The Chicago Bears, one of the most iconic and beloved football teams in the country, are facing a crucial decision about their future home. The team is lobbying for public help in building a new stadium on the city’s lakefront, but they’re encountering opposition from various groups as they make their case.
The Bears have their sights set on a state-of-the-art domed stadium just south of their current home at Soldier Field. However, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office has deemed the request for public assistance as a “non-starter.” Despite this setback, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recognizes the urgency of finding a solution to the team’s current situation.
During a media availability in Springfield, Mayor Johnson stated, “You have a 100-year-old building that has millions of dollars in debt. So you have this asset that is not getting the full benefit for the people of the state of Illinois. As the Bears continue to have these conversations with leadership, as well as the rank-and-file members, that’s the case that they will have to make, but understanding that we have a structurally-damaged situation that really needs a solution. That’s what this is about. Providing solutions to a problem like everything else I’ve inherited.”
However, the Bears’ project is facing opposition from multiple angles, including the issue of public financing. Community activist Father Michael Pfleger took to Facebook to criticize this aspect of the plan, but also took aim at Friends of the Parks, a Chicago group that has voiced opposition to new construction on the city’s lakefront.
“I am against funding the Bears’ stadium with tax dollars, but am also sick of the Friends of the Parks deciding what can be done in this city,” he said. “We already lost the Lucas Museum.”
Friends of the Parks made headlines in the past for their lawsuit against filmmaker George Lucas’ proposed museum project on the lakeshore. The group dismissed Pfleger’s criticism, stating that they are not a monolith and did not single-handedly end Lucas’ plans in the city.
“We joke that in this situation we’re both the David and the Goliath,” FOTP said in response to Pfleger’s comments. “No, we don’t control the city. Even with Lucas, we didn’t kick Lucas out of Chicago. He decided he did not want to work through the litigation process. He decided not to pursue other alternatives.”
The group also clarified that they are not the sole voice for Chicago and are open to continued negotiations in the stadium planning process. This sentiment was echoed by Lucas himself, who stated in 2016, “No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot.”
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel also criticized the organization’s opposition to the museum, stating, “We tried to find common ground to resolve the lawsuit – the sole barrier preventing the start of the museum’s construction. But despite our best efforts to negotiate a common solution that would keep this tremendous cultural and economic asset in Chicago, Friends of the Parks chose to instead negotiate with themselves while Lucas negotiated with cities on the West Coast.”
Friends of the Parks, however, stood firm in their stance, citing the public trust doctrine which holds that new private construction should not be permitted on the shores of Lake Michigan. “There’s more than a 100-year history here in Chicago of protecting our lakefront from development, based on this public trust doctrine, which actually goes back to British law and beyond,” said former Executive Director Juanita Irizarry in 2016. “The land belongs to the residents of Illinois, not the government. There has to be a very serious inquiry into the balance between the public interest and the private benefit if there is to be development on that land.”
The group also addressed Lucas’ decision to end negotiations, stating, “The decision to leave Chicago was that of Mr. Lucas, not of Friends of the Parks.”
As for the current project, the Bears’ plan includes preserving the historic columns from Soldier Field, but calls for the stadium to be demolished to make way for “open spaces for families, fans and the general public,” according to the team. Friends of the Parks acknowledged that this is a step in the right direction, but also raised concerns about the lack of concrete plans and details.
“There’s a lot of ‘trust us, we’ll figure it out.’ That’s fine, but that’s why we keep the process slow,” said acting Executive Director Gin
