College Student Burned Cross In Chicago In Protest Of Trump

Last week, we reported on a burning cross that was discovered in Chicago’s Grant Park, and that the Chicago Police Department was looking for a “person of interest,” photos of whom were revealed to the public

Naturally, it was assumed that the burning of the cross was an act of racial hatred, as virtually everyone in the U.S. is aware of the historical significance of such a symbol of hate. And by “virtually,” I mean, apparently, everyone except the guy who is now claiming responsibility for the display of Klan-like vandalism. (Or Klandalism?) That man claims he did it in protest of President Donald Trump.

According to NBC 5 Chicago, on Tuesday, CPD confirmed that a “person of interest” in connection with the cross burning is currently in custody. However, it’s unclear if the person the department has in custody is the same 21-year-old college student who NBC 5 interviewed the day prior, who claims the many injustices perpetuated by the Trump administration inspired him to set a big, wooden cross on fire.

From NBC 5:

The young shirtless man running from a burning cross in Grant Park had been a nameless person of interest in a Chicago police arson investigation and subject of a possible FBI hate crime case. NBC 5 Investigates has since interviewed the man who admits to the cross burning.

University of Illinois Chicago senior Merlin Lu said he knew the implications of a burning cross and had placed a MAGA hat atop the cross, explaining his motivation was to protest Trump administration injustice – not something racist.

“How did you land on a burning cross?” NBC Chicago’s Chuck Goudie asked.

“Just it came up to my head one day,” Wu said. “I wanted to find something that I could do by myself, like no organization, no friends…”

“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,” he said. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to with gender.”

Goudie: “Should you have done it some other way?”

Lu: “Yeah, probably.”

To be fair, stuff like this is why a federal judge recently ordered Trump to restore all of the Black history his administration began removing from national parks last year. Leave it to the white nationalist MAGA movement, and we’ll have a whole generation or two of young people who think the Underground Railroad was fake because no one can find any of the train stops today.

Hell, maybe history lessons aren’t enough. We need a whole Activism 101 curriculum so burning crosses aren’t turning up in more of the Blackest cities across America, planted there by people who hate Trump — which is like offering free Happy Meals at the gym in protest of McDonald’s. What are we even doing here?

Of course, the response to this interview on social media has been a mix of leftists who believe Lu is an anti-Black Asian who knew exactly what he was doing, and right-wingers who think it’s all just a big hate crime hoax perpetuated by leftists. Lu, if he is truly responsible for the fire, may also have genuinely thought he was protesting the president.

Either way, this whole story is simply indicative of the idiocracy America has shown itself to be under Trump.

Let’s vote in better people next time, y’all!

SEE ALSO:

Person Of Interest Sought In Case Of Burning Cross Found At Grant Park

Klan Robe And Materials Found In Mississippi Law Enforcement Office Closet

College Student Says He Burned Cross In Chicago In Protest Of Trump was originally published on newsone.com