Hate crimes reach 28-year high in Chicago
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Chicago's hate crimes surged last year to their highest levels since 1994, according to a new report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
The big picture: Hate crimes, which can range from graffiti to homicide, have increased nationwide for the last 22 years amid a rise in white nationalism and soaring numbers of attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
Zoom in: The center — which collects hate crime stats from police data, state reports, and open records requests — found that hate crimes rose in Chicago from 104 in 2021 to 192 in 2022.
- The groups most often targeted last year were Black and Jewish people, per the report.
Between the lines: Chicago police categorize hate crimes differently than the researchers. The department tallied 68 in the city so far this year, according to the Sun-Times.
- Last fall the Chicago Commission on Human Relations reported a 71% increase in local hate crimes.