Chicago’s efforts to encourage more people to report hate crimes appear to be producing an unexpected result.
Despite creating new ways for residents to report bias incidents and expanding efforts to identify potential hate crimes, the number of hate crimes reported to the Chicago Police Department has dropped sharply. CPD records show hate crime reports are down 30% compared with the first half of last year and 54% from the same period in 2024, with declines across every major protected class.
That may be a surprising revelation given the extensive news coverage given to recent incidents, including a cross-burning in Grant Park that an Asian college student claims was intended to be a message to “MAGA Christian nationalists” who support President Donald Trump, not Blacks.
Hate crime reports surged dramatically in June 2020 as protests and riots followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Cases continued rising for several years, reaching a record 303 reports in 2023.
That year’s surge was driven largely by religion-based hate crimes as the Israel-Hamas war sparked pro-Palestinian demonstrations that some people used as cover to target Jewish residents and institutions.
Against that backdrop, the Chicago City Council unanimously approved the “CHI vs. Hate” ordinance in December 2023. The measure created a system allowing residents to report “hate incidents” through 311 even if the conduct did not meet the legal definition of a hate crime.
Supporters said the ordinance would make it easier for victims to come forward while giving the city a better understanding of bias-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported. Even with those expanded reporting efforts in place, hate crime reports have fallen across every major protected class.
Race-based hate crimes have dropped from 170 cases in 2023 and 123 last year to 33 during the first half of this year, according to CPD. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation have fallen from a high of 64 cases in 2024 to 24 through June 30. Religion-based hate crimes have also declined, falling from 89 reports last year to 16 during the first six months of this year.
Hate crimes based on gender identity have also decreased. After averaging about nine cases annually since 2019 and peaking at 11 incidents in 2024, the city recorded three cases during the first half of this year.
Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), the only Jewish member of the City Council and the lead sponsor of the CHI vs. Hate ordinance, said the citywide decline in hate crime reports is good news.
“I am encouraged that hate crime numbers have declined, and I am deeply grateful to Supt. Larry Snelling and the dedicated Chicago police officers who work every day to keep all our diverse communities safe,” Silverstein said Wednesday. “This reduction underscores the critical role our police play in protecting residents and improving public safety.”
Still, Silverstein said the numbers show more work remains.
“We cannot overlook the fact that anti-Jewish hate crimes remain disproportionately high against a community that makes up only 3% of Chicago’s population,” said Silverstein, whose Far North Side ward includes a significant Jewish population.
She also urged Mayor Brandon Johnson to “treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves.”
Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd), a member of the City Council’s LGBTQ+ caucus, also welcomed the trend, saying he was “encouraged to hear that hate crimes, particularly antisemitic incidents, are on the decline.”
Knudsen, who represents much of Lincoln Park, sponsored the city’s Stop Hate Littering Ordinance, approved in 2024 after antisemitic flyers were distributed alongside rat poison. His office said the measure strengthened the city’s ability to respond by expanding enforcement tools and increasing accountability for people distributing hateful propaganda.
“While legislation alone won’t solve hate, it sends a clear message that, with strong enforcement measures and tools, acts like these have no place in Chicago,” Knudsen’s office said.
Several public officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article, including Mayor Brandon Johnson; Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), who is gay and represents Boystown; Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), who bills herself as the “first Black, queer woman elected to Chicago City Council”; Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), whose ward includes part of Andersonville; and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), a member of the council’s LGBTQ+ caucus.
In a statement, CPD said, “The Chicago Police Department is committed to addressing hate crimes by creating a comfortable environment that encourages victims to report these crimes, and by thoroughly investigating all hate crimes that are reported. We understand the trauma and fear that are inflicted on both victims and our communities when a hate crime is committed, and we are continuously working to advocate and support those affected through victim services and continued outreach.”
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