>> THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER

IS A BIT CLOSER TO REALITY

TODAY.

THAT'S AFTER THE FORMER FIRST

FAMILY BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA

RETURNED TO CHICAGO TO BREAK

GROUND ON THE CENTER IN JACKSON

PARK.

THE MOVE COMES AFTER YEARS OF

LEGAL BATTLES GENTRIFICATION

CONCERNS AND A FEDERAL REVIEW.

OUR AMANDA VINICKY WAS THERE FOR

THE GROUNDBREAKING AND JOINS US

NOW FROM JACKSON PARK.

AMANDA, SET THE SCENE FOR US?

>> YES, BRANDIS I'M JUST OUTSIDE

JACKSON PARK OUTSIDE OF THE

CLOSED GATE.

BEYOND WHICH WILL BE THE FUTURE

BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL

CENTER.

AND I AM GUESSING IT WILL BE A

WHILE BEFORE MEMBERS OF THE

PUBLIC WILL BE ABLE TO GET PAST

THAT FENCING.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WEREN'T

THERE TODAY IT WAS A SMALL

AUDIENCE OF DIGNITARIES AND

MEDIA.

WHAT WE SAW AT THIS POINT A LOT

OF DIRT BULLDOZERS AND

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT.

BECAUSE WHILE TODAY WAS THE

OFFICIAL GROUNDBREAKING, THERE'S

BEEN A LOT OF WORK GOING ON IN

THIS SITE SINCE THE OBAMA

FOUNDATION OFFICIALLY TOOK IT

OVER SOME 19 ACRES OF JACKSON

PARK'S 550 ACRES IN MID-AUGUST.

DURING HIS REMARKS FORMER

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TALKED

ABOUT WHY HE CHOSE THIS

PARTICULAR PLACE FOR THE

MONUMENT TO HIS LEGACY.

>> CLOSE TO WHERE MICHELLE GREW

UP.

WHERE I STARTED MY POLITICAL

CAREER.

IT IS SURROUNDED BY VIBRANT

NEIGHBORHOODS, AND A COMMUNITY

WHERE WE BELIEVE WE CAN HELP

MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

JACKSON PARK ALSO HAPPENS TO

HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART

BUT IT WAS LITERALLY MY ENTRY

WAY INTO CHICAGO.

>> WITHIN A COUPLE MILES RADIUS

OF HERE, HE SAYS IS WHERE HE AND

MICHELLE HELD THEIR WEDDING

RECEPTION AT THE SOUTH SHORE

CULTURAL CENTER WHERE THEIR

DAUGHTERS WERE BORN IN A NEARBY

HOSPITAL WHERE HE AND A FORMER

FIRST LADY BOUGHT THEIR FIRST

HOME.

>> CHICAGO IS WHERE I FOUND THE

PURPOSE I HAD BEEN SEEKING.

IT'S WHERE I FINALLY PUT MY

IDEAS ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND

ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE TO

THE TEST.

>> MICHELLE OBAMA WAS LIKEWISE

SAYING HER SOUTH SHORE

UPBRINGING COURSES THROUGH HER

VEINS AND DESPITE HAVING THAT

ROYALTY AND IS MOST PROUD OF

BEING A DAUGHTER OF THE SOUTH

SIDE EVEN IF SHE SAYS AS A

YOUTH, THE PARK ITSELF DIDN'T

CALL TO HER.

IT WAS MOSTLY A PLACE TO DRIVE

THROUGH OR DRIVE AROUND.

SHE SAYS THAT WHEN HER FAMILY

WANTED TO GET CULTURE OR

GREENSPACE THEY HAD TO REALLY

PILE INTO HER FATHER'S BUICK AND

GO NORTH.

>> AN EVEN AS A CHILD, I

UNDERSTOOD THIS DISPARITY.

I UNDERSTOOD THAT WHENEVER THERE

WAS A HUGE INVESTMENT OF

RESOURCES IN THE CITY, NEW PARK

OR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS,

OR ANY OTHER BEAUTIFICATION

EFFORT, IT JUST RARELY HAPPENED

IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> THE OBAMAS SAY THEIR PLAN IS

TO QUOTE RESTORE JACKSON PARK.

THEY WILL PLANT NEW TREES AND

MAKE THIS A PEOPLE'S PARK.

NOW, THE WORD RESTORE IS ONE

THAT MAY CAUSE UMBRAGE FROM

CRITICS, THERE IS STILL AN

ONGOING LAWSUIT THAT IS SEEKING

TO PREVENT THE CENTER FROM BEING

BUILT HERE ON AT JACKSON PARK

THE SITE OF THE 1893 WORLD'S

FAIR AND AN OPEN AREA THAT THE

ORGANIZATION PROTECT OUR PARKS

SAYS SHOULD REMAIN THAT WAY AND

THAT WAS A POINT MADE BY A PLANE

FLYING OVERHEAD DURING THE

CEREMONY WITH A BANNER THAT READ

STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES MOVE

OPC.

PROTECTS OUR PARKS SAYS IT CAN'T

TAKE CREDIT FOR THE PLANE EVEN

IF IT AGREES WITH THE SENTIMENT

ISSUING THE STATEMENT SAYING THE

HOMECOMING OF THE FORMER

PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY SHOULD

BE A MOMENT OF PRIDE.

ON THIS THIS VISIT WE HOPE THEY

WILL MOURN THE DEVASTATION OF

THE CLEAR-CUTTING OF THE TREES

AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE

WOMEN'S GARDEN IN JACKSON PARK.

IN ADDITION TO THE LONG-TERM

ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH

DANGERS THAT WILL ENSUE.

DIXON RAMIRO WAS BORN AND RAISED

IN SOUTH SHORE AND LIKEWISE SAYS

TODAY TO BE A JOYOUS DAY AND

SAYS THERE IS POTENTIAL THAT IT

WILL BE THE START OF A JOYOUS

OCCASION BUT HE SAYS IN ORDER

FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THE CITY

NEEDS TO MAKE SURE TO PROTECT

SOUTH SHORE RESIDENTS FROM

GETTING DISPLACED.

>> WE NEED MORE PUBLIC AND

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SOUTH

SHORE BECAUSE THE PRICES THAT

ARE CHEAP THEY ARE RELATIVELY

CHEAP MOST SOUTH SHORE RESIDENTS

STRUGGLE THEY WILL RISE UP

BECAUSE BETWEEN BETWEEN THE LAKE

THE GOLF COURSE AND THE OBAMA

CENTER THIS IS GOING TO BECOME

PRIME REAL ESTATE AND THE FOLKS

WHO SENT BARACK OBAMA TO

SPRINGFIELD AND THE SENATE AND

THE FOLKS WHO SENT HIM TO

WASHINGTON D.C., THEY SHOULD BE

PART OF THE JOURNEY OF THE

CENTER AND THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE

TO STAY.

>> THE CITY COUNCIL DID PASS A

HOUSING PRESERVATION ORDINANCE

COVERING WOODLAWN.

BUT THERE IS NO SUCH MEASURE

RIGHT NOW FOR SOUTH SHORE

RESIDENTS PROTECTIONS.

ALDERWOMAN LESLIE HAIRSTON SAYS

THE COMMUNITIES ARE DIFFERENT.

>> THEY HAVE VA CAN'T LAND IN

WOODLAWN THAN THEY DO IN SOUTH

SHORE.

YOU HAVE A MIXTURE OF FEDERALLY

SUBSIDIZED, STATE SUBSIDIZED AND

OTHER SUBSIDIES.

YOU'VE GOT MARKET RATE.

YOU'VE GOT AFFORDABLE RENTALS.

YOU'VE TWO FLATS AND THREE

FLATS.

SO YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING AND

IT'S ALL IN A DENSE AREA IT'S

NOT AS SPREAD OUT AS THE PARKS

OF WOODLAWN THAT I REPRESENT.

>> SHE SAYS, HOWEVER, THAT THERE

SHOULD BE NEWS COMING SOON ABOUT

SOUTH SHORE.

NOW, I DID TALK WITH OTHER

CHICAGOANS SOME OF WHOM WERE

BOTHERED THAT THE OBAMAS KEPT

TODAY'S EVENTS SMALL RATHER THAN

PARTICIPATION FROM THE

COMMUNITY.

I HAD KEFVIE HOBBY WHO LOST HIS

SON TO GUN VIOLENCE AND SAID

PRESIDENT OBAMA SHOULD USE HIS

RETURN TO THE CITY TO DEAL WITH

THAT ISSUE.

>> WE ARE OUT HERE TRYING TO

SAVE THESE KIDS GIVE THEM AN

OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING YOU

CANNOT TELL THEM TO STOP.

AND YOU NOT GIVING THEM AN

OPTION TO DO SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW THAT IS WHAT WE ARE

FIGHTING FOR WE NEED HELP.

PRESIDENT OBAMA IF YOU CAN HELP

US.

>> NOW, CERTAINLY NOT EVERYONE

IS UPSET.

I SPOKE WITH A MAN WHO LIVES

ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CENTER AND

HE IS POSITIVELY THRILLED THAT

WHAT HE SAYS HE EXPECTS WILL BE

CHICAGO'S GREATEST CONSTRUCTION

WILL BE ACROSS FROM HIS HOME.

NOW THE OBAMAS HAVE HIGH

ASPIRATIONS FOR THE CENTER.

IT MAY BE JUST DIRT NOW, AND

NICE DIRT AS PRESIDENT OBAMA

CALLED IT, BUT THEY WANT IT TO

BE A CATALYST FOR REINVESTMENT

IN THE SOUTH SIDE PROVIDING JOBS

AND OPPORTUNITY FOR THE

SURROUNDING AREAS AND MOSTLY

BLACK RESIDENTS AND BRING

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ECONOMIC

ACTIVITY.

OBAMA SAYS THAT HE WANTS THIS

MUSEUM, ACCOMPANYING ATHLETIC

FIELDS AND LIBRARIES TO BE MORE

THAN JUST A PRESIDENTIAL

ARCHIVE.

>> WILL BE THE WORLD'S PREMIER

INSTITUTION FOR DEVELOPING CIVIC

LEADERS ACROSS FIELDS, ACROSS

DISCIPLINES AND, YES, ACROSS THE

POLITICAL SPECTRUM.

A FORUM FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO

STRENGTHEN DEMOCRATIC IDEALS AND

FOSTER ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP.

A CAMPUS HERE ON THE SOUTH SIDE

WHERE WE HOPE TO CONVENE SUPPORT

AND EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION

OF LEADERS.