Student Charged With Burning Cross in Chicago Freed While Awaiting Trial
“the judge said the state failed to show what he did was a hate crime”
You can read the crazy backstory on this person and what he did here.
CBS News reports:
Man charged with burning cross in Grant Park released from custody while he awaits trial
The Chicago man accused of burning a cross in Grant Park last week made his first court appearance on Thursday, as a judge denied prosecutors’ request to keep him locked up until trial.
Merlin Lu, 21, is charged with two felony counts of hate crime, one felony count of property damage, one felony count of arson, and additional misdemeanor charges including disorderly conduct and burning a cross to intimidate.
At his first court appearance on Thursday, Cook County prosecutors sought to have him detained while he awaits trial, but the judge said the state failed to show what he did was a hate crime.
Lu walked out of Cook County Jail around 7:35 p.m. on Thursday, and apologized for the fear he invoked by burning a cross in Grant Park.
“In terms of the fear that I’ve evoked, I’ve already apologized, and I’m going to apologize sincerely again right now, and I probably will continue to apologize for who knows how long, maybe forever, and I’ve accepted that,” he said. “I’m okay with that, I understand that, but after I’ve come out and explicitly stated that this is not intended to be a hate crime, I believe that any more narratives to paint me as a racist, as a KKK member, I believe that’s a distraction.”
Asked how, as a college student, he could not know the historical context of cross burnings, Lu said, “I didn’t go to college for history.”
“I understand now, I have learned now the severity and the historical baggage and the context of what I’ve done. I understand that now,” he said. “Before, you can call it uneducated, you can call it ignorance. I understand that.”
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Comments
This guy is an absolute idiot. How could he not know about burning crosses? He is Asian, but even they know about the Democrats scaring the blacks with the Klan. I am astonished.
Why would he know it? If he wasn’t studying history, in what context would he ever have heard of it?
He knew something about it, he’d heard of the term, but assumed it must be something religious, probably an anti-Christian thing. I mean surely burning a cross is a statement against Christianity, right? Doesn’t that make sense? Knowing otherwise requires knowing some very specific historical facts that he would have no reason to know.
Asked how, as a college student, he could not know the historical context of cross burnings, Lu said, “I didn’t go to college for history.”
He didn’t go to college for history, but he felt the need to make a rather strong comment on history. That does not show that he has a strong commitment to thinking through things logically. Which does not indicate that he has a good future as a STEM major.
I think an appropriate punishment would be to tie him to some stocks and let MAGA people throw rotten fruit at him.
Put it this way: How many gentile Americans have any idea how offensive Jews find positive references to the Crusaders, or why? I think most have no idea. I don’t think anyone does it on purpose to offend Jews. You have to have either grown up Jewish or know some specific things to understand it.