.
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What is Protect Our Parks? Why did it file suit?Protect Our Parks is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2007. It supports locating the OPC on Chicago’s South Side, but not on public parkland. It originated in a successful effort to combat a plan to permit the Latin School, a private educational institution, to take over land in Lincoln Park. Seeing similar issues in the plan to cede public land in Jackson Park to the Obama Foundation for the construction of the Obama Presidential Center, POP joined with retired attorney, author and environmentalist Charlotte Adelman to file suit in federal court in mid-May 2018 to block what they view as an abuse of the public trust by the City and Chicago Park District, setting the stage for a “David v. Goliath” legal contest. POP lost its initial case, but has filed an appeal spearheaded by renowned attorney Richard Epstein along with co-counsel Michael Rachlis. As of 01/23/2020 a second appeal related to the Section 106 Federal Review has also been filed. |
What was JPW’s relationship to the POP lawsuit?
JPW was not involved in any discussions or decisions leading to the filing of the POP lawsuit although we were acquainted with some of those involved. Although former Mayor Emanuel immediately labeled the suit frivolous, JPW has believed from the beginning that the suit raised some very important questions about the proper stewardship of a public good such as Jackson Park and about the hidden processes by which decisions about the Park have been made. JPW followed the progress of the lawsuit in its Updates and provided technical support as the suit progressed.
Noteworthy events along the way
→ In a July 2018 hearing responding to the POP suit, the City requested a hearing delay for a surprising reason: As reported in