Chicago Police probe burning cross in popular Grant Park
Source: Scripps News/AP
Posted 8:14 AM, Jun 10, 2026
A large, burning cross was discovered at a Chicago park on Tuesday afternoon, and police said they are investigating how it ended up there and the motive behind it. Video taken by a motorist shows the wooden cross engulfed in bright orange flames as it leans against a tree in Grant Park, a popular area near Lake Michigan.
The Chicago Fire Department confirmed the flaming object was a cross, and said officials put out the fire. Chicago Police said there were no reports of injuries and that they are investigating the motive and circumstances around the “object on fire."
Keinika Carlton, 43, was driving home from running errands with her daughter and mother-in-law when they saw the cross on fire. She said she felt a combination of shock, sadness, disgust, as well as curiosity. “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 estimated the cross was at least 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall. The experience was new to all of them, including Carlton's mother-in-law, who grew up in Kentucky.
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/crime/chicago-police-probe-burning-cross-in-popular-grant-park
There is only ONE motive and it's sad that the perpetrators of hate are better educated on how to dish it out than the general populace is on how to recognize it. It wasn't just a southern thing.
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