A rendering of the proposed new stadium for the Chicago Bears on a redesigned Museum Campus. (Credit: Chicago Bears)

When it comes to the Chicago Bears, most people’s attention in recent weeks has been focused on the performance of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

But Friends of the Parks hasn’t taken its eyes off the team’s front office and its proposal to build a new domed stadium on the lakefront, part of a multi-billion-dollar speculative megadevelopment that’s being pitched as a way to keep the Bears from decamping to the suburbs.

“While we would love the ‘Chicago’ Bears to stay in the city, we object to the site they have selected and the ultimate cost to our city and residents,” said Gin Kilgore, interim executive director of the organization.

On Wednesday, at a press conference held in the shadow of Soldier Field, Kilgore announced a growing coalition determined to “push back on the city’s elite and powerful.” Partners include the People’s Council of Southeast Chicago, People for Community Recovery and Landmarks Illinois.

“Ensuring Chicago’s lakefront remains forever open, clear and free is not the responsibility of one group but the work of many,” Kilgore said. “Since the Chicago Bears unveiled this proposal for a new stadium on the lakefront, organizations and individuals representing the city’s racial, economic, civic and geographic diversity have voiced their opposition.”

Coalition members collectively called on Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward), the newsly installed chair of the powerful Zoning Committee, to slow down conversations with the Bears and to instead prioritize public engagement and community input.

“Equitable development starts with the taxpayers saying how public funds are used.... We have a right to make our own decision about how public subsidies are used,” said Linda Gonzalez, representing the People’s Council of Southeast Chicago.

“Stop the ivory tower planning and the backroom deals,” Gonzalez continued. “Stop the expeditious transfer of public funds to billionaires; stop the concentration of wealth downtown. Stop the extraction and exploitation of lakefront resources.”

Rather than throwing taxpayer dollars at the Bears, those funds would be better spent on replacing lead service lines or installing air quality monitors in polluted neighborhoods, said Cheryl Johnson, longtime environmental justice advocate with People for Community Recovery.

Though there’s been no new movement on the part of Bears’ ownership, Wednesday’s coalition announcement was designed to harness the energy of the opposition — a website and petition launched along with the press conference — and to send the team a message.

Said Kilgore: “Chicago should not put a sold sign on our lakefront.”

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]