Man Charged With Hate Crime Over Burning Cross in Chicago Park

A former university student, Merlin Lu, 21, has claimed that he set the cross on fire in Grant Park to protest the Trump administration, not as an act of racism. Merlin Lu faces felony and misdemeanor charges after police released images of a suspect fleeing the sceneA 21- year old man who admitted to setting fire to a cross in Chicago’s Grant Park last week is now in police custody on hate crime charges, per Chicago police.Merlin Lu was arrested and charged with four felony and four misdemeanor counts related to the incident on 9 June.