The Committee to Keep Lincoln Park Public - Home

We Need Witnesses for City Violation of Court Order!

2008-08-19T21:12:00Z

IF YOU WERE IN THE PARK TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 19 AND SAW THIS ACTIVITY IN THE SOCCER STADIUM CONSTRUCTION ZONE – PLEASE CALL US AT 312-276-5165 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER.

THIS IS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY ON THE SITE AND VIOLATES OUR COURT ORDER THAT PROHIBITS ANY ACTIVITY ON THE SITE UNLESS WE ARE NOTIFIED AND GIVE OUR PERMISSION.

CALLING ALL PARK CHAMPIONS - AUG 21 @ CITY HALL!

2008-08-06T17:43:00Z

SHOW UP AND DEMAND THE ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION BE HALTED FOR GOOD AND THE SITE BE RETURNED TO A GRASS MEADOW!

CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION MEETS THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1:OOPM, CITY HALL, ROOM 201A

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT a public hearing is tentatively scheduled before the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday, the twenty-first (21st ) day of August, 2008, at 1:00 p.m., in Room 201A, City Hall, Second Floor, 121 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, on the following proposed applications and/or amendments.

Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance Application No. 553 submitted by the Chicago Park District for the property generally located at1840 North Cannon Drive. The applicant proposes to construct an artificial-surface athletic field with lighting standards in Lincoln Park. The site lies within the Public Use Zone of the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection District. (43rd Ward)

READ A SUMMARY OF OUR OBJECTIONS TO THE ILLEGAL SOCCER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Read the latest news coverage:

The Reader – An Artificial Battle – The latest round in the soccer wars is about turf – in more ways than one

Chicago Journal – Replies to Alderman Daley’s support for the continued destruction of Lincoln Park

POP Says "Yes!" to Soccer (but not in the North Meadow)

2008-08-04T04:03:00Z

IS “PROTECT OUR PARKS” AGAINST SOCCER? NO WAY!!!

Protect our Parks is the grass-roots organization which successfully sued the Chicago Park District, the Latin School of Chicago and the City of Chicago to stop construction of an artificial turf soccer field in the North Meadow of the South Field in Lincoln Park for the reserved use by the Latin School.

Does this mean Protect our Parks is against kids? Against soccer? Against building new athletic fields for soccer?

The Answers: NO – NO – and NO!!!

There is a misinformation campaign underway about our position, falsely alleging to the soccer community that we have our sights set on stopping AYSO from using the fields that they’ve been playing soccer on for over 20 years so that they can be “returned” to meadows. This is patently UNTRUE!! The only field we want returned to a meadow is South Field because it is the wrong structure in the wrong location for the wrong reason.

Protect Our Parks has never opposed improvements at Foster or Montrose or the many inner city locations where there is dearth of recreation facilities. And POP has repeatedly said that the Park District should use the $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 that the Park District wants to give Latin School instead for those truly needy locations where multiple fields would benefit and expand use for the public, instead of for a wealthy private school

WHAT WE’RE FOR:

We’re all FOR soccer fields! BUT – where they are appropriate. We’re also for transparency and democracy in public process We’re for equal opportunity and access, not just for the wealthy

The fact is that the present location in south Lincoln Park is, arguably, the MOST INAPPROPRIATE place possible to insert a soccer field! It was selected SOLELY because of its proximity to the Latin School, for their convenience. No studies were undertaken to determine where the need for new facilities was greatest and would serve the greatest number of people. The only criterion applied in this case was that LATIN WANTED IT THERE FOR THEIR USE.

The Park District now says it has $2,000,000 to give to Latin School. That money would build or improve at least three new public use soccer fields in the neediest locations. And when the Park District withholds the money already promised to those other locations and tries to hold the soccer community hostage to the Latin School, they are deliberately injuring the innocent in order to force support of a wealthy, PRIVATE school!

Yes – the kids – and more of them, deserve to be able to play, regardless of where they live in Chicago and what their economic circumstances! Our Fight against the soccer field in South Field is not a fight with children nor with the soccer community. It is with the Park District, whose decisions and priorities too often are in the service of special interests, and whose modes of operation are too often dishonest – and with the Latin School for selfishly attempting to make Lincoln Park their de facto Athletic field, because they did not plan adequately for their own outdoor needs. They are a private school and their problems should be solved in the marketplace, not at the expense of Chicago’s park goers and taxpayers.

What do you think a soccer player should do when he or she is the victim of a foul? Be conned into supporting the foul or insist that the referee play fair?

Soccer, YES! In the North Meadow: NO!

Protect Our Parks – info@cklpp.org – www.savelincolnpark.org – 312-276-5165 – Donate to our legal fund -

Even a Second Grader Knows What's Right

2008-08-01T14:44:00Z

A proud parent sent us this editorial her very smart second grade daughter wrote for her school newspaper. Tim Mitchell, are you paying attention?

Tell the Park District and Alderman Daley that "No Means No!"

2008-06-16T13:06:00Z

Superintendent Tim Mitchell said to us at the June Park District board meeting “You know, we intend to complete that field!”

We say: ‘NO MEANS NO!”

CALL THESE OFFICIALS AND TELL THEM TO RESTORE LINCOLN PARK NOW!

Park District General Superintendent Tim Mitchell

312-742-4786

Alderman Vi Daley (43rd)

email: vdaley@cityofChicago.org

City Hall phone: 312-744-3071

The background…

Notwithstanding its defeat in court, The Chicago Park District has announced its intention of completing the illegal structure, and also served notice that it (the taxpayers) will pay the Latin School up to $2 million dollars, along with its legal fees for attempting to defend its illegal actions.

Residents could not disapprove more strongly. They have, in fact been rejecting the Park District/Latin deal for over six years, but each time the project is rejected by the public, it somehow re-emerges like the many-headed mythical Hydra. For years this has been among the most popular and scenic areas of South Lincoln Park, serving the community in a myriad of uses by citizens of all ages. “You might as well put a soccer field smack in the middle of Daley Plaza” said Tom Tresser, president of POP. “There is space there, too. It just so happens that a few hundred thousand people use it for other things. Same thing in South Field. It is the wrong structure in the wrong place” Its proximity to the Latin School would appear to be the only reason that location was chosen, and the courts have ruled Latin’s priority use in that space to be illegal.

Additionally, the South Field has been designated as “open space”, by the Lincoln Park Framework Plan, which states that policies should “Respect and enhance existing land uses of historic significance and prohibit new facilities and land uses that are unrelated to historic land uses and that are not dependent upon being in Lincoln Park”. A soccer field or stadium clearly violates the guiding principles so carefully spelled out in the Framework Plan.

In fact, the site has never been subjected to any objective studies that could establish either the need or suitability for this construction. The Lincoln Park Framework Plan states emphatically that this area of Lincoln Park is already overburdened and that opportunities should be taken to DECREASE. NOT INCREASE built space and paved areas that are unessential to the park’s primary recreational and leisure activities. Added to all this is the environmental impact of increased noise and light pollution, along with the chemical and temperature hazards of artificial turf. Its infill, made from ground up rubber tires, has been found to contain carcinogens, along with harmful levels of lead. Following the lead of many states which have called for Moratoriums on any further installations of artificial turf until the long term safety of these facilities can be definitively established. by objective scientific examination, POP has called for a similar halt throughout Chicago.

We Sue, We Win (the first round)

2008-05-17T17:19:00Z

On May 14, in what the chairman said was the longest meeting in the history of the Chicago Park District, its board of commissioners voted to cancel its contract with the Latin School of Chicago. As part of a settlement with Protect Our Parks (your humble servants), the Park District also agreed to halt all construction on the soccer facility until a hearing can be held before the Chicago Plan Commission, and to grant the General Superintendent, Tim Mitchell (profile – PDF file), the authority to complete the artificial turf facility. If such a field is ever built, the Latin School would stand in line like everyone else. Also, the city will pay Protect Our Parks $40,000, which represents just a portion of our legal fees. This settlement did not cover all our costs by a long shot and we’re not done fighting. Donate to our legal fund now.

Under the terms of the original contract between the Park District and the Latin School, if the contract is canceled, the Park District must pay the Latin School back for its construction costs. The Park District also voted to do that, with a cap of $2 million. This project should never have been started in the first place. When the community had a chance to debate a similar construction project for the same site in 2002, there were petition drives, public meetings, extensive newspaper coverage, a citizen’s committee was formed and money was raised – the result was a loud and clear “NO!” to an artificial turf, special use sports facility on the meadow. So, now we have a construction project that was started as a result of a secret deal – one that the courts have repudiated. We think the field should revert to a grassy field – that’s what the community wanted in 2002. That’s what it was before the illegal construction project started. What do you think should happen now?

LISTEN & READ

We Sue the City, the Park District and the Latin School

2008-04-16T06:02:00Z

NEWS FLASH! FRIDAY, MAY 9 – THE CASE CONTINUES. WE’RE BACK IN COURT THURSDAY, MAY 15 at 9am.

The judge ruled Friday, April 25 on our request for a temporary halt to construction while the full case is being heard. The judge ruled at that time that the Latin School may continue to lay down artificial turf but may not put up lighting or bleachers for the time being. On Thursday, May 1 The Illinois Appellate Court halted all construction. Read the order Crain’s – Talks to begin after Latin School field blocked

If the case is not settled, all parties will return to court on Tuesday, May 20 for hearings on our request for a permanent injunction. The case is being heard by Chancery Court Judge Kinnaird, Room 2403 in the Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington. Donate to our legal fund now. Read the Latin School’s position.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS: Our original complaint The judge’s 4/25/08 order 4/25/08 transcript

Coverage of the case:

Crain’s – Judge raps Park District over Latin field

Chicago Tribune – Judge won’t halt Lincoln Park soccer field

Reader – Latin School soccer field isn’t the only one Stop that bulldozer - Worse Than We Thought

Skyline – Latin School soccer field enters litigation

The Committee to Keep Lincoln Park Public, a project of Protect Our Parks, has filed a lawsuit to shut down the construction of the Latin School soccer facility on the South Meadow of Lincoln Park and to void the secret deal that created it. Our first hearing was Friday, April 18, 10am in the Chancery Court, 50 W. Washington, Room 2403, before Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird. Download the press release. Download a summary of the issue and our work to date.

This is going to be a costly fight AND WE NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTION NOW to sustain this battle to keep our parks free for all.

Please donate via PayPal

Please mail a contribution, check made out to “Protect Our Parks”, to:

Protect Our Parks 333 W. North Avenue, #209 Chicago, IL 60610-1293 312-276-5165

We have filed for our tax exempt status with the I.R.S. and contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Chicago Reader – No Permit Necessary

Chicago Tribune – Foes of Lincoln Park soccer field sue city, Latin School

Crain’s – Suit against Latin School says soccer field too exclusive

WBBM TV News – Lawsuit filed in Latin School Soccer Fight

FOX-TV News – Neighbors fighting Latin School soccer field in Lincoln Park

Chicago Sun-Times – Group sues over Lincoln Park soccer field

WBEZ-FM – Group sues Latin School over soccer field

WIND-AM – Listen to us on John & Cisco In the Morning – 4/17 show, Hour 2

MSNBC – Neighborhood Group Says No To ‘Priority Use’ Soccer Field

A RELATED STORY FROM WTTW-TV – Children’s Museum Zoning Application Seeks Liquor License

Chicago League of Women Voters & Sierra Club Chicago Say "No" to the Land Grab

2008-04-14T21:35:00Z

From the Chicago League of Women Voters:

“As a resident of the 43rd ward and President of the League of Women Voters of Chicago, I oppose the construction of the planned soccer field in Lincoln Park. It is a situation where a private institution, the Latin School of Chicago, wants control over a portion of public space: some acreage of south Lincoln Park. The “control” is that The land will be designated for what the school wants, the construction and design of the playing and seating area, advertising and hours of use. Nighttime activities will necessitate lights.

This land borders a residential neighborhood. Was there an impact study on the effect of the increased amount of pedestrian and vehicular traffic? Residents in near-by buildings will look out on advertising, bright lights and the stands. They will hear crowd and car noises. Other groups will have less desirable hours available for their use, particularly teams with school-age children like the scouts. The terrain will be covered with Astroturf which is supposed to be toxic. Should children or adults be exposed to this? An additional environmental issue is that birds and other small animals will come in contact with it. Neighbors and visitors from outside the neighborhood will find the area more congested. Perhaps those who wish to sell their homes a short distance away will find out that their property is lower in value and more difficult to sell. This could produce less tax revenue.

In accordance with the League of Women Voters position on land use and parks, it must be said that this proposed plan goes counter our philosophy that park land be clear of obstacles, that parks be well-maintained and available to all residents of the city.”

Yours truly, Esta Kallen President League of Women Voters of Chicago

From the Spring newsletter of the Illinois Sierra Club:

“Lincoln Park Land Grab: Protest Letters Needed ASAP to Mayor Daley

As part of a deal cloaked in secrecy, the Chicago Park District sold the exclusive rights to a four-acre chunk of the south end of Lincoln Park to the Latin School of Chicago.

There’s no other word to use regarding this deal except “sold.” The Chicago Park District Board approved a contract with minimal public notice that gives the school the right to build a $900,000 artificial turf soccer stadium at the very south end of Lincoln Park. Email Mayor Daley to express your opposition.” Read the full call for action.

Committee + Community Tells Commissioners "Keep Lincoln Park Free"

2008-03-13T15:43:00Z

The Committee to Keep Lincoln Park Public showed up in force at the March 12 meeting of the Chicago Park District Commissioners. Over 50 supporters crowded into the conference room on the eighth floor of the Park District headquarters on Fairbanks Court. Spokesman Peter Zelchenko delivered copies of our “cease-and-desist” letter to the Commissioners and requested that they halt construction of the Latin School soccer facility immediately. “We’d love to work with you and the Latin School to find a better solution, a more equitable solution to the recreational needs of the community. I’m sure if we all put our heads together we’ll agree that the South Meadow is not the right place. We’ve got to safeguard our precious open spaces. There is an abundance of property nearby that could offer a better site.” Park Commissioner Board President Gery Chico promised to meet with the Committee to hear our plans for resolution. Read the Medill News Service story. Read the Skyline story. Read the full story of the Committee’s work to date from Chicago Loop News. [Large PDF file, 6.8MB]

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Alderman Daley, Get It Right

2008-03-11T18:54:00Z

The following item was in Alderman Daley’s recent newsletter many of us received in the mail and is also posted on her website. We feel it requires some amplification… Don’t take our word for it. Read the contract for yourself. Schedule of usage shows the Latin School is THE exclusive user for kid-friendly time.

A neighbor weighs in…

Dear Alderman Daley,

I am writing to ask you to stop the construction of the Latin School soccer field on public park land in Lincoln Park.

The contract to build this soccer field was made in secret, without the required public process. A similar proposal in 2002 was so unpopular with the community that it was withdrawn. This time, the Chicago Park District and the Latin School bypassed the community to make their deal. The public learned of the deal only when the media reported it many months later. The community was excluded on an important decision involving a prized public asset. This is an outrageous deal, and the secrecy only adds to the outrage.

The contract grants precious park land, intended for public use, to a privileged few, the students of Latin School. Under the contract, Latin School will have virtually exclusive prime time access during much of the day, throughout most of the year. The public, which has a civic right to enjoy this space, will be shut out much of the time.

This deal is also a terrible historical precedent. Allowing it to go forward puts other desirable public lands at risk. Parks and other areas now free for use by all will be restricted or limited in their use, with the easy statement that “this is no different from the Latin School soccer field.” Any other small group, with enough money or clout, will be able to grab their own piece of the public space.

This part of Lincoln Park should remain free for use by all and not become dedicated to the use of a private few. You have a duty to protect this public property for the use of all Chicagoans, not just the Latin School. Please stop the construction immediately.

Sincerely,

Emily Price Chicago, IL

Community Meeting a Smash!

2008-03-01T18:13:00Z

Almost 200 people packed into the Lincoln Park Library on Thursday night to hear our report to the community on the Lincoln Park land grab.

Watch the coverage from Fox Chicago News.

Read the Chicago Tribune article and the over 200 comments!

Read the contract between the Chicago Park District and the Latin School that started this whole affair.

Our speakers included:

Jan Koch – neighborhood resident, dog owner and advocate for open land. “I’m here to preserve the spot for our pets and to to preserve Daniel Burnham’s 100 year old dream. What are we going to have left for the next 100 years? If we keep on chipping away, we won’t have space for left for our dogs, for our older people, for our children and anything to show them the legacy of a great Chicago city…Keep the 100 year dream alive. Keep it public. Keep it public for all of us!”

Jack Harris – local resident and park enthusiast. “We walk dogs, we play softball there, we use the park all the time…If you take this park and restrict the use, you won’t have the ability to share it. The space is used for people to watch the Air and Water Show, and groups like PAWS – I’m a big dog enthusiast – won’t be able to use that space…I’m definitely against this…They did a back door deal here.”

Norman Siegel – former Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union and successful litigant to halt the construction of a soccer field complex on Randalls Island for the use of a consortium of New York City private schools. Read the article “Some local people told me what was happening. I’m a proud graduate of the public school and the plan sounded bad and contrary to what everyone saying that we couldn’t legally fight it – that only encouraged me to fight it more and we went before the judge and it was voided…There was a campaign in the court of public opinion and as well as in the court of law. Our public campaign focused on privatization of public park land. There were times when I sang Woody Guthrie’s song, “This Land is Your Land” and despite my bad voice, it went over well. The whole concept of playing to play, that public park land is precious, that public park land is the people’s land, that we should not give it to 20 elite private schools that are overwhelming Caucasian when the public schools are 85% students of color. Continue to stress that the plan stinks. We should be fighting for our precious park land. On the legal front, in New York City whenever there is a major change in the use of the land we have a Uniform Land Review Process which has to go through the Community Board, the Borough President, City Planning Commission and the City Council. The city and parks department in this deal giving access to the fields they never went through this process so we talked about the rule of law and we maintained that everyone has to follow the rule of law, including the city of New York. Second, we found out they were going to change some of the fields to from natural grass to artificial turf and that kicked in environmental concerns about hazardous toxins being emitted from the artificial turf and we found that they had not done an environmental impact study that is required. They didn’t follow the rule of law. The agreement between the city and the 20 private schools should be voided and the judge bought that argument. I got pro bono assistance from a major law firm. Find someone who will take the fight on and the pro bono backup that I got. Sometimes the Davids of the world beat the Goliaths. It’s a good fight. It’s a fight that has to be fought. It’s an issue not just in New York and in Chicago, but all over the country. You’ve got to draw a line in the sand and fight back. And sometimes you get lucky enough with a good argument and a good judge and you win. But my experience for almost 40 years now is that the fight is equally important. The fight is important to put people in power on notice that they can’t abuse our rights and that public property is for the public and can’t be given away even for large amounts of money. And that’s a fight you have to fight because if there’s no fight and no resistance then this stuff will increase. If you fight back at least they know there’s a fight. I learned long time ago that you can be bright but stamina outlasts the bastards.”

Jean Snyder – Kenwood Park Advisory Council. “We’re a small community park but we have issues eerily similar to yours. This fall bulldozers arrived in our park and started tearing up the grass and lo and behold they were creating a regulation size baseball field for teenagers to play hardball in our small community park. We have an advisory council but they never notified us, they never told any neighbors, they never did anything except have this sweetheart deal with the league…It has been a very, very strange experience. The Park District continues to thumb their nose at us…Our Alderman told us she didn’t know anything about this ahead of time. But she’s jumped into bed with the private league. The only action the Park District has taken toward the neighborhood is to call the President of the advisory council when we started asking questions and say the alderman and the private league don’t like you and the advisory council is de-authorized. We’ve only be in existence for ten years but they can’t find the paperwork. So we feel your pain we’re with you spiritually. God bless you for moving on the way you are.”

Peter Zelchenko – Latin School alumnus. “I went to Latin School and I was a member of the soccer team in 1977. I don’t remember doing very well that but what we did learn at Latin School was how to respect our neighbors. We had a lot of moral lessons there. I think it’s very important even you’re part of an institution – that if something is wrong – to speak up about it and not be shy or afraid of the repercussions. We’ve heard over and over again that what has happened here is fundamentally wrong. There were lots of alternatives. No one was brought into the discussion. I’m hearing from others in the Latin School community – from parents and faculty – who are just as upset about this as I am. It’s so important not to show fear. We’re doing fundraising because it looks like we have go to a law suit.”

Jonathan Fine – President of Preservation Chicago “We started in 2001 as a grass roots campaign and I’m really pleased to see a packed room. It means your community is activate, engaged and angry. You should be angry. You’re not alone. What is going on here is common place. The way to have a democracy is to start participating in the democracy and driving the agenda. Most of what we do is advocate for historic buildings but last year we added for the first time a public park, a public space – Promontory Point, to our list of seven most endangered places. This was an attempt by the Park District to renovate the point at 55th and Lake Shore Drive. Their idea of renovation was to take out all of the limestone and replace it with poured concrete and this was a historic landscape and the concrete was going to cost twice as much as simply replacing the limestone. A group formed called the Coalition to Save Prom. Point and they worked tirelessly. They brought in their elected officials and were able to turn the tide against the horrible plan of the Park District. So the fact is you can win if you’re organized and motivated. I encourage you to stay the course. Write the mayor and your alderman.”

Michele Smith – Democratic Committeeman, 43rd Ward “The only kind of surprises I generally enjoy are the ones that occasionally happen on my birthday. The kind of reaction that this meeting has generated, the number of people here – filled with community members, parents, park users, sports enthusiast are just the kind of influence the park district deserve to have. And it’s just the kind of input that our community regularly needs to have as we go forward. While public schools like Lincoln Park and Walter Payton lack the facility to host their own games, it does seem a bit fishy that a deal that favors a private school gets priority from our public officials. I applaud all of you who choose to get involved because the most important thing is that government occurs in the sunshine. So I hope you’ll continue to be involved.”

Herb Caplan – Chair, CKLPP Legal Committee. “Like you, when I heard about the soccer field I felt impotent. What is going on? Why are these things happening. We’re citizens. We’re tax payers. We’re users the park/ I felt like I counted for nothing. I expect that many of you might feel the same. But this is the wrong approach. The fact that we had this meeting and you’re here – the fact that over 1,000 people have signed our petition shows us that as a group we have the power to achieve the ends we want to achieve. Our project is to stop the construction of the soccer field immediately and to force the Park District and the Latin School to submit this back to the community to examine, to discuss, to evaluate and then to control what happens in our park that we are accustomed to using. As everyone has said the park doesn’t belong to the Latin School. The park doesn’t belong to the Mayor. The parks belong to the people. We’re not going to allow the city administration or the Latin School to change what has historically been our use of the park. You’re not powerless. Together as a group we are a power and we’re going to exercise that power and we’re going to get the result we want.”

Sign our NEW petition now

2008-02-28T15:52:00Z

WE HAVE A NEW ONLINE PETITION CALLING ON THE PARK DISTRICT TO STOP THE CONSTRUCTION AT THE NORTH MEADOW AND RESTORE IT TO A GRASS MEADOW. Sign it now. Download a copy to circulate. Email us at info@cklpp.org when you have sheets to turn in.

Click here to help us pay for our legal action to stop construction!

YOU CAN STILL VIEW THE OLD PETITION AND HUNDREDS OF COMMENTS…

Over 950 people have signed the updated online petition! Over 130 signed an earlier version. Please sign the petition now if you haven’t yet, and don’t forget to donate what you can to the legal effort!

About us

2008-01-11T01:25:00Z

We are a growing group of neighbors who are outraged at the secret deal concluded between the Chicago Park District and the Latin School of Chicago, a private (and very wealthy institution). This deal is to build a soccer field in the park near the bridge to the North Avenue Beach.

The Latin School is paying for much of the construction, but not all, and the Park District is paying for the maintenance. According to the contract some 880 hours of prime-time, kid-friendly hours are being given to the Latin School for their exclusive use.

This amounts to the majority of the time that schools and after-school and summer programs would need such a field. Also, advertising and sponsorship signage is permitted on the facility. This strikes us as a partial privatization of public park land.

If there is a genuine need for a soccer field on the site, well and good. The Park District has a process for capital improvements. But we are skeptical that it is so important to put it in Lincoln Park. If a private entity wants to contribute to improve a park or plaza, well and good. But that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) give them exclusive, long-tern use of a public asset.

Overall: This is bad policy, bad process and and bad politics.

We have incorporated as tax exempt organization as “Protect Our Parks” because we see the fight to stop the privatization of Lincoln Park as part of a larger fight to keep our public spaces free and open. The Committee to Keep Lincoln Park Public or “Save Lincoln Park ” is now a project of Protect Our Parks.

Contact: info@cklpp.org

Our phone #: 312-276-5165