Authorities in Chicago are examining the circumstances surrounding a large wooden cross that was found ablaze at a city park on Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed.
Footage captured by a passing driver reveals the wooden structure completely consumed by flames as it rested against a tree within Grant Park, a well-known recreational area situated close to Lake Michigan. Fire department officials verified the burning object was indeed a cross and reported that crews successfully extinguished the blaze.
Law enforcement representatives stated no injuries were reported in connection with the incident and confirmed they are examining both the motivation and situation surrounding the “object on fire.”
Keinika Carlton, 43, was returning home after completing errands with her daughter and mother-in-law when the group witnessed the flaming cross. She described experiencing a mix of shock, sadness, disgust, and curiosity upon seeing it.
“Is this a racial thing? Is this a religious thing?” she said. “As Black women, of course, our first thought is racial, because burning crosses are known to be used as a tactic, an act of violence toward Black Americans in the South.”
Carlton approximated the cross measured no less than 6 feet (1.83 meters) in height. The incident was unprecedented for all three women, including Carlton’s mother-in-law, who was raised in Kentucky.
According to Carlton, as their vehicle slowed to record the flames, she observed additional cars reducing speed and pedestrians in the vicinity stopping to stare at the burning structure.
Though the motivation for the cross burning remains unclear, such acts throughout American history have been recognized as “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” based on a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling authored by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The court determined the First Amendment permits prohibitions on cross burnings solely when they aim to intimidate, as the practice “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”
Alyna Carlton, 22, expressed that she never anticipated witnessing such an event during her lifetime.
“It kind of really opened my eyes, had me realize that I’m not that far removed from the past.”
