City Urges Federal Investigation of Racist Messages At South Sid - Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

The City of Chicago now wants Federal authorities to investigate a racially-charged message once posted on the city's south side. FOX Chicago News first reported on the controversial display in the Beverly neighborhood last week.

Now Mayor Richard Daley is weighing in, saying it's important for all agencies responsible to look into the situation.

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More on this story:

• Racially Charged Display Sparks Anger
• Racist Message an Anomaly in Beverly
• 'Yard Art' May Be Violation of Housing Laws

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What sparked the investigation by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and prompted the agency to ask the Justice Department to get involved on Monday, was a display posted on Michael Corrigan's garage in the 9900 block of South Fairfield Avenue. It read, "Say no to the ghetto. White Power. Mt. Greenwood, the next Englewood." Next to those words hung a white noose. It faced the home next door to Corrigan's which is for sale.

Corrigan called it lawn art. The Human Relations Commission called it racist and deplorable. The Feds are being asked to investigate whether the display crossed the line and amounted to intimidation, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The act prohibits, among other things, attempts to influence who might purchase a home based on their race.

FOX Chicago News asked Mayor Daley about the display.

"One incident is one too many, you don't accept it," he said.

Betsy Shuman- Moore, with the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, said despite the first amendment guaranteeing people the right express these kinds of views, the feds should look into it.

"There's very disturbing racist messages that are being sent. Whether it crosses the line into being something illegal, whether civilly or criminally, I don't know right now, but I do think that it warrants an investigation," Shuman-Moore said.

The Mayor agreed.

"No one wants any types of racist comments on any part of the city, county, state or the nation, and so like anything else they don't want it to go any further than that," he said.

Shuman-Moore, whose agency handles cases involving housing discrimination and hate crimes, said despite the country electing an African American President, this incident shows racism is still an issue that needs to be confronted.

"We need to take problems like this, put them out in the open, look into them and root out the racism," she said.