CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- The man Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has picked to be the city's top civil rights investigator is talking about this week's cross-burning in Grant Park, as the alderman who represents the area expresses confidence that police will arrest whoever's behind it.
A security camera image of a person sought by Chicago police in connection with Tuesday afternoon's cross-burning in Grant Park.
Chicago Police Department
Kenneth Gunn talked about the discovery of a burning cross Tuesday afternoon at the south end of Grant Park during his confirmation hearing Thursday to be the head of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Witnesses tell Chicago police they saw a man set up a wooden cross in broad daylight, set it on fire, and then run away. Investigators released images Wednesday evening of a person being sought for questioning, and Chicago police told WBBM Newsradio Thursday afternoon no arrests have been made.
"Hate and discrimination don't change a whole heck of a lot. Just the way they do it," Gunn told members of the City Council's Health and Human Relations Committee. "It's a hate incident that we have to address with the community."
However, Gunn cautioned that the Commission looks at incidents of this nature through a "legal lens," and because a specific victim has not been identified, it can't yet be classified as a "hate crime."
"I understand the nuances," said South side Ald. Lamont Robinson, who represents the area where the cross was found, "but at the end of the day, we all know the history around a cross being burned."
Ald. Robinson (4th Ward) said he's confident whoever's behind it will be prosecuted.
"I'm sad about this," he added. "We need answers on why this happened."
