Jack Nicklaus
Save Jean Klock Park
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- [Click on links below]
- Letter to the Nicklaus Foundation
- We believed that Jack Nicklaus may have not been told about the history
of the gift of Jean Klock Park or the restrictions that were placed on the
park by the Federal Land Water and Conservation Fund grant that the City
of Benton Harbor utilized for improvements to the park and the 2004
Berrien County Court Consent Judgement that independently prohibits
further private development within the park.
We discovered that the Nicklaus family had created a children's health
foundation in memory of their deceased grandson Jake who drowned in a
hot tub incident in 2005. In addition to this foundation a memorial golf
tournament is held yearly in memory of the Nicklaus' grandson.
In June of 2007 a letter was sent to Mrs. Nicklaus at the Nicklaus
Foundation. It was in part an emotional appeal as their loss paralleled John
and Carie Klock's loss of their daughter Jean. We also wanted them to
know that the park was restricted from private development. It was our
hope that the Nicklaus' would take this into serious consideration and that
Jack would not want his name associated with the taking of a memorial
and gift to the children of the area.
Letter to the Nicklaus Foundation
After not receiving a reply we contacted the Nicklaus Foundation and were
reassured that when the Nicklaus' returned from their European vacation,
that they would reply.
- Golf Course Markers
During the week of August 1, 2007, Harbor Shores placed large color
coded PVC pipe masts to mark the holes and tees for the proposed golf
course. Unsure of the reason for this we concluded that they were placed
in order to fly potential investors over the project area to show them the
golf course layout.
- August 8, 2007-Herald Palladium Announcement
- On Wednesday August 8, 2007, The Herald Palladium reported that Jack
Nicklaus would be in Benton Harbor on Sunday August 12th to tour the
project area and finalize plans for the course. This was two weeks after we
were told we would receive a reply to our letter. It was reported that he
would not be meeting with the public and was holding private press
conferences. Once again it was concluded by us that his tour would be
done by helicopter so he could take in the layout, and the huge markers
that had been placed, from an aerial view.
- Jack Nicklaus coming Sunday.....
There was immediate discussion within our group about whether or not we
should make a public statement/protest outside of the press conference
that was scheduled after Jack's tour. It was decided that we would not
interfere in hopes that he, in part, was here to tell Harbor Shores that they
must use an alternative to developing JKP and that he would not want his
name associated with the taking of a memorial to a child and a gift to
children of future generations.
- August 9, 2007-Staged Trash?
- On Thursday August 9th, two new white pickup trucks loaded with trash
that had driven into an old highway cloverleaf in an area just outside of the
boundaries of the park, were spotted by someone who was driving past.
On a return trip back this person noticed that piles of trash had been left in
that immediate area. Three people reported the suspicious incident to the
Benton Harbor Police and were told "it was an inspections department
issue."
Some of us went to the site to see if there was anything in the illegally
dumped trash that could identify the individuals who had left it and were
not prepared for what we found. Approximately 100' or more of a linear
pile of enormous amounts of trash had been strategically laid along the old
road bed of the highway cloverleaf. It was laid right near the ninth hole.
Click on the images below to witness what we did:
It was immediately obvious to us that the timing and neat and strategic
placement of this trash along the road bed coincided with the WNDU
South Bend news television reports of Jack's upcoming visit as these
reports were highlighting areas of dumping and contamination. News
reports more or less were stating that the only way these sites could be
cleaned up was through the construction of the Harbor Shores
development.
- August 12th-Jack's Visit
- At 11:15 am Sunday Morning. I met with a fellow plaintiff and member of
the Friends of Jean Klock Park at the bird watch tower on top of the south
dune of JKP. We didn't’t anticipate anything would happen except that a
helicopter or two might fly overhead and had no plans at all to encounter
Jack Nicklaus’ on his tour of the proposed golf course area.
About 20 minutes later I left. When I came to a red light at the intersection
of Klock Road and M-63, a Benton Harbor police car with lights flashing
came around the bend of Klock road heading west towards the park. He
stopped in the middle of the highway intersection. I didn't proceed because
I thought there was an emergency. From behind him behind came more
police officers on large 4 wheelers escorting other off road four wheel
vehicles. The first was driven by a black male with three white male
passengers. The officer in the intersection directed everyone trying to get
through to drive south towards St. Joe. It was obvious Jack was on his
way to tour the park by a 4 wheel police escorted motorcade, not by
helicopter.
I went back to the park through an alternate entrance to inform the person
that I left behind that Jack Nicklaus was touring the park and was probably
on his way up the path to the birdwatch tower to look at the 9th tee that
was in the immediate dune ridge vicinity of where he was. I had no sooner
done so when we heard the four wheel vehicles coming up the dune path.
What happened next seemed at the time unbelievable but at the same time
was a clear indication of the injustice of this whole situation.
Police Intimidation
Two 4 wheelers, the first one was the same one was the one that led
Jack's entourage through the M-63 intersection, drove right up under the
roof of the tower. The vehicle was too tight of a spot for the 4 wheeler to
turn around. My associate kindly directed and assisted the driver of the
off road vehicle in turning the vehicle around.
- When asked if they were Harbor Shores representatives we were told that
no, they were from Cornerstone Alliance. They told us that Jack Nicklaus
was on his way up. My associate asked if it was alright if we sat there and
they said "sure" and drove away.
By then several of these vehicles were parked at the end of the path at the
top of the steps to the tower and we were more or less blocked in. They
were the check-point crew to see what was ahead before Jack arrived on
scene. There was still an entourage of 4 wheelers at the bend in the path.
- Then, two police officers and two members of Cornerstone Alliance
approached us. One Benton Harbor police officer, came directly up to me,
touched my shoulder and said; “Ms. Drake, you aren't here to cause
trouble for Jack are you? You aren't going to yell, holler and make a scene
are you?” I replied that I had not done that so far so why would I do it
now? I then told the officer that; “like wise, I didn't appreciate being
harassed.” I was told that they were not there to harass me, but were
instead there for my protection. Protection from who or what? Jack
Nicklaus and Cornerstone Alliance?
- In the meantime, a man from Cornerstone Alliance walked into the
adjacent dune area to check for anyone else who might be associated with
us, who might be lurking around or taping the incident. It was a ridiculous
scene and very obvious to us that Harbor Shores is extremely paranoid of
us.
- I made a point of telling one of the officers that I believed the trash
dumping near the ninth hole was for Jack’s benefit. The officer didn't’t
respond.
Then Jack came up. He was at the last curve before the tower. I could see
he was circled by photographers but couldn't’t hear what he was saying.
When Jack walked towards us and I saw his face and knew he was
nothing more than a businessman that only cared about the golf course
view from the top of the dunes.
The whole time this was going on we felt extremely intimidated and felt if
we said anything or tried to move or stand up that we would have been
arrested because the police and Cornerstone officials were within a foot of
us at all times.
When Jack's entourage left and the police officers left we sat there for a
minute to collect ourselves. When I finally left the park, Jack's entourage
was at the 9th hole gawking at what we believe to be, "staged trash" and I
had a conversation with an officer who was parked at the corner of the
intersection about the planted trash and that I knew it was there
specifically for Jacks visit. He replied that the trash had been there longer
than a couple days and that he knew that for a fact. I told it had been
dumped there on Thursday and that I knew that for a fact and drove away.
- After this incident took place I consulted a civil rights attorney and was
told that because nothing happened, as far as arrest taking place, that there
was little that could be done. However, I was informed that I was in a
public park and that Jack was a private citizen and that had I chosen to, it
would have fully within my rights to walk up to Mr. Nicklaus, without
making a scene, and tell him that he shouldn't have come to town.
As stated above, prior to Jack’s visit 3 people reported to the Benton
Harbor Police the suspicious trash being dumped and were told that it was
an inspections department issue. The person who witnessed the trash being
dumped tried to report it the following week after Jack’s visit and the city
police department refused to take his name or file a report and were now
saying that “workers had been hired to pick up trash in the park and
unloaded it there in order to pick it up with a front end loader.
- Knowing that illegal dumping had taken place over the years along a dirt
two track in the park that leads to the marsh I decided to investigate. I
discovered that for the most part that was where the trash came from as
the majority of the dumped items where gone. As I continued along the
two track I discovered it was flooded out and unnavigable. It would have
been difficult to drive anything over the two track in order for Jack to see
the dumping so instead the trash was moved to an area where it couldn't
be missed, right near the ninth hole.
The trash was relocated to its new resting place on August 9th. It is the
first of October and at this point and the trash still has not been removed
by a front end loader as implied it would be by the Benton Harbor police
department.
- And Jack's reply to my letter? I never got one. What I got instead was a
small taste of the injustice that Benton Harbor residents have been dealt on
a regular basis if they don't go along with the protocol and instead speak
out against the injustice of the taking their public parkland and other
serious issues at hand in their city.
