Overview
- A Change.org petition launched in early May has drawn roughly 22,000–25,000 signatures calling to rename Wabash Avenue to “Barack Hussein Obama Ave.”
- Ald. Brendan Reilly formally introduced an ordinance on Wednesday to place honorary signs reading “Barack Hussain Obama Way” on the Wabash block that includes 401 N. Wabash, the Trump Tower address.
- Reilly’s measure seeks an honorary designation rather than a legal rename to avoid the high cost and logistical work of changing maps, street signs, and GPS data.
- Chicago rules normally bar honorary street names for living people, so the ordinance is written to make a one-time exception and has been referred to the City Council’s transportation committee for review.
- Supporters frame the effort as a symbolic rebuke tied to the Obama Presidential Center opening and to recent federal enforcement and policy disputes, and the next steps to watch are the committee vote and any citywide debate over a permanent rename.