A large burning cross was discovered in a Chicago park on Tuesday afternoon, prompting an investigation by police into its origins and purpose.
Footage from a passing driver captured the wooden cross leaning against a tree in Grant Park, a well-known site near Lake Michigan, surrounded by bright orange flames.
The Chicago Fire Department confirmed that the object was indeed a cross and reported that the fire was put out.
Authorities indicated there were no injuries and are looking into the reason behind this “burning object.”
Keinika Carlton, 43, was on her way home after running errands with her family when she witnessed the burning cross.
She expressed feelings of shock, sadness, disgust, and curiosity about the situation.
“Is this a racial thing? Is it a religious thing?” she pondered.
According to her, as a Black woman, her immediate thought was about racial implications, especially since burning crosses have historically been used as a violent symbol against Black Americans in the South.
Carlton guessed the cross stood at least 6 feet tall and noted that it was a new experience for everyone present, including her stepmother, who grew up in Kentucky.
As Carlton slowed down to record the flames, she noticed other drivers and pedestrians also stopping to stare at the burning cross.
The motivation behind the act remains unclear, but historically, cross-burning in the U.S. is seen as a “symbol of hate,” deeply linked to the Ku Klux Klan, as explained in a 2003 Supreme Court ruling authored by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
The justices concluded that the First Amendment only restricts cross-burning when performed with the intent to intimidate, as it represents “a particularly egregious form of intimidation.”
Alina Carlton, 22, remarked that she never expected to witness something like this in her life.
“It really opened my eyes. I realized I wasn’t that far from my past.”
