Friends of the Parks
fotp.org, @FOTPChicago
The fight to keep the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and the Obama Presidential Library off land owned by the Chicago Park District was a David and Goliath match from the get-go, with the tiny nonprofit Friends of the Parks facing off against the mayor of Chicago and a billionaire maker of iconic movies on the museum project and the mayor, the University of Chicago, the president of the United States, and virtually the entire south side on the library. So, kudos to FOTP for taking a lonely stand against mighty odds and at least ramping up the discussion. The group’s already folded on the Obama library, and is now asking only that adverse impacts be identified and offset. Its opposition to the lakefront site for the Lucas Museum will apparently get its day in court, but the April departure of FOTP president Cassandra Francis might not bode well.