Crime & Law

Chicago Man Facing Hate Crime Charges After Cross Burning in Grant Park

The Chicago man accused of setting ablaze a large cross in Grant Park now faces felony hate crime charges.

Merlin Lu, 21, was charged late Wednesday with two hate crime counts as well as additional charges including arson, property damage, disorderly conduct and cross burning as a means of intimidation.

Lu is accused of setting the cross on fire on June 9, causing damage to city property in the 600 block of South Columbus.

The Chicago Police Department released a photo of Lu last week as investigators sought who they said at the time was a person of interest related to the fire.

He then gave an interview to NBC Chicago in which he claimed the incident was meant as a protest against President Donald Trump, rather than as an act of hate against any group of individuals.

Cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision written by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The justices ruled that the First Amendment allows bans on cross burnings only when they are intended to intimidate because the action “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”

“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand,” he told NBC Chicago, “but I didn’t know the severity. How racially motivated it may seem from what I did.”

Asked if he should have carried out his protest some other way, Lu replied: “Yeah, probably.”

The CPD’s Major Crimes Division and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Lu on Monday in the 1400 block of South Halsted.

He is due in court for a detention hearing Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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