Chicago crime: Assaults up 7% for year, as women targeted

Assaults were up 7% for the year ended in March. Black Chicagoans were 5 times more likely to be assaulted, with Black women assaulted nearly as often as Black men – a much higher rate than women of other races. There’s a disturbing trend of targeted violence.

Chicago’s total assaults during the past year through March increased from the previous 12 months, from 21,416 to 22,948 – a 7.15% increase.

This is as the city is experiencing an increase in seemingly random violence, primarily against women. Several women this year have reported being targeted on the sidewalk, a trend also occurring in other major cities such as New York. 

“I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes, ‘Sorry,’ and then punches me in the head,” one woman said on TikTok.

In March, Chicago witnessed a 7.47% increase in total assaults from the previous month.

The number of assaults has grown each year since 2020. Total assaults recorded in Chicago have risen 9.6% from 2019 to 2023 to 22,598.

Though the number of assaults has increased, the number of arrests has fallen. In 2019, 18.2% of assaults resulted in an arrest. By 2023, the arrest rate on assaults dropped to 10.2%, a decline of 43.6% since 2019.

Monthly data from the past two years shows seasonal and periodic variations, with August 2023 peaking at 2,119 assaults before a gradual decrease to 1,719 in January 2024. Arrest rates for the same timeframe exhibit minor ebbs and flows, with March 2023 witnessing a low of 150 arrests for 1,760 assault crimes committed, an arrest rate of just 8.5%, indicating the challenges in securing convictions for these crimes.

Neighborhood data reveals a sharp contrast in assault rates, with Fuller Park, Riverdale, and Garfield Park leading in per capita incidents in the past year. On the flip side, areas such as Sheffield & DePaul and Edison Park had significantly lower rates, illustrating a city divided by crime statistics and community safety levels.

In raw numbers, neighborhoods such as Austin and Englewood bear the brunt with the highest recorded assaults, while places such as Edison Park and Rush & Division report minimal incidents, offering a glimpse into the urban disparity prevalent across Chicago.

Black Chicagoans are 5 times more likely to be the victim of an assault than white Chicagoans, while Hispanic Chicagoans are 2.8 times more likely to be victims of assault.

Black Chicagoans were most affected, constituting 53.84% of assault cases last month. Additionally, women made up 40.2% of the year’s total assault victims, with a significant majority being Black, underlining a disturbing trend of targeted violence.

All crime is bad. Violent crime, such as assault, is worse. Failing to address it will eat away at Chicagoans and the city they love until public leaders take steps to meaningfully address the problem. That includes making sure the city has enough police officers on the beat, the courts can process cases efficiently, and prosecutors and judges are able to do their jobs effectively.