The Council’s Human Relations Committee is holding a subject matter hearing Wednesday morning to discuss recent data finding hate crimes in Chicago rose 20 percent in 2016–the highest in five years.

In an email, Human Relations Chair Pat Dowell (3) confirmed that there’s no corresponding resolution for the hearing–rather, the hearing is based on an article published in the Daily Southtown last month. It detailed a spike in the number of incidents categorized as hate crimes and noted Chicago’s uptick reflects national trends.



Neither the Chicago Police Department’s website nor the city’s data portal provide current statistics on hate crimes. But DNAinfo recently created a map of alleged hate crimes based on information gained through the Freedom of Information Act.

DNAinfo and the Daily Southtown note that historically a majority of the hate crimes committed in Chicago are against gay or black individuals. That trend has been reversed since 2016 with a majority of the victims identifying as Jewish or Muslim.



Aldermen on the committee are expected to hear testimony from representatives with:

Commission on Human Relations

Chicago Police Department

Illinois State Police

Anti-Defamation League

Cook County Sheriff Dart’s Office

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Office of New Americans

Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago