Burning cross appears in Chicago park; police investigate motive

Chicago police are investigating the appearance of a large burning cross in a city park. The wooden cross, described by witnesses as being as tall as an adult man, was spotted Tuesday afternoon near Grant Park. A motorcyclist captured video of the flaming structure positioned near a tree. The Chicago Fire Department confirmed extinguishing the flames and reported no injuries. Authorities are examining the motive and circumstances surrounding the burning object. Keinika Karlton, 43, who saw the cross while driving home with her daughter and mother-in-law, told the Associated Press the sight evoked shock, sadness, disgust, and curiosity. "Is it something racial? Is it something about religion?" she asked. As a Black woman, Karlton said her first thought was about race, given the historical use of burning crosses as a tactic of violence against Black Americans in the South. She estimated the cross was at least six feet tall. Many drivers slowed down to take pictures, and passersby stopped to stare. While the motive remains unknown, burning crosses in the U.S. are historically recognized as "symbols of hate" and are "inextricably linked to the history of the Ku Klux Klan," according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The court affirmed that the First Amendment allows prohibiting the burning of crosses when intended to intimidate, deeming it "a particularly virulent form of intimidation."

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Is it something racial? Is it something about religion? As a Black woman, of course, the first thought is that this is something about race, because it is known that burning crosses have been used as a tactic, as an act of violence against Black Americans in the South.