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Illinois launches ‘Help Stop Hate’ program as hate crime reports surge

Just days after an Orthodox Jewish man was shot while walking to his Chicago synagogue, and amid record numbers of hate crime reports nationwide, state leaders on Wednesday announced a new initiative to help those affected by hate-fueled attacks.

Help Stop Hate features a website, ilstophate.org, and a phone number, (877) 458-4283, where people can confidentially report hate crimes and receive referrals to community resources that offer assistance.

“We have witnessed a rapid rise in hate crime and discrimination,” Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday. “I’m horrified by this trend. Horrified. This nation, this state, cannot live up to our promise as a place of welcome and opportunity if it continues unabated and unchallenged.”

The initiative also will allow the state to better identify the frequency and location of hate acts to improve services, strengthen policies and increase resources, advocates say.

“By better understanding the landscape of hate in Illinois and the resources available to people affected by it, Illinois will be better equipped to stop and prevent hate,” said Elana Kahn, executive director of the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

According to FBI statistics released last month, 11,862 hate crime incidents affecting 14,416 victims were reported across the country last year, the most since the bureau began keeping track in 1991.

The majority of victims — about 52.5% — were targeted because of their race or ethnicity. About 22.5% involved the person’s religion, 18.4% sexual orientation and 4.1% their gender identity, according to the data.

Illinois bucked those trends last year, with hate crime reports falling from 346 to 319, according to the FBI. But that dip followed a massive surge, from 56 in 2020 and 98 in 2021, to 346 in 2022.

Pritzker said hate crimes often go unreported because victims are unsure of where to turn for help.

“Help Stop Hate is one critical tool in that work, filling a gap in our hate crime responses and allowing us to better assist and uplift targeted communities,” he added. “Our sole mission is to identify acts of hate, bring comfort and resources to the victims and take appropriate action.”

Funding for the program comes from a $5 million, 5-year supplemental fund to support in the 2024 state budget as well as a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ also provided funding to create and administer training for law enforcement on hate crime response, officials said.

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