Alleged Chicago assault reignites issue of hate crimes against whites

A livestreamed video of a disabled man being abused while bound and gagged has caused outrage

The meaning and enforcement of the Illinois hate-crimes statute seems destined for intense scrutiny with the arrest this week of four young black adults in Chicago in connection with the assault of a mentally disabled white man. The arrests by the Chicago Police Department resulted in part from what appeared to a livestreamed video of the disabled man being abused while bound and gagged. The recording captures one or more of the attackers making references to Donald Trump and white people.

The Illinois hate-crime statute reads as follows:

A person commits hate crime when, by reason of the actual or perceived race,