The America First Policy Institute has launched an investigation into Enes Kanter Freedom’s removal from a Chicago Sky game and his subsequent ban from Wintrust Arena.
AFPI filed a six-page public-records request Friday with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the government entity that owns the arena. The request was submitted on Freedom’s behalf under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
“Enes Freedom exercised his constitutional right as an American when he attended the WNBA game in Chicago,” AFPI chief legal affairs officer Leigh Ann O’Neill said in a statement. “Today, we launched an investigation, seeking critical documents that will assist in our efforts to ensure that public entities are held accountable when American’s constitutional rights are trampled.”
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Freedom attended Sunday’s game between the Sky and Indiana Fever wearing a shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” Sky guard Natasha Cloud approached Freedom’s courtside seat during a third-quarter timeout, leading to a verbal exchange. Security intervened and escorted Freedom from the arena after he stepped toward the court.
AFPI’s records request seeks to determine who holds authority over access, security and event operations at the publicly owned facility.
The group requested agreements among MPEA, arena operator Oak View Group, the Chicago Sky and the WNBA. It also sought security policies, law-enforcement agreements, records identifying who authorized Freedom’s removal and ban, and documents detailing the arena’s receipt of federal funding.
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MPEA describes itself as a municipal corporation created by the Illinois General Assembly. Its board members are appointed by Illinois’ governor and Chicago’s mayor. The authority owns the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena, which operates through a public-private partnership with DePaul University.
The records request does not itself establish that Freedom’s constitutional rights were violated. AFPI is seeking documents that could help determine whether the conduct of the Sky or arena personnel can be attributed to a public entity.
AFPI asked MPEA to preserve potentially responsive emails, text messages and internal communications while producing records on a rolling basis. No lawsuit has been filed.
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OutKick has reached out to MPEA and the Sky for comment.