“The fear runs deep through some of Chicago’s most prominent communities: Black, Asian, LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), and Jewish,” said ABC7 in its report of the data from the city’s Commission on Human Relations.
During the pandemic, Asian Americans faced increased incidents of bias-related attacks, noted the report, adding that eight of the 125 total hate crimes being investigated by Chicago police this year were against Asians, a number city leaders fear is far under-reported.
“The number of hate crimes reported in Chicago increased by 44 percent compared to this time in 2021,” said the report.
The state of Illinois has reactivated a group similar to the Human Rights Commission in Chicago, that is looking at ways to increase reporting of potential hate crimes, and strengthen legislation against offenders, it added.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 