ON
🔍
← Back to feed
United StatesCulture5 days ago

A person is in custody in a Chicago cross burning investigation, police say

Chicago police have arrested a person in connection with the burning of a large cross in Grant Park, a location significant due to its historical ties to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential acceptance speech. A 21-year-old college student claimed he was the individual in a police-distributed image and stated he was protesting former President Donald Trump, denying any racial motivation behind the act.

Police in Chicago say a person is in custody in an investigation of a large cross set on fire in a well-known park

By The Associated Press

June 16, 2026, 11:41 AM

CHICAGO -- A person is in custody in an investigation of a large cross set on fire in a well-known Chicago park, police said Tuesday.

The burning cross was discovered June 9 in Grant Park, where Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech when he was elected the nation’s first Black president in 2008.

A 21-year-old college student told WMAQ-TV that he was the shirtless person in an image distributed by police when they were looking for a suspect. But police did not immediately say Tuesday if he's the person in custody.

The man said he protesting President Donald Trump and not making a racist statement.

“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand. But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” the man told the TV station. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.”

Popular Reads

Cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as symbols of hate and intimidation against Black people and have often been connected to the Ku Klux Klan.

The Chicago Police Department's communications office confirmed that a person was in custody in connection with the case, but no other details were released.

The man interviewed on WMAQ said he was protesting the “ruling class” and Christian nationalists who support Trump. He said he put a red MAGA hat on the cross.

Popular Reads

Read the full article at ABC News (US) →
Source document: Chicago Police Department

1 reports

ABC News (US)IndependentCenter5 days ago
A person is in custody in a Chicago cross burning investigation, police say

Chicago police have arrested a person in connection with the burning of a large cross in Grant Park, a location significant due to its historical ties to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential acceptance speech. A 21-year-old college student claimed he was the individual in a police-distributed image and stated he was protesting former President Donald Trump, denying any racial motivation behind the act.

Bias read (Center): The article presents facts without overtly favoring one side. It includes the suspect's claim of non-racial intent and mentions the historical context of cross burnings as symbols of hate, but does not take a stance on whether the act was racially motivated. The framing remains neutral, relying on警方

Official sources cited

  • government Chicago Police Department
  • press release WMAQ-TV Interview with Suspect

Go to the primary sources (2)

The official sources this coverage is built on. Read them directly to bypass framing.

  • governmentChicago Police Department
  • press_releaseWMAQ-TV Interview with Suspect